Let's face it, if it were yourself, a family member or a dear friend who needed the procedure, you too would no doubt be just as happy as one Estevan family is following a recent phone call they received from the provincial government.
The province has agreed to fund medical treatment for Jeff Lukye who is going to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester for radical cancer surgeries - procedures the 30-year-old is counting on to save his life.
Currently in Saskatchewan, coverage for out-of-country treatment has the chance of being approved if a referring specialist makes the request and, it is approved by the ministry's medical services branch prior to treatment. Aside from seeking prior approval, the government's criteria for covering out-of-country expenses also includes that the procedure is medically necessary and unavailable in Canada.
While there a large number of Canadian taxpayers who don't believe we should be footing the bill for people like Lukye to receive out of country care, I say if we aren't medically able to do the procedures here and they are recommended by a Canadian specialist, why wouldn't we give it shot? Pay here, or pay there, we're still providing a fellow human in need with a new chance at life.
Diagnosed with colorectal cancer two years ago, Lukye had chemotherapy and radiation before a 12-inch tumour and most of his colon were surgically removed here in Canada. Following six months of chemotherapy, he was cancer-free. That was until August when he was rediagnosed with cancer again and told there are no life saving options in Canada available. Just 30 years old with a real option for survival somewhere else, what would you do?
Lukye sought help from the government to which he pays his taxes. It's estimated surgeries will cost between $167,000 and $212,000. That doesn't include radiation, chemotherapy or consultancy fees. The total could reach $300,000. But how do you put a price on life?
"We've still got huge hurdles ahead, but (with coverage now in place) we can focus on those hurdles," Lukye's wife Keri said last Thursday.
The couple leaves for the Mayo Clinic today (November 25). Four days after that, Jeff will start chemotherapy and radiation treatments prior to the first surgery, which is scheduled for December 17.
I for one, wish him the best of luck.
