Keri Gardner and her family, who have faced an uphill battle trying to identify her husband Rod’s illness for a number of months, recently received a diagnosis.
The family had to travel to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. to get that diagnosis. The month-long journey has now ended with the family returning home after numerous tests were done and a medical diagnosis was finally reached.
At the Mayo Clinic, the family got a lot of answers. Rod has a nine millimetre brain cyst, calcifying in his brain, hemochromatosis (secondary), a probable parathyroid tumor, as well as a calcium issue.
He will require a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of brain, nerve study of his abdomen, adrenal gland testing and gene testing.
“We started our journey back home in Preeceville on October 3 with our family doctor and then on to Saskatoon for other appointments," said Gardener.
Unfortunately more testing is needed. She said that the good news is that they now have medical backing to get these tests ordered in Saskatchewan.
All costs involved with the trip have not been covered by any insurance so the Gardeners have been fighting for coverage with the Saskatchewan government but have met with no success. Fundraisers have helped finance the family’s trip to the Mayo Clinic.
In December of 2016 he started getting sick and his health quickly faded. Doctors in Saskatchewan were unable to give him a positive diagnosis.
"Most of his issues were picked up on computed tomography(CT) scans that were reread at the Mayo Clinic," she said. "If they would have ordered iron tests and calcium tests, this could have been picked up here. It is very frustrating.
“We could have gotten the tests done at the Mayo Clinic but that is very expensive, likely an additional $20,000 for those tests,” she said. “We’re hoping that with this medical backing and recommendations from Mayo we can fast forward these tests here.
“We are also exploring the option of a private MRI depending on the wait list,” she said. “I'm pretty sure once these doctors look at all the medical evidence things will move quickly.”
