Waiting at home, hopefully
Woman in need of double-lung transplant
in Edmonton may be able to stay in Hay River
Paul Bickford
Northern News Services
Wednesday, August 30, 2017
HAY RIVER
A Hay River woman, who was possibly facing years in Edmonton awaiting a double-lung transplant, may be able to stay at home, after all.
Anna Grace Aaluk of Gjoa Haven concentrates of her target during the Arctic sports territorial trials for the 2018 Arctic Winter Games in Coral Harbour Aug. 18-20. - photo courtesy of Michelle Angottitauruq
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Dawn Loutit found out on Aug. 24 that she might be able to remain in Hay River during the wait.
Loutit said she was told by a representative of the transplant team in Edmonton that it is working on such an arrangement with the GNWT.
"They're willing to let be stay here as long as the government here can have a plane ready when they call," she said, although she noted that nothing is set in stone yet.
The arrangement would have to get her to Edmonton as fast as possible when suitable lungs become available.
"Rather than me having to move there, pack up and leave my family," Loutit said.
She welcomes the proposed arrangement.
"I'm very ecstatic," she said.
Hay River North MLA R.J. Simpson has been helping Loutit deal with her situation since early August.
First, it was to assist in obtaining financial support for Loutit when it was thought she might have to spend years in Edmonton.
"Initially, they told her that she'd have to move down there and it would be up to three years that she might be waiting, and then she would have to live down there another year afterwards to be monitored," he said, although he noted suitable lungs for transplant might actually become available in a matter of a few months.
Simpson said his understanding is the transplant co-ordinator in Edmonton talked to the team of doctors at University Hospital about Loutit's situation.
"And the doctors thought that, depending on the travel arrangements, it was feasible that she could just stay in Hay River and be put on the list," he said, adding she would have to be at the hospital within six hours of a suitable organ becoming available.
Simpson discussed the matter with Health and Social Services Minister Glen Abernethy during a Legislative Assembly caucus retreat late last week at Reindeer Station in the Inuvik Region.
"I talked to the minister and he said that, with medical travel, they can do it," said Simpson, after returning to Hay River. "They can have the plane from Yellowknife here and have her down there (to Edmonton) well within the six hours."
As of late last week, the MLA said the transplant team in Edmonton was awaiting a response from the Department of Health and Social Services.
"She wants to stay at home, understandably so," Simpson said of Loutit. "Her family is here. She's comfortable here. And it's a stressful situation to uproot your life and move down to the city."
The MLA actually thinks it would be better for Loutit's health to stay in Hay River just because of the stress involved in relocating.
Even if the proposed arrangement is finalized, she would still have to stay in Edmonton for up to a year or maybe more to be monitored after a transplant operation.
Loutit will be travelling to Edmonton in September for four weeks of physical examinations before being officially placed on the transplant waiting list.
She has been suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) since the mid-1990s.
Loutit said she knew for years that she would eventually end up on the transplant list, but that depended on her lung capacity.
Ten years ago, her lung capacity was 70 per cent, but that has now decreased to 24 per cent.
"So now I'm eligible to get on the list," she said, noting that followed two weeks of testing in Edmonton in May.
"I didn't get on oxygen until 2011, and I was off and on it," she noted. "The last two years it started getting worse for me."
Before the recent news that she might be able to stay in Hay River while awaiting a transplant, Loutit was not looking forward to moving away to Edmonton, possibly for years.
The 53-year-old, who lives on disability support, had obtained funding from the GNWT to help her if she had to relocate to Edmonton. That would have included one year of extended medical health benefits and $68 a day for rent, and that support would have been looked at again after a year.
The Department of Health and Social Services won't talk about Loutit's specific case because of privacy concerns.
However, in a general sense, Deputy Minister Debbie DeLancey said, "When there are cases that seem to fall outside what's covered in the current policy, then we look at them on a case-by-case basis."
She said the policy does have some flexibility, so there's the opportunity for the minister to approve responses to exceptional circumstances.
As for transporting a patient south for medical treatment, DeLancey said, "The medical travel policy provides travel benefits to access medically necessary services, so whether travel on a scheduled flight or an air ambulance, our policy does provide that kind of support."
