David (part 2):

What is your dream job for the future and why?: “Outside of marrying rich, right? That I could study forever….yay. I haven’t really given much thought to a dream job. I will be studying for my PhD in English… but I suppose I would rather be the next Jon Stewart (and I am referring to him starring in really bad movies, not the next daily show host) or save the world, but I haven’t figured out that one yet. Although… I do keep putting on a red cape and jumping off my bed… then again… maybe I am just insane.” – David

David was at his parents’ home one night when he suddenly collapsed. The next morning, he was brought to the Emergency Department at Irvine Medical Center where he received a CT scan. His films showed a mass in his brain, and he was rushed immediately to St. Joseph to remove the tumor. A few weeks after his surgery, David was diagnosed with a frontal lobe tumor.

David felt that his oncologist, who he saw following the removal of his brain tumor, was purely a clinician who lacked the sensitivity needed from a health care provider. He did not know what questions to ask his physician in regards to his cancer and its effect on his life, and the physician likewise did not offer such information on behalf of his cancer patient. Five years after being diagnosed with cancer, David looks back at his past encounters with his physician and realizes the importance of having doctors that are advocates for their patients, particularly adolescent and young adult patients who have barely begun to live out their lives. He noted that many physicians believe their adolescent and young adult cancer patients to be young and therefore healthier and stronger than their patients who are children and the elderly. Because of this belief, physicians offer less support to their adolescent and young adult cancer patients.

A major issue for David throughout his battle with cancer was retaining his health insurance coverage. When first diagnosed, David was a student at the University of California, Irvine, and therefore had student health insurance coverage. However, after his diagnosis, David had to commit much of his time to receiving the cancer treatment, and had to take time off from school. He was no longer covered through the university and he struggled to be approved for health insurance. Initially denied coverage from Blue Cross, David was covered first under Medi-cal, California’s Medicaid program, for some time. His coverage under Medi-cal was limited, and so David continued to struggle with paying for his care. Some time later, David was covered under Medicare until Blue Cross finally accepted him after a resubmission of his application to Blue Cross for a separate program. David emphasized that a young adult is at a point in his or her life either pursuing graduate school, beginning to pursue a career, or still figuring out the next step of his or her life. It is a time in a person’s life when he or she has not necessarily reached financial stability, and health insurance coverage is a big issue, as young patients cannot yet pay for their treatments.

Although finished with his chemotherapy and radiation treatment, David must continue to receive MRI scans every 3 months to check whether cancerous growth has returned in his brain. When his life begins to resume to where he left off prior to his cancer diagnosis, he is reminded once again of the uncertainty of his future health status when he receives the MRI scan. However, David does admit that even with such constant reminders, he is a cancer patient who beat his odds of surviving.

SeventyK’s take and its Bill of Rights:

David struggled to find health insurance coverage that was affordable and that would allow him to continue to finance his cancer treatments, a right supported in SeventyK’s 2nd Right. While a student at the University of California, Irvine, David had insurance coverage from his school, but during the time he had to take off from school to receive his rigorous regiments of chemotherapy and radiation treatment, David lost that coverage. Unemployed, David had no sources of health insurance coverage. SeventyK’s 8th Right draws attention to this common issue for AYA patients, those that are still finishing school and not yet employed that have no access to health insurance. The 8th Right believes that students or employees should have the right to have their insurance and position protected by law while being treated for cancer.

SeventyK’s 9th Right, “the right to clear explanations regarding the long-term side effects of…disease and its treatment, and to be offered all available and applicable physical reconstruction and rehabilitation options,” is another right that patients like David would benefit immensely from. David’s physician failed to address the various potential long-term side effects to his cancer treatment, the effects that chemotherapy and radiation would have on David’s physical as well as emotional well-being. What are the chances that the MRI scans that David receives every three months will indicate the regrowth of cancer in David’s brain? According to the 10th Right, AYA patients should have “the right to have their treatment options explained in full detail, to have…questions answered, and to receive clarification when requested.” David found his oncologist unapproachable when he had questions in regards to the possibility of his cancer returning. The 10th Right emphasizes that a physician, the communicator and middleman between the patient and his or her health care, must facilitate the patient’s understanding of his or her condition.

Written by: Stacy Tsai