Though we do not know the family mentioned below, many of our friends from here in Vienna do know them personally or know of them. As you read through this excerpt of an email sent to one of our friends, pay special attention to the role of the medical commission and the fact that they can determine whether this person dies or is able to receive treatment. This is exactly what so many in the U.S. are fearing and protesting against. Do not let the fascination some policticians have with European social climes and mores allow our nation to follow in the footsteps of European medical practices.
Nuni has been going through a battery of medical tests. He has an enlarged spleen. They have a diagnosis now. He has a very rare blood cancer. Ileana and us, and now you know the diagnosis, but Nuni and their kids don't know yet. They are going to meet with the doctor on Sunday for a more in depth discussion about it. Please pray for their family as they go through this awful ordeal. They are still grieving the loss of their daughter in a car accident two years ago. It's so hard to even imagine that they have to go through this now.
Last week his anemia was a 6 and this week it is a level 3. Ileana said that his body is not able to replenish his blood. And he has tumors in his bone marrow. He needs to go through chemotherapy and then some type of bone marrow transplant- maybe that isn't quite right- they have to do something with the spine (maybe drain off fluid and do something to it and put it back in- we don't understand exactly, but it's supposed to be very painful.)
The doctors worked quickly to get his paperwork sent off to Bucharest. A medical commission meets tomorrow to review his case and to make a determination if they will approve the treatment for him (the chemo and the bone treatment). If they don't approve the treatment there is no hope for him. It's one thing if he decides to end the treatment, but it's quite another not to be allowed even to have a chance to try. Ileana has to hang onto the hope that the commission will give the ok for the treatment. Just finding out that he has cancer is like getting kicked in the gut- but it will be horribly difficult to accept if they don't allow the treatment. The doctors in the hospital seem to think that because Nuni is so young and was healthy up till this point, that he has a chance with the chemo and bone treatment, but without this commission’s approval they can do nothing. That's nationalized health care for you. And even with government insurance, the costs for the tests and treatment are very high. Nuni has had all kinds of blood tests and scans and just all kinds of tests. I went to the doctor this week and they told me insurance covers only 20%, so I know all this is really expensive for them.
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2 comments:
I am a Christian who came across your blog a couple of months ago. I am interested in missions, but when I read things like this from missionaries, it makes me think twice about being on the mission field.
Regardless of how you feel about socialized medicine, do you really think it's fair to consider medical treatment in Eastern European countries as the norm for all socialized countries?
Does this kind of thing happen any more often in Western European countries than it does in the US?
It's fine if you think the medical system in the US works well as it is. And if you want to believe Obama is a socialist, so be it.
But I think it's a bit disingenuous to imply that socialized medicine in Romania is what the US system could become if Obama has his way.
As someone who professes Christ, you should be seeking to promote truth. But instead you build a straw-man argument based on an apples and oranges comparison. The implication that if Obama's health care reform passes, the US medical system will be in such shambles that any American would be better off living in Romania is absurd.
If you want to use this story as an opportunity to show how poor the medical system still is in Eastern Europe and how you need prayers and support for your ministry there, that's fine.
Or if you want to compare medical care in Germany/France/UK with medical care in the US, that's also fine. That's a fair comparison.
But don't you see that this type of commentary is the kind of thing that destroys our witness as Christians? When Christians are more interested in a political agenda than an honest, intellectual discussion we lose all credibility with those we seek to save.
When you are more interested in making a political statement than actually helping this person in need, then I believe you have lost sight of the reason you are in Europe.
Despite all this, I want to be clear that I appreciate people like you who have given their lives to minister to those in need of Christ. I pray that God will continue to bless you, your family and your ministry.
I respectfully disagree, Anonymous. As a Christian, are we not allowed to have opinions political in nature? Are we to be so compliant that we can't express our thoughts without fear of hurting our witness? The fact of the matter is, what Obama is proposing IS a step in this direction...it's certainly not a step away. I think the author's point was not to say the US is like Romania, but to simply give examples of what can happen when we let the government have too much control of our lives. It's scary, and we witness it day in and day out in Europe.
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