Why SMI? Dawn Marie Pérez loves the community aspect
By Anna Moore · Dec 20, 2024
Member Spotlight: StandUpGirl.com helps women at a crossroads
Dawn Marie Pérez and her family love the community aspect of Samaritan Ministries.
“We like being a part of a community of people who are supporting each other,” she added.
It’s a community she and her husband, Mark, may never see in the flesh, but they know it is there for them when they need it.
“I think it’s this security for us knowing there are thousands of people who are part of Samaritan Ministries around the world and we all think alike,” she said. “We all have the same statement of faith we have to sign, and we're all believers.”
Dawn Marie promotes Samaritan, telling people at her church and in her community about the ministry.
“Anytime we’ve had something come up, everyone on staff has just been wonderful,” she said.
A few years ago, she had foot surgery.
“I went to my husband and said, ‘You know, this is going to be $15,000 to $16,000 and I’m not sure what to do,” she said. “We’re like, ‘OK, let’s submit it to Samaritan.’”
It was shared.
When her daughter needed an MRI and she informed the medical staff she was cash-pay, they asked if she needed financial assistance. For the Pérez family, though, being cash-pay is more about having choices than needing assistance.
“I said, ‘It’s not about financial assistance,’” Dawn Marie said. “’We just choose to be in a health care sharing ministry, and we choose to pay for our services, and so what kind of discount will you give us?’”
As a Samaritan member, Dawn Marie and her family also like that they can choose providers and the level of care.
“We can also choose someone who has the same values that we have and that is really important to us and important to teach our kids that you don’t have to do what the mainstream is telling you to do,” she said. “You have choices in this world.”