Tuesday, May 13, 2014

Cancer Treatment, CF Medication Unaffordable For Kathleen Wynne, But Hosting An NBA Game Is Worth $500,000

Cancer drug crusader Kimm Fletcher, the Milton, Ont., mom came to Queen's Park seeking funding for the drug Avastin, She was denied. This woman was a wife, mother, daughter. She was a friend to many. Avastin would not cure Kimm's cancer, but it would have extended her life. Fletcher got a one-on-one meeting with the provincial health minister Deb Matthews who could not offer her any help, saying only that the drug is funded for other cancers and that decisions such as these are made on the best medical evidence.

 Madi Vanstone is a12 year old girl with a rare form of cystic fibrosis who travelled to Queen's Park for the Ontario government to pay for the expensive drug to treat her disease The drug, Kalydeco, costs $350,000 per year. Madi's fathers benefit plan covers half, and the drug company pays 20%, leaving Madi's family to find a way to pay the difference.Then Madi got to meet Premier Kathleen Wynne in person. But Madi was turned away empty handed. Wynne gave some vague answer about wanting to pay for the drug, but wasn't going to. She states the province is in negotiations. Sorry Kathleen, that's been going on for more than a year. The drug has been approved in 15 other countries. So Madi and her family have to hope and rely on family, friends, and the good-hearted public to help pay for the drug, which by the way, has shown incredible results not just in Madi, but in others around the world suffering from the same affliction.

 Despite pleading poor for medications and treatments, not just for Kimm and Madi, but others across the province, Wynne still finds a way to waste those taxpayer dollars. The Wynne Liberal government gave MLSE $500,000 to host the NBA All-Star game. Oddly enough, the minister in charge never sent out a press release announcing the $500,000, which is strange because he attended the event announcing the game.MLSE by the way is valued at $2.5 billion.  And how does Kathleen Wynne explain this away?




"This is part of what we do as a government to enhance tourism and bring people to the province,” Wynne said at an unrelated event in Ajax, Ont. “There are other large events that we support, hockey events, soccer events, that bring tourism to the province, and the (NBA) all-star game is part of that.”

  When questioned in the legislature about denying Madi's drug costs, Wynne responded with "of course we don't put a price on a human beings life". The sad part is Wynne was wrong. She did exactly that. Kimm Fletcher passed away April 27th. Had she received the treatment she couldn't afford herself, the one the province should have covered, she would have survived longer, giving her daughter and husband more time with their wife and daughter. So it goes With Kathleen Wynne. She gets to pick the winners and losers, regardless of whose needs should come first.

7 comments:

Unknown said...

Wow. Well done detective work Paul. $500,000 towards an NBA game but no money for medication that has been approved elsewhere -- that saves lives or, at the very least, improves them! Everyone understands that not all drugs can be covered but not all tourist events should be covered either. It's all about priorities.

Unknown said...

This is by far the best blog going right now.

Found it on a link at the SNN facebook page posted by a few fans of yours.

Congratulations on a great place to get terrific information that's written very well. You're one of us and it shows in your writing.

paulsstuff said...

Thanks for the kind words Bobby. Sandy also has an amazing blog, please check it out. Cheers, Paul.

Unknown said...

You're welcome Paul.
What sets you apart is your direct writing style that includes a certain realism that I can connect more with.
You seem like someone I'd like to have a beer with. One of us, who works hard, is aware of flaws of all parties currently.
You're not above the fray.
You understand and make the connections easily from fact and fiction.

paulsstuff said...

Thanks Bobby. I think it's important to realize no politician or political party is perfect. And yes, I've worked hard my entire life. The one thing I try to do when blogging is getting the point across without making it personal. I'm sure Kathleen Wynne is a nice person, but her political policies and socialist views in my opinion damage the province.

Sandy at Crux of the Matter, Joanne at Blue Like You, and Kate at SDA are what made me want to start blogging. The most important thing when blogging is having your facts straight and the numbers down pat. All 3 of these great ladies do just that. And in a way that's political, not personal.

Comments are always welcome here, whether in line with my opinions or against. Cheers, Paul.

Unknown said...

"Comments are always welcome here, whether in line with my opinions or against.

Most important feature these days.

So far you're in line with this old boy's thinking.

SDA is very active and set the bar for sure. I have read Russ Campbell's blog once in a while. He's one to watch too.

No shortage of welcoming ideas and you hit it for me - whether we agree or not, it's all important.

paulsstuff said...

Yep, Russ is a great blogger and excellent writer.