'It was like going in front of a firing squad'
SEATTLE -- When Mike Fox was diagnosed with cancer, he thought he'd received the worst news. But then he was told he couldn't receive the treatment he needed.
"It was devastating. I don't have words for it, really," he said.
For the Pierce County man, the diagnosis was multiple myeloma -- a cancer of the plasma cells and bone marrow.
His wife, Dawn, said the news was simply "unbelievable."
"Couldn't even believe the words that you were hearing," she said.
But doctors said Mike Fox would have a good chance of survival if he were to receive two procedures - a stem cell transplant and a bone marrow transplant - back to back.
He received the first - a stem cell transplant - at the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance on Sept. 21. And that's when the clock began ticking.
Doctors told Mike he needed to have the bone marrow transplant within 90 days of the first. But before he could receive the second procedure, Mike ran into an unexpected hurdle -- his former employer changed insurance coverage.
Mike’s new provider, Regence, said it was "unable" to pay for the second procedure, and that Fox would have to wait a year.
"It was like going in front of a firing squad," Mike Fox said. "You feel like your life is over."
"It's just an outrage that they would even deny him, because he needs this to live," said Dawn Fox.
The Fox family fought back.
They wrote letters, called lawmakers and KOMO News.
We got on the case Monday morning. We contacted Regence, and others.
Six hours later came the good news. The Regence appeals committee met, and approved what could be a life-saving procedure.
Mike and his family got the good news while at the doctor's office.
"I just can't say enough words. I'm ecstatic," he said.
Doctors say they will schedule Mike's procedure immediately.
"It was devastating. I don't have words for it, really," he said.
For the Pierce County man, the diagnosis was multiple myeloma -- a cancer of the plasma cells and bone marrow.
His wife, Dawn, said the news was simply "unbelievable."
"Couldn't even believe the words that you were hearing," she said.
But doctors said Mike Fox would have a good chance of survival if he were to receive two procedures - a stem cell transplant and a bone marrow transplant - back to back.
He received the first - a stem cell transplant - at the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance on Sept. 21. And that's when the clock began ticking.
Doctors told Mike he needed to have the bone marrow transplant within 90 days of the first. But before he could receive the second procedure, Mike ran into an unexpected hurdle -- his former employer changed insurance coverage.
Mike’s new provider, Regence, said it was "unable" to pay for the second procedure, and that Fox would have to wait a year.
"It was like going in front of a firing squad," Mike Fox said. "You feel like your life is over."
"It's just an outrage that they would even deny him, because he needs this to live," said Dawn Fox.
The Fox family fought back.
They wrote letters, called lawmakers and KOMO News.
We got on the case Monday morning. We contacted Regence, and others.
Six hours later came the good news. The Regence appeals committee met, and approved what could be a life-saving procedure.
Mike and his family got the good news while at the doctor's office.
"I just can't say enough words. I'm ecstatic," he said.
Doctors say they will schedule Mike's procedure immediately.
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