Family needs to be together during cancer treatment
Health department pays fare for one escort, but not children
Michele LeTourneau
Northern News Services
Wednesday, July 22, 2015
RANKIN INLET
Pooka Kolit is looking for help to get her children down to Winnipeg so she and Matt and Mona can travel together to support her father Pierre, who was diagnosed with cancer in June.
Pierre Kolit, seen here last year with his grandchildren Matt and Mona, need help to get them down to Winnipeg while he undergoes cancer treatment at the Health Sciences Centre. - photo courtesy of Pooka Kolit |
Pierre has already undergone chemotherapy at the Health Sciences Centre for an internal cancer for a little over a month.
"I'm trying to do a fundraiser to get two tickets for my children," she says.
Pooka says her father currently does not have an escort.
"And he'll be there for another month or so, until he's done."
It's uncertain how long exactly he has left - that's not to be determined until later.
Kolit says the GoFundMe fundraising page she and her father started has raised $500 for the two tickets and she still needs $4,500.
The GN's Department of Health is covering Pooka's ticket, under their escort policy.
But she can't leave her children behind.
"I wouldn't have anyone to watch them," she said of the children, aged four and two.
Pooka also notes that Department of Health would move Pierre to a hotel if she manages to get down to Winnipeg.
"If my children do come down with me, we would get to stay in one room together."
Otherwise, the Kivalliq Inuit Centre boarding home would charge $100 a night for the children.
"Cancer patients should have family around that would make it easier to get by. My children make him happy. He's happy even to hear their voice. But it would make him even happier to have all three of us around, because I'm his only child," says Pooka.
Pierre also was a single parent, "so it's hard for both of us."
As soon as she manages to raise the funds, she'll be headed down with the children.
She says sick people heal better when they have their family around them.
Pooka also said donations of airline points would help her, as would donations of item so she could hold a penny sale in the community.
"I'm his only child. He doesn't have a girlfriend or a wife or anything. We tried to find someone to escort him but we couldn't find anyone."
Kivalliq News asked the Department of Health if there were instances where special circumstances might warrant a case-by-case assessment to get beyond the strict escort policy.
The only way to challenge the usual policy is to file an appeal.
"Health evaluates each medical travel case and appeal individually," stated Ron Wassink, acting manager of communications.
The only policy related to children states that an escort cannot bring an infant on medical travel.
A child under the age of two is considered an infant.
