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In Reply to: RE: Almost, except... posted by JimL on July 02, 2007 at 18:23:27
...that his cancer was a Burkitt type, but with various symptoms rarely seen which differentiated it from the more commonly seen Burkitt type of nasopharygeal cancer. None of this discussion will bring him back, however. He meant a lot to me.
Agreed. Professional curiosity.
It was NPC. Garth sent me the reports from his biopsies for my opinion. He was a great guy and good friend. The delay in Dx while in Germany was heinous, nearly as much as being placed in the pre-existing condition category here engendering his travel back to Germany for care. He'd had a tough time of coronary bypass some years back, then this. And he handled it all with such dignity and grace, and yes some humor, that I often felt small and petty when considering my own problems. I learned a lot from Garth, and not just about audio. He'll be missed.
I only wish I were more well-versed on the subject. I do know from conversations with him that a diagnosis was hampered by unusual symptoms not characteristic to any known cancer. He was treated in Germany for almost two years for what he was told was a bacterial infection. It would disappear, and then reoccur. Finally, he was properly diagnosed in the United States, but under New York law his condition was considered to be pre-existing, so his insurance wouldn't cover treatment. He returned to Germany because he couldn't afford private pay care. His family stood to lose everything. Although they agreed to treatment under the German system, German doctors did little. They gave him some chemotherapy, but no radiation. To make it worse, he had a doctor who convinced him to buy some tube amps on eBay, so they could be converted into tumor zappers . Garth didn't know how eBay worked, so I walked him through the process. I wanted to say something at that point, but already it was too late in the game. To make matters worse, my wife is a hospice nurse, so it was only a matter of time before I discovered that he could have worked the system here in a way to obtain proper treatment, but nothing could be done at that point because he was in the second stages of the disease. Garth had been screwed over by the medical systems of two countries that claim to have the best solution. Neither is perfect, though. It was hopeless, and although I know I shouldn't, I feel somehow responsible. I loved the guy like a brother, but my timing was all wrong. I couldn't help at all.
I've said a lot more than I meant to say, but this is a rough time.
How I wish this scenario was untrue.
I sold lots of lab gear in my life and the rude awakening was when a lab manager told me they could no longer perform expensive diagnostic testing since Medicare would only pay "per diagnosis."
Worse, they would pay only by the average of the geographic area, so testing in NYC or LA would be light years ahead of small town USA.
Anyone who thinks medicine is fair should think twice. This is all I will say about the subject of healthcare in America.
Mosin you know how much I respected Garth and I just want to tell you I will miss him deeply and I appreciate all you and he have done to help me along my journey here at the asylum.
My deepest condolences for the loss of a close friend.
Well, I learned a lot from his posts, and I've got an Incognito wired OL Rega 250 to remember him by.
Mosin, keep your chin up my friend. You know Garth wouldn't want you feeling any guilt over this deal. Loosing a friend is indeed tough stuff, and in time I hope you will only remember the good times you and Garth were able to share.
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