what's wrong here?

[vidcc]

Sorry to those outside the USA, but this story brought home something close to my heart.....

'Frank the Tumor' biopsy will be free

Mother had sought online help to defray medical costs

Tuesday, January 18, 2005 Posted: 10:27 AM EST (1527 GMT)

story.franktumor.ap.jpg
David Dingman-Grover stands with his mother, Tiffini Dingman-Grover, who sold bumper stickers to cover medical expenses.


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RICHMOND, Virginia (AP) -- A 9-year-old boy whose mother launched an online auction to help pay for a biopsy on her son's tumor will have the procedure done for free, his mother said Monday.

Dr. Hrayr Shahinian of the Skull Base Institute at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center agreed to perform the biopsy free of charge on the tumor young David Dingman-Grover named "Frank," said Frank Groff, spokesman for the Los Angeles institute.

David's parents had been auctioning off a bumper sticker reading "Frank Must Die" on eBay to raise money for the procedure.

"We have been so blessed," said David's mother, Tiffini Dingman-Grover, of Sterling.

David named the tumor at the base of his skull after Frankenstein, who used to scare him until he dressed up as the monster for Halloween.

The little boy was diagnosed in May 2003 with a grapefruit-sized malignant tumor called a rhabdomyosarcoma. The size and location of the tumor -- most are in the limbs -- made it impossible for doctors to take out, Dingman-Grover said.

Chemotherapy shrank it to the size of a peach pit, but David needs a specialized biopsy to determine whether the tumor is still cancerous, his mother and doctor said.

David's biopsy is scheduled for February 2. The family still has to help pay for the anesthesiologist and other hospital fees, but the $40,000 in private donations they've received since the case caught the public's attention earlier this month will be sufficient, Dingman-Grover said.

how can anyone say we have no problems when a parent has to ask for donations to pay for such a thing ?
It does make me proud of those that donated...it shows that people do care, however shouldn't we as a civilised nation look after our fellow countrymen so that they don't have to rely on the generousity of a few?


source

[TheDave]

NHS pwns

[Rat Faced]

NHS pwns

You know that the US Government spends twice as much per person on Health Care as the UK (as a % of GPD, so its more like 6X in actual $$ )... and they STILL have to pay for it or buy extortionate insurance cover..

Land of the Free (to starve or die without interference from the State)

[ruthie]

One of my big complaints about the US is the state of health care. Health care should absolutely be available to everyone, regardless of finances. Medicines too. For such an "evolved" country, me thinks we are quite behind the times.

[Biggles]

Vidcc

Is this really the case?

I understand the situation regarding health insurance vs free health care and that this varies from country to country but I cannot believe a country as rich as the US does not provide free health care for its children. This is insane - provide sound health care for the young and you have a healthier adult population.

The NHS has its faults but I am glad it is there.

[vidcc]

Vidcc

Is this really the case?

I understand the situation regarding health insurance vs free health care and that this varies from country to country but I cannot believe a country as rich as the US does not provide free health care for its children. This is insane - provide sound health care for the young and you have a healthier adult population.

The NHS has its faults but I am glad it is there.

There are many variables in the USA. Not everyone qualifies for everything and not everything is covered with every health plan.


perhaps this will make you think

[ruthie]

Not only that...low-income people that can get state-aid still require approvals on many things..be it types of medicines, specialists, etc. It is very difficult to get help here. Even people with regular insurance have difficulties. It is a sad state of affairs.

[cpt_azad]

Touching story, god bless Canada.

[hobbes]

The system just does not work.

The middle-class is paying the burden for the poor who get their care free. The money sucked out by the poor, is paid for by the middle class private insurance holders who must pay insane premiums.

If you are 35 with no health issues and you decide to save the 500 dollars a month for private coverage and you get sick, you will need to pay premium rates for everything AND you will be uninsurable in the future because of your pre-existing medical condition.

We now have a wonderful group of people in the country who are rich enough to be poor.

We have one board member, trying to pay off $40,000 for a heart attack. He is being hounded for every nickel because he has a job and a means to continue payment. That stress has got do wonders for his condition.

Were he a homeless bum, the hospital would just write it off.

Medications are another big concern, but the excessive courting of medical professionals by drug company representatives has really come under much tighter screws over the last 10 years, which is a step in the right direction. They basically were buying loyalty from doctors by giving them vacations, lavish steak dinners and other such perks. That is a no-no now.

Compare this flap about gay marriage in the last election to the relative silence about a serious major problem this country is about to face.

That is politics.

[vidcc]

Medications are another big concern, but the excessive courting of medical professionals by drug company representatives has really come under much tighter screws over the last 10 years, which is a step in the right direction. They basically were buying loyalty from doctors by giving them vacations, lavish steak dinners and other such perks. That is a no-no now.

What we need to do now is stop the politicians from being "wined and dined" by the drug companies