Wondering what happened to Lee Kinchen since I and many other blooged about her trouble getting Medicaid and other resources to enable her to pay for surgery for her brain tumor? Here’s the most recent update about her condition and circumstances from the blog For Lee:
Okay, here’s what I found out from Susan today:
1. Together, with the online efforts and the people here in town (including a really really great guy who is an independent owner of a BP station), y’all have raised about $10G!!!!!! With the reinstatement of Lee’s Medicaid, it looks like we’ll be able to swing whatever solution that the ENT group will come up with. And I hope to hell that it’s SOON.
2. The ENT group in B.R. hasn’t contacted Susan since Dec. 23rd, so Lee’s still waiting for an actual appointment. I know that there’s a lot of information to deal with about her case, it’s not exactly lancing a boil here, but the longer they take, the more afraid that I get.
3. Lee, of course, is still doing the Mizz Bravado thang, and won’t give me a straight answer about any of this stuff, when I ask about her health, her doctor appointments, etc., but Susan says that her headaches & fatigue are getting worse and worse, and she hasn’t been able to work nearly as much since the holidays because her legs are going out from under her more and more often. I actually witnessed her legs failing her not too long ago, and it scared the hell out of me, but of course, Mizz Bravado played it off as just “tripping.” Her eyesight doesn’t seem to be improving or even stabilizing at this point, so it’s just pure willpower that keeps her going and working.
4. With all of the wonderful and truly helpful offers and suggestions that we’ve received from great people at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, Tulane’s Neurofibromatosis Clinic, and other medical facilities, I’ve been trying to push for Susan to get into contact with any and/or all of these places, but she & Lee seem determined to stay close to home. I just hope that all of you know how much I appreciate the kindness, the expertise, and the advice that y’all have sent our way.
5. As soon as Susan hears from the ENT group, I will let you all know what’s happening next. I’d have posted about these issues sooner, but y’all know how it is when you work retail at the holidays — Susan was harder to pin down than a hummingbird. And why post when you have no news? No one who wanted to help Lee got into this for entertainment or filler, so I didn’t want to insult y’all with blank words.
6. I’m especially thankful that Lee has gotten her Medicaid back; I know that it won’t cover *everything*, but hopefully the money that y’all have helped raise will be able to cover any gaps. I will always be grateful for and amazed by the response to our efforts here — when so much else in the world seems so hopeless, real live human beings blow you away with the size of their hearts and their giving souls. And hopefully, we will still get Lee to the help that she needs IN TIME. Time is what scares me the most, for her sake, because tumors don’t wait for anyone.
Thank you all, so much, for all that y’all have done and continue to do for Lee — you have made such a difference in her life, in my life, in the world, period.
My personal thank you to everyone in the online communities whose efforts have helped Lee reach this point, including many here at Booman Tribune.
