If the spirit of unyielding faith and community service has a face, it is Mary Nelle Cummins. This humble mother of three grown children and wife of 48 years to husband Don is committed to serving her community. Mary Nelle’s tireless work continues to have a deep and enduring affect on thousands of families in North Texas.

The seed of her story begins in 1967 when the then 27-year-old Mary Nelle was in a car accident. Initially, Mary Nelle experienced some pain which later worsened as the result of severe backlash; an injury she unknowingly suffered in what she thought was a minor car accident. What should have been a relatively easy fix resulted in a lethal combination of medications that put her in a coma and was quickly followed by a near-death experience.

Mary Nelle explains, “As I slipped into the coma, I also slipped out of my body and experienced a life after near death event. A dear family friend, Mac, had been like a second father to me. He had died the year before this event and he was the one who came for me. Mac walked with me into a tunnel of light.  I was also out of body watching the scene of panic as the doctor and nurses worked on me.  I can tell you where my husband was in the room and where my parents were standing – what my mom said.  I believe I went through the tunnel first because my parents were not at the hospital when the event first started, and I clearly remember hearing my mother.”

It was many years before Mary Nelle told anyone about this experience. She never spoke of it, not even with her husband, because she was convinced she had made it all up in her head. In 1967, people knew little of near-death experiences and Mary Nelle was no different. It wasn’t until six years later when she was watching Phil Donahue interview a woman about near-death experience that she knew for certain what had happened to her.

“I told Don about it and told him what I remembered.  He was a bit stunned when I recounted exactly what had taken place in that hospital room. Don recalled that as I came out of the coma all those years before, I had asked, ‘Has Mac been here?’ and at the time, Don reminded Mac had died a year earlier,” Mary Nelle explains.

From that moment on, Mary Nelle knew God had something special for her to do, and she started the search for her purpose. She thought her purpose may involve her family, and often thought to herself that she had no clear talents. It was a confusing time for Mary Nelle. But one morning, many years later, she had a revelation. She woke up one day knowing she had a gift for loving and nurturing those who were lost and forgotten. She was able to touch those who needed it the most but didn’t have anyone to give it to them. Then, another morning 32 years later she awoke from a very vivid dream, with another answer. According to Mary Nelle, God sent her something specific, something very important, that He wanted her to do. She finally found her purpose.

         “I am certain it was a vision from God. I was directed to start a free children’s health clinic that would be connected to and supported by the community. I saw the faces of many people I knew and a bright and cheerful space. There was a flood in my dream and that concerned me,” Mary Nelle recalls.
 

Mary Nelle and her beautiful smile greets all comers

Mary Nelle quickly shared the dream with pastor, Rev. Kathy McLean-Davis, who reassured her that the flood represented obstacles she would encounter, not disaster, while working towards opening the clinic. With the support of her husband, a loving group of friends and the determination to see the plan come to fruition, Mary Nelle set out to make her dream come true.

The flood of obstacles quickly became apparent. These included two battles with breast cancer, a double mastectomy, chemotherapy and radiation treatments, total knee replacement surgery, back surgery, her husband’s Parkinson’s diagnosis and subsequent early retirement, just to name a few. However, Mary Nelle’s faith, determination and commitment to service only seemed to pique in the face of these daunting challenges.

Upon reflection Mary Nelle is quick to note many “God things” occurred during that time which hastened the opening of her dream clinic. Information and opportunities for support seemed to fall into her lap. Among them was access to funding and free consultation for the clinic, free legal assistance, facilities costing $1 per year in rent and access to the local medical community from which they needed to harvest volunteer practitioners.

On Aug. 2, 2004, less than five years after her dream, Mary Nelle and her team of dedicated benefactors opened the doors of the Children and Community Health Center. The 501(c) 3 medical clinic, located in McKinney, Tex., specifically caters to the uninsured working poor; a group which is believed to include more than 58,000 people in McKinney alone. Since opening its doors, the clinic has had more than 5000 patient visits from North Collin County residents, never charging a penny for any services.

Mary Nelle is the first to admit this clinic is the result of many people’s dedication and generosity. She calls it “God’s Clinic,” because of the incidents that helped her gain insight and bring the right people into place. Mary Nelle’s story spans 37 years of challenges, faith, uncertainty and dedication, but clearly reflects that she has always had a gift for seeing everything, whether positive or negative, as another bridge to her ultimate goal and the manifestation of her greatest talent: loving the unloved and helping the helpless.