Letter to the Government

To My Honorable Government Representative:

I am writing this to you to draw your attention to the great personal difficulty of my Wife and me. My Wife Ann has been diagnosed with a very rare form of Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. We left our home, family and jobs in Baton Rouge Louisiana so that she can receive treatment at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas. Her physicians have stated that she must receive an unrelated blood/bone marrow stem cell transplant, for any chance of a cure. Due to Ann’s heritage, which is mixed race Asian and Caucasian, locating a suitable donor for her is problematic and has thus far been unsuccessful. Therefore, the recommended treatment for her is to receive an umbilical cord blood transplant as soon as possible before her leukemia relapses and kills her. This is expected to happen in the next few months.

Her employer, Harolds Stores Inc. (Harolds), provides her health insurance through Private Healthcare Systems (PHCS). This is in turn administered by The EPOCH Group. Both have agreed that her condition qualifies her for an unrelated or allogeneic stem cell transplant. However, they are denying her claim because they state that allogeneic cord blood transplants are experimental. In addition they may have violated her rights by not permitting her to file more than one appeal on this matter, or seek independent medical review.

Harolds is a clothier and is not qualified to make medical decisions or determine the necessity of medical procedures. Harolds and EPOCH are refusing her plea for service on the grounds that they are unable to pass the cost of the transplant onto the reinsurer. By doing so, they are forcing Ann into lesser treatments which the Doctors at M.D. Anderson estimate have only the slimmest chance of survival.

While Ann has not found a donor through the National Marrow Donor Program or a foreign country, it does not mean her condition is hopeless. Cord blood has proved to be as efficacious as Bone Marrow and is a well-regarded option for treating leukemia. In addition, Cord blood transplantation with adults is a growing practice within medical centers in the United States. Cord blood can prove to be a life saving miracle for those people, especially for minorities like my Wife, who are critically under represented among marrow donors.

The contact information for Harolds management is:

Harolds Stores Inc. (Corporate Office)
5919 Maple Avenue
Dallas, TX 75273
(214)-366-0600

Harolds Stores Inc. (Financial Office)
765 Asp Avenue
Norman, OK 73069
(405)-329-4045