Fw: On Air

From: Bernie and Beverly Doucette (bnb@cybrzn.com)
Fri Aug 25 18:45:44 2000


Like we all haven't tried someone huh!!!

>----- Original Message -----
From: ABCTV News 20-20 Online PF <ABCTV.News.20.20.Online@abc.com> To: <bnb@cybrzn.com> Sent: Thursday, August 24, 2000 4:53 PM Subject: Re: On Air

> Dear 20/20 Viewer:
>
> Thank you for your letter suggesting a story for 20/20. Given the high
> volume of letters we receive daily, we apologize for the delay in
responding > to your e-mail.
>
> As you know, each 20/20 broadcast features only three subjects which we
must > select from hundreds of ideas. Your e-mail was forwarded to the Story
> Editor. It has been read and discussed but unfortunately, it was not
> chosen to become one of our show segments.
>
> Thank you for being in touch with 20/20. We appreciate that you are
> thinking of us.
>
> Sincerely,
>
> The Story Editors
> ABC News 20/20
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: bnb@cybrzn.com [mailto:bnb@cybrzn.com]
> Sent: Monday, June 12, 2000 4:18 PM
> To: ABCTV.News.20.20.Online@abc.com
> Subject: On Air
>
> from = bnb@cybrzn.com
> name = Beverly J. Doucette
> subj = On Air
> Question = My name is Beverly J. Doucette of Marinette, Wisconsin
>
> I suffer from a disease called Adhesion Related Disease ( ARD ) and have
> been instrumental is starting the International Adhesion Society with a
DR. > in Texas and another woman in Minnesota. Please familiarize yourself with
> this disease by going to: http://www.adhesions.org Though there is no known
cure > or even any effective treatment for ARD, I did undergo a surgery in New
York > one year ago April 22nd in an attempt to separate my attached internal
> organs hoping to offer me the only chance for surviving this disease..and
to > date have been able to live a normal life...which is a far difference from
> being totally incapacitated by ARD after suffering it for 14 years!
>
> I have since been able to volunteer as the IAS outreach worker and have
been > instrumental in assisting many, many other ARD sufferers to this same
> surgeon ( as he is the only surgeon in the USA skilled in separating
> attached organs with any hope of keeping them separated!! ) and this has
> offered them a chance to experience life once again. With the exception of
> two people, all my communications and assistance has been through the use
of > the internet. I have never met any of those I have assisted, that is not
> unusual when one uses the internet, that is true with most communications
> over the net, I suppose. The majority of those I assist are located within
> the United States, but I also assist people in other parts of the world,
> currently I reach out and assist ARD sufferers in securing the highest
> standard of care that they can receive with this disease as well as offer
> education and support to them and I have been effective in doing this in
> these countries: Ukraine, Australia!
> , England, and Canada.
>
> My story here though is about one particular lady I met through the
society, > Mary Pomroy of Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
> One year ago to the day of June 15th, 1999, Mary was referred to me by Dr.
> David Wiseman ( Dallas, Texas. He is the founder of the IAS ) Mary was
> desperately ill with ARD and had exhausted all measures to find medical
> intervention in her country, being despondent over this, she turned to her
> PC and found our web site. This was at 2am in the morning, to ill to sleep
> anymore, she sat up most nights searching for help...on this particular
> night she came across our web site, e-mailed DR. Wiseman, who then
referred > her to me as one of my first outreach cases since my surgery. I
immediately > contacted Mary later that same morning and we have communicated via
e-mail, > two way private chat line and phone ever since that day! Mary was in
> desperate need of medical intervention and we started out to secure that
for > her in her country, but soon realized that due to the severity and
> complexity of her ARD, there was NO surgeon willing to perform surgery on
> her to separate her internal organ!
> s in all of Canada!
>
> We then started a petition to the Canadian Alberta Healthcare Out-of -
> Country insurance board. After three denials for out of country care for
> Mary, and three appeals, we realized that if we were to save Mary's life,
we > would have to do it independent of the Canadian healthcare!!! Mary had
been > accepted for a surgery here in the USA by the same surgeon I had gone to,
> but that was proving to be very costly and the Canadian exchange of
currency > wasn't going to touch that surgery! We knew that Mary was not going to get
> to the newly opened ARD center in Scranton, Pennsylvania as it cost tio
much > money. I had even had three benefits here in our little community in an
> attempt to raise funds for Mary's surgery, but that total again was not
near > what would have been needed for her surgery in Scranton.
>
> In May, I knew I had to find an answer for Mary as she was very rapidly
> succumbing to her disease, not even able to lay down to sleep anymore,
> eating was becoming lees and less as Mary's stomach and liver are attached
> to her diaphragm and her intestines are attached to her peritoneum and
> stomach thus causing her great pain and suffering as well as many other
> associated symptoms that abnormal attachments of that sort will create in
a > human!! Mary needed help and she need's it NOW!
>
> One of the other IAS members had just returned from a trip to have her
> organs separated by a surgeon in Germany! I studied the procedure she had,
> contacted the surgeon in Germany, Dr. Korell of Duisburg, Germany and
found > it to be a very similar procedure as Dr. Harry Reich uses here in the USA!
I > immediately brought this to the attention of Mary, we checked out the
rates > of this surgical procedure as well as accommodations while there and the
> round trip flight to Dr. Korell....we were short the cost of the airlines,
> but we could handle the surgery and accommodations with what we had
> accumulated in donations! There was no hesitation when my husband said
> that WE would take out a loan and buy Mary's ticket to Germany as well as
> one for me so that she would not have to go alone!!!! I was a nurse by
> profession, but due to my ARD and not having a very positive prognosis and
> having been bedridden and disabled for the last three years prior to my
own > surgery, I gave up my nursi!
> ng license because at that time I had no future to look to...only death,
so > I gave it up!! But I certainly process the knowledge in how to take care
of > Mary on this trip!!!
>
> We are scheduled to leave Green Bay, Wisconsin for Germany on Friday, July
> 14th and Mary is scheduled for her adhesiolysis ( the separating of
organs ) > on Monday, July 17th! We are still unsure of the total cost of there
> surgery as if complications arise, there will be additional costs, but we
> cannot worry about that now, we must take our chances and get Mary to Dr.
> Korell and her chance at a life! And we are doing that no matter what we
do > not know, do not have planned and do not have money for!!! Her government
> will NOT authorize any payments for this surgery at all, Mary is on her
> own...well, she has us now!
>
> Mary will be arriving in Green Bay, Wisconsin on Thursday, July 6th to
meet > us for the first time, and to stay with us and rest before we leave for
> Germany the next week! Needless to say, we are very excited about our
being > able to meet as we both knew the day that meeting would happen would also
> mean that Mary would have the chance to live...she would make it!!!
>
> I share this with you and ask if you would be interested in sharing our
> story with your public. Mary and I are willing to share the personal
> emotions we know we will experience on the day we finally meet one
another, > but we feel it is more important to get the word out about this little
known > disease, ARD, and will allow our story to be used for that purpose.
>
> If you feel you would like more information regarding Mary and I, please
> feel free to contact me at this email address or call
> 1-715-735-5131
>
> Do not hesitate to check out the IAS ( International Adhseion Society ) on
> the web. http://www.adhesions.org
> to acclimate yourself to ARD ( Adhesion Related Disease ) Prepared
yourself > to witness a lot of pain and suffering as you will be pulled into this web
> site as though your being pulled into the bowels of hell as these ARD
> sufferers are desperately reaching out crying for help and a chance to
live, > as everyone you will see here is facing a long painful death unless they
can > reach medical intervention, but that is very very costly and there is only
> ONE surgeon in the USA skilled enough to help, and then that isn't a given
> either...it is a wait and see surgery, and I am testament to that. Like
> every ARD sufferer, I want to live, and I may live, I may have been cured,
> but I will not know that until October or November of this year, until
then > though, I will continue to reach out and help others find some peace
within > their pain and suffering and actually be able to bring some of them to a
> surgery that just might place us in a new category for ARD.. that is to
> become an ADHESION !
> SURVIVOR!!!
>
> Thank-you
> Beverly Doucette
>


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