The Telegram November 25, 2008
Shirley Lane has already had her Christmas celebration. She's had her family over, members visiting her in her St. John's home beside the well-decorated Christmas tree that stands in her sitting room - a room she's virtually confined to.
They came because Lane doesn't know if she'll make it to Christmas, as the scarred tissue in her lungs continues to make it difficult to breathe. Lane knows she's going to die soon. She just wishes she could do it at home.
"I don't want to go into palliative care and die alone," she says, sitting in a hospital bed in her living room, gazing at the Christmas tree. She wants to be surrounded by family and friends, to be comfortable in her last days. She fights back tears to tell her story, her voice hoarse from previous operations.
Lane, 54, is a mother of two and a former home-care worker. She was diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis about eight years ago, a progressive disease that causes her lung tissues to inflame and scar. She was coping well until this past spring, but she's been hospitalized four times since then. The last time, the doctor told her there was no cure or treatment left.
"The outlook right now is death," she says over the hum of her oxygen machine.
It's that machine that allows her to stay at home. But as of Sunday, provincial funding for her oxygen system and six hours of home care a week has stopped. The reason, Lane says, is because her husband - a cancer survivor - turned 65 two weeks ago, meaning they have an extra $200 per month coming in because of his Old Age Security pension.
That is apparently just a little too much to qualify for funding, she says.
However, it's not enough to pay the bills for the oxygen machine, says Lane, which, along with the six hours of home care weekly, would cost about $600 per month.
"As of yesterday, I had to pay it myself," she says.
But without funding, her family can't keep paying that amount of money.
"If I don't get funded and I can't pay the bills on my own, I'll have to go into palliative care," she said, fighting back more tears.
Lane said she's protested the decision with Eastern Health, but she hasn't received any satisfaction yet. She also wrote e-mails to the premier and minister of health, who said they would look into the issue.
Lane says the health-care system has let her down and is extinguishing her dying wish to pass at home.But she said she's not surprised.
"When it comes to the heath-care system, there's a lot of people falling through the cracks.
"While Lane sits in her bed, breathing deeply and struggling to speak, her son Chris stares on, wild eyed. He, too, works to control his composure, anger seeping out as he speaks.
He can't understand how the province can afford to send his mother to a fully serviced palliative care home, but can't provide money to allow her to die at home, surrounded by loved ones.
"The amount of money they are going to pay to put her in a home somewhere to keep her alive and be comfortable is a lot more than it will cost to put the oxygen in the house," he says.
"They have enough problems as it is with hospitals and emergency home care. They have enough problems.
"I want to see her die happy. I want her to have a smile on her face when she passes away, not a tear running down her cheek," he said. "I want her to be able to look up and say 'I love you,' not to be sad and die alone.
"When contacted by The Telegram Monday, an Eastern Health spokeswoman said officials are reassessing the situation to determine what other options are available.
Ladies and gentlemen, this is a complete and utter outrage, and it cannot be expressed enough, this cannot be allowed to continue to happen.... We must stand united and protect our sick and dying. This lady wants to dye with dignity, let's make that happen!
I have never witnessed so many stories of pain, hurt, demoralization and even avoidable and premature death amongst our senior, retired and disabled community in the past 40 years, has what I have in the past five!
We need to resolve these inequities, and a surefire way to do so is simply vote out the current government in some sort on non-confidence move.
Our people are dying, and our Health Care system is seemingly making it sooner than later!
Brudder
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