My grandmother always said, "God never gives you more than you can handle".
I think that may be true.
I guess we have go learn to handle what the world throws at us.
Then again in the the words of Patrick Swayze in the movie Roadhouse "it is amazing what you can get used to".
In any case this blog is a very simple one.
I am begging for your help.
The following appeal was written by my friend and partner of almost 20 years, John Aquilino, Jr.
It has to do with my wife, Lori and a recent development that has devastated us and her in her fight aginat metastatic triple negative breast cancer "tnbc".
For those of you who read this blog regularly and have followed Lori's incredible fight John's story will hopefully galvanize you to action. Lori needs your help. We need your help.
And for the tens of of thousands of women around the world who have or may someday face this dreaded disease called "The Beast" we pray you will respond.
We need you to crash the webs sites below and to tie up their phone lines and to write so many letters they can not handle the load and they, be it UHC, the FDA, whomever, will do whatever it takes to get UHC to start to pay for Lori's treatment using Avastin again.
Lori is winning.
Her cancer is in retreat and now they want to pull the plug.
This is Lori during Thanksgiving 2013.
Thanks. Please act today, Do not wait. Lori cannot afford to wait.
TNBC HOPE & Plea for Help: by John Aquilino, Jr.
There is real hope for women with metastatic Triple Negative
Breast Cancer.
The Good News:
Dr. Joyce O’Shaunessy devised a combination of drugs for
Lori Jean White, a patient she is treating at Baylor Charles A. Sammons Cancer
Center in Dallas, Texas.
The trio of Avastin (bevacizumab), Halaven (eribulin mesylate),
and Xeloda (capecitabine) is working.
Lori’s tumor markers have receded from 75 to 50. Her brain mets are virtually non-existent and
a 4 cm tumor on her liver is shrinking. This
is not a cure…but it is beating back Triple Negative Breast Cancer and
extending Lori’s life until research in immunotherapy can defeat cancer once
and for all!
Despite an initial four month “expriation date” decree, in February 2011, Lori
White has survived for 37 months after being treated at Maryland’s Suburban
Hospital, MD Anderson in Houston, clinical trials at Johns Hopkins, Georgetown
University, the National Cancer Institute and Mary Crowley Cancer Research
Center in Dallas.
Regardless of the
treatment prior to Dr. O’Shaunessy’s Avastin, Halaven, Xeloda combination,
Lori’s brain mets reoccurred followed by the liver tumor. Now with this treatment they have receded!!!!
The Bad News:
United Health Care now refuses to pay for the Avastin – an out
of pocket expense in excess of $15,000 a treatment claiming FDA does not
approve of Avastin to treat breast cancer and that the O’Shaunessy treatment is
“experimental” in spite of the fact that it is working.
Background:
Avastin years ago proved
its ability to inhibit metastatic breast cancer. In 2011 an “outside” advisory group persuaded
FDA to revoke approval of Avastin to treat breast cancer due to their conclusion
that the literature showed no benefit of extending or improving quality of life
while never denying it did slow the progression of metastatic breast cancer.
United Health Care used that questionable conclusion to
determine that the combination of drugs “has not been proven to be effective in
the combination requested.” They are
blatantly ignoring the success of the therapy for Lori White and another of Dr.
O’Shaunessy’s patients.
United Healthcare’s Duplicity
In its mission statement, UHC claims “our mission is to help
people live better lives.” UHC boasts of
its role of “Innovation” saying it devotes “our collective resources …to
continuously testing new, targeted ways to raise the bar in health.” Its corporate “Code of Conduct” lists five
values it says drive the company: Integrity, Compassion, Relationships,
Innovation, and Performance.”
Without Avastin in the chemo “cocktail” prescribed by Dr.
O’Shaunessy, Lori White will die. By
denying Lori White this three-drug combination, United Healthcare is condemning
tens of thousands of other women to die.
Is that Compassion? Is that
integrity?
That same Code of Conduct says UHC “always acts in the best
interest of our customers, consumers and community…” Is condemning one or ten thousand women to
death in their “best interest” or the “best interest of the community?” The UHC Code of Conduct brochure has a
headline blazoned across it: “Never Compromise Ethics.”
Dr. O’Shaunessy’s treatment using Avastin, Halaven, and
Xeloda in combination is working were other therapies failed. That combination has the potential of
extending and saving the lives of countless TNBC afflicted women. AND
UNITED HEALTHCARE SAYS…WE DON’T CARE!
WHERE ARE THE ETHICS
IN THAT!
We Need Your Help!
Last year UHC earned $7.3 billion dollars on revenues of
$113.8 billion dollars.
United Healthcare cares about their profits, not about your
lives.
Make them feel your outrage.
It’s time to flood their phone lines and mail room with the demand that
they pay for this important therapy. They
need to hear from you so other TNBC patients might live.
Call them. Write them. Send this to your local radio, television and
social media outlets.
UHC from the top executive to its appeals unit needs to hear
your voice.
Tell United Health Group & United HealthCare to:
· Pay for Avastin for Lori Jean White Member
ID-913018014:
·
And save countless TNBC patients’ lives
United Health Group CEO – Stephen J. Hemsley
800 328-5979
PO Box 1459
Minneapolis, MN 55440
United Healthcare CEO - Gail K. Boudreaux
866 633-2446
UnitedHealthcare Appeals Unit
PO Box 30573
Salt Lake City, UT 84130-0573
FAX 801-994-1083
Tell the FDA –
·
Approve the use of Avastin for metastatic breast
cancer
·
Tell United Healthcare to pay for its use
against breast cancer
FDA Commissioner – Dr. Margaret A. Hamburg via her Executive
Assistant Angela Hoague
FDA Assistant Commissioner for Women’s Health – Marsha
Hendersen
·
301 796-9440
·
Assistant Commissioner for Women’s Health
FDA
10903 New Hampshire Avenue
W.O.32-2333
Silver Spring, MD 20993
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