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Leukemia victim battles medical bureaucracy By Melissa Martin Mail Tribune Tanya Wray was at her post as the city of Medford�s grant specialist not quite a year when she heard the bad news. Her acute leukemia was recurring. So instead of going to work at City Hall everyday to write or distribute grants, Wray went to the hospital for chemotherapy injections. And to beat this disease, she needs a bone marrow transplant � a costly and fragile procedure that depends on finding a matching donor. "One minute I was well and healthy and the next minute I wasn�t," Wray said. "I was a healthy 26-year-old when I was diagnosed, a vegetarian who exercised regularly and didn�t smoke or drink." Wray takes chemotherapy treatment to keep the cancer at bay, but her fight with the medical system�s bureaucracy is with phone calls, faxes and e-mails. "It�s been a battle every step of the way," she said. "They turn you into a medical study and you feel like an object." While she said she�s grateful for the good care she�s receiving from her oncologist, she�s disheartened about the condition of the cancer wing at Rogue Valley Medical Center, where her 32-day stay cost $73,432. After insurance reimbursements, Wray could end up with $30,000 in medical bills. "We try to put it in perspective of the marketplace," Wray said. "Most families in our income bracket own two SUVs, so we�re looking at this as the equivalent of a car." After Wray�s monthlong stay in the hospital, she wrote letters to administrators about the dust-clogged ventilation system, cracked and stained bathroom tiles and lack of hot meals in the evenings. "She had valid concerns," said Christy Connor, director of patient care services of Rogue Valley Medical Center. She noted that the cancer wing, one of the oldest sections of the hospital, is due for a complete remodel during Asante�s $76 million planned expansion. Connor had the exhaust system cleaned, noting it was an aesthetic issue, not an infection control issue, and plans a more thorough cleaning job when the ward is not filled to capacity. She also noted that as a result of Asante�s 18-month-old Patient Care Initiative, the hospital sends surveys to patients asking about their stay. They also hired a national firm to create a guest services program so patients can call one number during their hospital stay and get quick answers to non-medical questions, Connor said. Beyond the hospital concerns, Wray said she has battled her insurance company, Lifewise. The company at first refused to allow the bone marrow transplant to take place at Oregon Health & Science University. Lifewise changed its position after Wray appealed to a state patient advocacy group and the state insurance board. It will mean Wray will spend $10,000 instead of $50,000 out-of-pocket for the transplant. It also allows her to avoid treatment in Seattle so she can be in Portland, where she will be closer to friends and family who can help with 24-hour-a-day care. Wray�s expenses will increase this summer, when she must start paying the $800 monthly insurance premium the city has been paying since her three-month medical leave started in March. Watching Wray fight for treatment has been a source of frustration for her father. "I�m outraged that Tanya had to spend an entire month fighting the insurance company to be able to go to Oregon Health & Science University where her doctor wants her to go," said Wes Brain, a union activist who works in the occupational health and safety department at Southern Oregon University. "The system requires so much energy," Brain said. "I�m mad at the world in general that she has leukemia, but this barrier we have by corporate health care systems has me outraged." He wonders about leukemia patients and others who are not strong enough to fight the medical system. "I�m so proud of this young lady," Brain said. "She has the wherewithal to connect the dots, to do the month-long battle with the insurance company. But what about all those people who don�t have the wherewithal that Tanya does? What about those who don�t have family or anybody to help them jump through the hoops?" Brain said. "They fall through the cracks and many just die." City Hall is anxiously awaiting Wray�s return as a grant specialist. At a recent City Council meeting, she was named employee of the quarter for her efforts in creating a point system that grades nonprofit agencies seeking grants. The system was used for the first time this spring when a city budget subcommittee awarded nearly $700,000 in grant money to 15 agencies. "I�ve heard nothing but favorable comments about Tanya�s efforts in bringing objective criteria to the evaluation process," said Councilman Bob Strosser, who recently lost his wife to leukemia. When Wray returns to City Hall will partly depend on how soon doctors find an eligible donor. They�ve narrowed the search to 34 potential donors but still need more screening to find the perfect match. The transplant may take place in June. A bone marrow transplant is Wray�s only hope for a cure. Yet statistics show that 40 to 50 percent of the patients die within one year of the transplant if the donor is not a relative, which is the case for Wray. "It�s a difficult road," Strosser said, "but we believe Tanya will prevail and we eagerly look forward to her return." Reach reporter Melissa Martin at 776-4497, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2002 Mail Tribune, Inc.