John & Barb’s Letter is as follows:
We are writing to you out of grave concern for the health and life of our dear friend, Roger Hansen, of Glendale, Arizona, who is in desperate need of a liver transplant, but with no insurance coverage for the procedure.
We have known Roger for almost 30 years – from back in the days we all lived in Kansas and played tennis together. Roger and his wife, Debbie, moved to the Valley nine years ago and Roger established an insurance agency here. The irony of this is that even though Roger has his own agency, his health insurance through the State of Arizona specifically excludes transplants. This was virtually the only health insurance available to him after he had his first indication of an inherited liver disease five years ago when an esophageal bleeding episode nearly took his life. He is now left to fund the $400-$500,000 surgery himself and can’t be placed on a waiting list or tissue-typed until he can show significant ability to pay for the procedure. Among the tough decisions the Hansen’s have had to make range from preparing new “end of life” documents, taking disability from his employer, Farm Bureau Insurance, and applying for Social Security Disability. The two year waiting period for Medicare eligibility after SSD approval will not come soon enough to save Roger. As of this writing he has been released from Banner Good Samaritan Hospital in Phoenix after a two week stay. We do not believe that he will be able to fund the transplant himself in time to prevent irreversible damage to other organ systems, most notably, the kidneys, for which he was most recently hospitalized. There has been a marked deterioration in Roger’s physical and mental status within the last six months. Bouts with elevated blood ammonia which make him semi-comatose; repeated banding of esophageal varices; associated Hepatorenal Syndrome (HRS), a form of impaired kidney function; tremors associated with elevated ammonia levels; fluid retention leading to swelling of the legs and feet as well as fluid accumulation in the abdomen which needs to be drained periodically. The list goes on: fatigue, jaundice, weight loss and muscle wasting, infections of abdominal fluid (SBP – Spontaneous Bacterial Peritonitis) with rounds of antibiotics, and the decreased ability for medical personnel to find a suitable vein to administer drug therapy. Some have even seriously suggested a divorce with all property going to Debbie so that Roger would have no resources of his own. This idea is morally repugnant to the Hansen’s and is a course they will not pursue. We are writing specifically for our friends, but realize that this is a much wider and important issue in our country. But while debates take place and legislation is proposed, none of that will help Roger who needs medical intervention now.
Debbie has set up a blog at http://livlife2009.wordpress.com
where visitors are able to read about Roger and learn his current health status. She has recently incorporated a PayPal link in hope of raising funds toward the transplant. Roger is only 56 years old and has many years left work productively and enjoy his family - his wife, Debbie, two children, Erin and Derik, two grandchildren, Brayden and Madilyn, and his son-in-law, Daniel – but only if he gets a transplant. Please give the Hansen’s your consideration.
Sincerely,
John & Barbara Wilson
