ADVOCATE HELPED MEDICAL STAFF SEE PATIENTS’ POINT OF VIEW

spun the story. We went to the car and hunted for the turtle and found him in the door pocket.

“Danny took the turtle and gave him an amazing home. I think its name was Speedy. He would send her pictures of Speedy basking in the sun on a rock or hanging out with his other turtle.”

Marshall said that despite her battle taking up so much of her time and energy, her daughter wasn’t defined by her disease.

“She had so many surgeries, so many procedures, saw so many doctors and was so much in that world, but she was so much more than that,” she said. “She had a love for life. Her family loved and adored her and always will. She was a foodie; she had a very sophisticated palate.”

Absorbing information about the disease, Marshall-bernstein was known to have answers for almost any question on the topic from her family or friends.

“Instead of Google, you’d just go to Dana,” Marshall said.

Her knowledge spilled over into the medical world, as she would offer advice to medical staff members carrying out procedures on her. She also was a champion for other patients, and worked to help medical staff understand the importance of giving patients the feeling they had some control over their aliment.

“Doctors and nurses have come up to Cari and me saying she changed their life because they were able to see things much more clearly from a patient’s point of view,” Bernstein recalled. “She had ideas on how to care for patients, and taught the doctors and nurses.”

Marshall said the way her family treated her helped keep her smiling despite her situation.

“We always stayed positive with Dana. We didn’t treat her like a sickly kid,” Marshall said. “We wanted her to have some independence and allowed her to feel beyond normal and have fun. And she did that.”

MarshallBernstein was known to have answers to almost any question about the disease. “Instead of Google, you’d just go to Dana.”

A memorial service for Marshall-bernstein is scheduled for 11 a.m. Thursday at Congregation Ner Tamid in Henderson. Memorial donations are being accepted at the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation, Southwest Chapter, located at 615 S. 7th St.

mick.akers@lasvegassun.com / 702-948-7813 / @mickakers