Michael Timothy Danforth died because he didn’t have health insurance. Photo courtesy of the Danforth family.
By Leslie Boyd
Every year in America, some 30,000 people die prematurely because they don’t have health insurance and the access to health care that comes with it. Last year, one of those people was my son.
He was at high risk of colon cancer because of a birth defect, but he couldn’t get a doctor in Savannah, Ga., where he lived, to give him a colonoscopy. Several times, even as he began having symptoms, the doctor wrote in his record, “Patient needs a colonoscopy but can’t afford it.”
The symptoms got worse, but he still couldn’t get the test he needed to
catch his cancer early enough to cure it. By the time he got help, Mike
was in renal failure and vomiting fecal matter. His cancer was Stage 3,
and the prognosis was not good.
He got chemo and radiation, but the radiation caused another blockage
and he was neglected and nearly died again. The pathology report from
the surgery showed a few viable cancer cells, and his doctor told him
he would die. The doctor didn’t even treat a life-threatening infection
that developed after his second surgery.
We got him a consultation at Duke University Medical Center and the
doctors there adopted him and fought for his life as hard as he did.
They gave us two more years with Mike, but the cancer had progressed
too far for a cure before it was discovered.
Mike died April 1, 2008. All because the patient needed a colonoscopy
but couldn’t afford it. If he’d had access to health care, we’d still
have Mike and his wicked sense of humor, his practical jokes, his
gourmet meals, his hauntingly beautiful black-and-white photos, his
music and his passion for helping others.
Mike is just one of 30,000 people who died last year. As he lay dying,
I prayed my heart would stop when his did. But my heart kept beating,
so I have to do something with the pain I feel every moment of every
day.
In his memory, his former wife (they had to split so he could qualify
for Medicaid) and I started Life o’ Mike, a health care education and
advocacy nonprofit. We are working toward access to quality health care
for every American.
I’m afraid it’s still going to be an uphill battle, but Janet and I,
and the others who have joined in this fight, are very stubborn people.
We’re not going away.
Leslie Boyd is a writer with the Asheville Citizen-Times and the mother
of the late Mike Danforth. For more information about the work of the
organization, and to help with its drive for healthcare reform, visit online .
I believe most people live in glass boxes. They wake up, get out of bed and start their daily routine...taking for granted simple tasks such as putting one foot in front of the other to move, turning their heads to look at something, and simply bending over to tie their shoes. These are effortless motions that everyone does everyday without any thought. Not only I was among them, but I was also working three jobs at times, raising a child, and caring for my elderly mother...those days were easy.
All of my life I have been very athletic and outgoing, dabbling in everything from high school sports, weight training, to mountain biking fifty miles a week, and fencing competitions. I even sought employment opportunities that were invigorating; anything that would challenge me physically, I would do...even my life’s passion for making music includes some physical "aerobic" activity. In fact, one of my goals as a personal trainer has been to look and feel my best at age 40. Now, with all of these things comes dedication, commitment, and great sacrifice. And I‘ve learned that anything worth having means going through hell and high water to get it and keep it. I never believed this more than I did 2 years ago.
Since I can remember, God has constantly placed obstacles in my way in order to test my character, and to mold me into the man he needs me to be. From living with adoption, to losing loved ones, and personal sacrifice, I have gladly been challenged both mentally and physically. And as faith would have it, I believe gifts and rewards are granted to those who persevere through such trials and tribulations, no matter how long it takes. Mine came in the form of a loving woman, understanding children, and people I can call "giving" friends.
About 5 years ago, I was performing for a large group of people who came out to support my love for music. Shortly after my performance, I became pale and felt as though I was going to faint. Slightly disoriented, my fiancé at the time(Mandi) became concerned and wouldn’t bring me home unless I went to the emergency room first. I tried to explain that it was just hot under the lights and that I was ok. She persisted and to please her, I gave in.
After a series of tests, and with some surprise that an edgy musician wasn’t testing positive for drugs or alcohol, I was dismissed with no explanations other than a referral for more advanced testing at the hospital. After an MRI and more extensive testing, there was still no explanation or reason for my strange physical condition, other than a possible inner ear infection that was left untreated, and that may be why I was experiencing what the doctors dismissed as having "vertigo". Shortly after my hospital visit, for two weeks the rooms in my house appeared to be completely sideways. I was unable to sit up, stand, or let alone walk without stepping directly into a wall. Fully disoriented, all I could do was pray that the strangest thing I had ever experienced would go away. I was told that I may have to deal with the sporadic characteristics of this condition for possibly the rest of my life, or never again(either way, it may be very inconsistent). Confused and ignorant to what I was going through, I just wanted it to clear itself from my head as soon as possible. Surprisingly, within two weeks, my symptoms were almost completely subsided, with the exception of a few minor occurrences here and there. At the time, I was working for General Motors, so I had returned to work trusting in the doctors’ prognosis that it would just be a small matter that I would have to deal with.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
'In Loving Memory': honoring those who could not find any health care and so died
Tuesday, October 20, 2009, 7pm-8pm, "In Loving Memory" service to pay respects to those who have died from our broken health care system. First Congregational Church of Christ, 20 Oak Street, Asheville (just off College Avenue at the traffic circle). For information contact Rev. Joe Hoffman at 252-8729 or Leslie Boyd at 243-6712.
Asheville Citizen Times' reporter, Leslie Boyd----her son died from colon cancer within the past 5 years. He could find no health care. He was less than 35 years old.
If he had MEDICARE, he could have had a screening colonoscopy. Think about that as you consider the public option.
BCBSNC PPO offers no reimbursed screening colonoscopies in western NC except for ONE PROVIDER, Appalachian Gastroengerology, BOONE, NC which is hours away from Asheville, a major metropolis.
For over $750/ month, my healthy 3 member family, cannot obtain reimburseable mammograms (for me) not screening colonoscopies in a clinic setting, which is the standard of treatment at this time. The closest 'office based' screening colonoscopy is hours away.
