A Vancouver Island cancer patient who gave up on the provincial healthcare system in favour of life-saving treatment in Washington State, will get to spend Christmas with her family and ring in the New Year.
Campbell RiverB次元官网网址檚 Kristin Logan suspects that would not have happened if she had stuck with British ColumbiaB次元官网网址檚 backed-up system.
B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檓 coming out (of rounds of treatment) and surgery just in time for the holidays,B次元官网网址� Logan said from the University of Washington Medical Centre in Seattle. B次元官网网址淢y husband and my daughter will be down here as well. My brother and my niece will be here. So, weB次元官网网址檒l have a big, kind of, family Christmas.B次元官网网址�
In the middle of her ongoing struggle for cancer treatment, Logan is urging British Columbians to speak out for change and demand better of what she considers the provinceB次元官网网址檚 poorly-managed system.
Logan sought treatment for her stage-4 ovarian cancer which was diagnosed back in September. This after six months of reporting symptoms to her doctor. Chemotherapy was ordered, and she was informed there would be a three-to-four-month wait for surgery and six weeks before chemotherapy could start. Then, a few weeks after the diagnosis, she was informed that there was no record of the referral.
Because of the delays and because Logan is a dual U.S.-Canadian citizen and a veteran, she decided to go to Washington where her parents live and secure medical treatment there under her veteran benefits.
Logan would have been happy to get treatment in B.C., where she wouldnB次元官网网址檛 have had to endure the emotional impact of getting treatment out of the province and enduring it alone.
B次元官网网址淚t would have certainly been helpful to be at home,B次元官网网址� Logan said. B次元官网网址淲hen youB次元官网网址檙e going through cancer, you know, thereB次元官网网址檚 the emotional impact of that and, I mean, there were moments through this process B次元官网网址� I came down here because I was very far advanced B次元官网网址� that I was not sure I was going to live and to continue to go through that and have that scare without my husband and daughter by my side was brutal.B次元官网网址�
Logan has managed to garner public and media attention for her situation and will continue to do so because she knows sheB次元官网网址檚 not the only one endangered by what she calls systemic problems.
B次元官网网址淚 think itB次元官网网址檚 time for us to really make our voices heard in every way we can to get these problems resolved. Quickly,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淚t is mismanagement, itB次元官网网址檚 bureaucracy, itB次元官网网址檚 too many layers of red tape and not enough looking at whatB次元官网网址檚 going to be efficient and effective in terms of how weB次元官网网址檙e managing and spending on our health care.B次元官网网址�
Her case came to the attention of B.C. Health Minister Adrian Dix.
B次元官网网址淭he healthcare system doesnB次元官网网址檛 always get it right, and thatB次元官网网址檚 why we have this set up and people can, as well, raise these issues B次元官网网址� and this has been done in this case publicly,B次元官网网址� he told Global B次元官网网址.
His answer infuriated Logan.
B次元官网网址淭o suggest that the system merely B次元官网网址榙oesnB次元官网网址檛 always get it rightB次元官网网址� is a gross understatement, bordering on denial. Our healthcare system isnB次元官网网址檛 tripping over minor hurdles; itB次元官网网址檚 plummeting off a cliff. WeB次元官网网址檙e not dealing with B次元官网网址榦ccasional missesB次元官网网址�; weB次元官网网址檙e grappling with a chronically diseased system where inefficiency and neglect have become the norm.
Just 75 per cent of cancer patients are receiving radiation therapy within the Canadian benchmark of 28 days, according to B.C. Cancer Agency data, a drop from 77 per cent in May. The national average is 97 per cent.
LoganB次元官网网址檚 case has connected her to others in similar situations. She also drew attention to the case of Dan Quayle, a Victoria man with a Campbell River stepdaughter. Quayle chose medical assistance in dying (MAiD) because he didnB次元官网网址檛 receive chemotherapy and treatment in time.
B次元官网网址淭he stepfather, was just, he couldnB次元官网网址檛 wait anymore. He ended up electing MAiD because he was suffering for so long.
It has also caught the attention of the provincial opposition. BC UnitedB次元官网网址檚 Shirley Bond, shadow minister for health care, has been critical of current developments, including B.C. contracting two clinics in the United States for British Columbians to receive radiation treatment.
B次元官网网址淭he crisis is so dire that we are sending patients to other countries for treatment B次元官网网址� and even then, some patients are choosing to fund their own care in the U.S. because they cannot get through BC Cancer fast enough, B次元官网网址� Bond said.
Meanwhile, LoganB次元官网网址檚 treatment at the University of Washington has been encouraging. Chemotherapy is having a big impact on her tumour markers, dropping to levels that have everyone encouraged. She has more treatments to come and will be going in for surgery in two weeks.
Logan and her husband Donovan James are both self-employed business owners. Besides the medical challenge Logan faces, the familyB次元官网网址檚 economic stability and security is in jeopardy because they have lost her income.
B次元官网网址淕etting the cancer and having to come down to the States has been extraordinarily financially disruptive,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 been an enormous financial strain.
B次元官网网址淥ur daughterB次元官网网址檚 in university now. The three of us are completely separated. SheB次元官网网址檚 in Nanaimo, heB次元官网网址檚 in Campbell River, IB次元官网网址檓 down here. WeB次元官网网址檝e seen each other very little. So, you know, emotionally and financially. ItB次元官网网址檚 been a huge strain.B次元官网网址�
A account has been set up to help with the ongoing medical expenses not covered by benefits. If you want to help, search for B次元官网网址淪upport KristinB次元官网网址檚 Aggressive Stage 4 Cancer Fight.B次元官网网址�
B次元官网网址� with a file from Wolf Depner
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