By the time Gordon Phillip Kane, a 64-year-old resident of Sudbury, had heart transplant surgery on July 4th, 2010, he had endured 17 years of medical treatments and knew every bend and twist on the road to Ottawa.
Back in 1993, Kane was an employee of CP Rail. He seemed fit and healthy until unrelated minor surgery revealed a heart condition and respiratory complications so serious his family physician and cardiologist advised him to take early retirement. Two months later, Kane was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes.
By 1997, cardiologist appointments and tests required trips to Ottawa every three to six months. If no hospital bed was available when Kane arrived, he had to stay in a rotel - a motel for patients and their families - for up to a week.
With only 22 years of service at CP Rail, Kane wasn't eligible for a full pension. His wife worked part-time in the cafeteria at Cambrian College while raising their two now-grown children and providing emotional and caregiver support to her husband. Under physical, emotional and financial strain, she developed diabetes, glaucoma and fibromyalgia and was forced to quit her job.
The couple spent $2,000 a month on medications, which were covered by a Trillium Foundation drug plan, but took six to eight weeks to be reimbursed. Back in 1997, they received $149 from the Northern Health Travel Grant Program toward their travel expenses for medical appointments in Ottawa, but reimbursement took up to six months.
Bankruptcy
They received no financial assistance for accommodations or food in Ottawa and still had to pay their mortgage, utility bills, property taxes, and buy groceries.
With mounting bills, long waits for reimbursement and a combined income of only $1,582 a month, the Kanes were forced to declare bankruptcy and lost their home in 2002.
"The whole thing has nearly broken up their marriage at times, but they have stuck by each other and they are still together," said son-in-law Hughie Jeanveau. "They would borrow money from us, but they didn't want to. They would need it for food.
"There have been a lot of late nights spent worrying about bills."
In 2007, the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care (MOHLTC) increased the Northern Health Travel Grant Program reimbursement to 41 cents per kilometer round trip, with a 100 kilometre deductible. The wait time for reimbursement was decreased to six to eight weeks and an accommodation allowance of $100 per eligible trip was introduced.
Sudbury cardiologist Dr. Robert Labonte had made the family aware of the Northern Health Travel Grant Program. However, Jeanveau was convinced there must be additional financial assistance available for Northern Ontario transplant patients who need to travel out of town for medical treatments.
Jeanveau began a personal crusade to try to solicit funds. He contacted CP Rail, but was informed that Kane's circumstances didn't qualify for company assistance. He sought community donations through a private fundraising campaign, but received little support. He also did extensive online research and tracked down information leads from any available source.
It wasn't until Jeanveau contacted Sudbury MPP Rick Bartolucci's office that he was given the website address for the Trillium Gift of Life Network.
Announced by the MOHLTC in 2009, the Transplant Patient Expense Reimbursement program provides limited expense reimbursement funds for pre-transplant and immediate post-hospital discharge accommodations of transplant patients who must relocate to be closer to the transplant hospital. The program reimburses accommodation costs to a maximum of $650 per month per patient - which covers approximately half the cost of a rotel in Ottawa.
Properly submitted applications are processed within two to three weeks.
Kane returned to Sudbury in September, but has to return to Ottawa for a week in October and another week in January 2011 for follow-up biopsies and blood work. Although the surgery is over, the financial and emotional strain continues.
Grateful for the Trillium Gift of Life financial assistance, Jeanveau questioned why it was so hard to find.
"It seems like these grants are a secret. You really have to dig for them.
Being persistent and not giving up is so important, even when it seems like there's no way, you just keep trying."
www.giftoflife.on.ca
