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11-year-old wades into healthcare debate
Chicago News.Net
Saturday 13th March, 2010
Marcelas Owens spent his 11th birthday on the steps of Capital Hill campaigning for health care reform.
His mother died of pulmonary hypertension and now the fifth-grader is continuing the fight she no longer can.
"I came out here for health care, I got involved because my mom was a health care activist, she testified and participated in rallies. She wanted people to have health care and not wait till management level to be offered health care," said Marcelas.
"I believe that if she did have her health care, she would be recovering a little at a time," he said of his mother, who lost her job, along with her health care, after she got sick.
Individuals like Owens, and his story, are part of a campaign used by both Democrats and Republicans to argue their sides of the healthcare argument.
Republicans have stressed that healthcare reform would be detrimental to families like Owens’, they say the Democratic plan would do little to control spiraling medical costs and would result in higher premiums and pass on higher taxes to middle income earners.
For Marcelas, the issue is simply personal.
"I don't want any other kid to go through the pain that our family has gone through," he said, his voice cracked with emotion. "Health care is not a privilege, it's a right," he said.  Email this story to a friend
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03-15-10, 03:56 PM |
11-year-old healthcare activist spends birthday on Capital Hill
Good Afternoon Marcelas:
I am so sorry for the loss of your mom. She would be very proud of you for the work you are doing.
I have read many comments regarding you and your mom from other articles. You know I am really worried as to what is going to happen to our country. I could not believe how mean and heartless people can be especially when they are so ignorant as to what pulmonary hypertension is. So this short explanation is for those who don’t understand. You must realize that even with an explanation and no matter what others may say there will still those who have no compassion or love for others. Would they react this way if it was one of their loved ones? Would they say the same if some one say had breast cancer? These people desperately need our prayers if we are going to survive as a nation. Here is a 10 second explanation.
Pulmonary Hypertension (PH) is high pressure but only in the lungs. PH is a disease of the small blood vessels in the lungs. The pulmonary arteries that carry blood from the right side of the heart to the lungs to pick up oxygen become progressively narrowed. (Think of how the water pressure increases as you clamp off a garden hose). As a result the heart has to work harder to pump blood through the lungs. Being overworked the heart enlarges and eventually looses it effectiveness to work as a pump. There is no cure but there are drugs for medical management. The drugs are very expensive costing anywhere from $100,000 to $300,000 a year depending which of the 8-9 FDA approved drugs the patient is on. Many patients are on more than one drug as they work in one of three different pathways. Drugs are a band-aid only. As mentioned there is no cure. When the drugs no longer work the only other treatment option that may be considered is a lung or heart/lung transplant.
PH can develop at any age, effects both sexes and any ethnic background. However it is more common in women of child-bearing age.
Symptoms of PH include shortness of breath, chest pain, dizziness, fainting, bluish lips/skin, swelling legs/ankles and chronic fatigue. On average it takes 2.5 years and 4 physicians for the correct diagnosis to be made loosing valuable treatment time. This is totally unacceptable in the USA. Current statistics show that 50% of those with undiagnosed PH will be dead in 2.8 years. There are 30,000 people in the US being treated for PH and estimated there are more than that who are untreated.
PH is one of the rare diseases. Up until about 10 years ago if you were diagnosed with PH the doctor told you to get your affairs in order. There was not much that could be done.
We are on a mission to increase awareness of PH both in the medical community and general public. Since the symptoms of PH are common to many other diseases such as asthma, congestive heart failure and COPD, many times patients are mis-diagnosed or under-diagnosed.
Many time the cause of PH is not know. This is called idiopathic PH. Other disease such as rheumatoid arthritis, scleroderma, lupus (connective tissue diseases) can cause PH. PH can also be triggered by HIV, blood clots in the lungs, congenital heart anomalies, and drug use such as methamphetamines or diet drugs like Phen-Phen. Those who took these diet drugs before they were pulled off the market several years ago had no idea at the time they could develop PH.
If you are overweight and short of breath, don’t let the doctor tell you that you are short of breathe because you are overweight. Make him prove it. 50% of the Dallas Cowboys are overweight but can run the 50 yard dash in like 10 seconds.
PH is not anything like systemic high blood pressure where a blood pressure is taken in your arm. An echocardiogram gives an estimate of the pulmonary artery pressure but it takes a right heart catherization to confirm the diagnosis. Researchers believe a cure is just on the horizon but as we all know — research takes time and lots of money.
For more pulmonary hypertension information please visit www.phassociation.org
This young man is to be commended and not flogged as so many have done. Keep up the good work Marcelas. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Another PH Patient
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