A few months ago I wrote an article about Stage 4 Hodgkins Lymphoma cancer patient and medical marijuana user Don Prockup and his troubles with the state of Alabama over his medicine.
If you haven't read that story please take a few moments and do so by clicking on the link above.
I have kept up with Don over the passing months. I send him emails on a pretty regular basis and call him on occassion. I want to know how his health is holding up, if there have been any more clashes with law enforcement and if there is anything new with his court case. I get worried when I do not hear back from him in a reasonable amount of time. He is literally on death's doorstep and could go at any moment.
I wrote him a few days ago to invite him to the holiday party in Birmingham on Wednesday and the meeting the following day. I told him I would be happy to come and get him and provide lodging for his stay and then drive him home if he felt up to it. Yesterday Don sent me the following email.
hi, i just got back from mobile, i had ten days of radiation from my jaw to my heart. it is bad. i can't eat but i throw up anyway and i can't swallow. my doctor gave me a script. for 100 marinol 5mg. but i don't think my ins. will pay for it. don
And a few minutes ago I got another email from Don.
hi loretta, no my ins. would not pay for the marinol. its so funny that the goverment says we don't really need marijuina for the ill because we can use Marinol. Then they say, "Well we won't pay for it." you see i'm on medicare and use Wellcare, prescription drug plan, all run by the goverment. if i grow marijuaina, its free and better but they will put me in jail. my Marinol prescription that my radiolgist just wrote me for 100 5mg pills cost over 600.00 dollars and the goverment drug plan refuses to pay for it. so what do i do? i don't feel liking eating, lost about 20 lbs, i cannot swallow because of the radition treatment. i'm sick from my head to my toe with every pain you can think of. ALL I WANT IS TO GROW AND HAVE MY ON MEDICINE......MARIJUINA......FREE. Donald J Prockup, Jr
That makes me so mad I could chew nails!
I can't begin to imagine what it is like to live alone and have cancer, to have to withstand days and days of radiation, which everyone knows makes you so sick and destroys the quality of your remaining life, and then have to battle insurance companies to get the only legal medicine that helps, while at the same time fighting the state ,who wants to put you in jail for growing marijuana as medicine, while telling you to use Marinol...but refusing to pay for it.
This is MADDENING GOVERNMENT BUREAUCRACY at its absolute worst! Please get involved in helping Alabama pass The Compassionate Care Act so that patients like Don Prockup can live out their remaining days with dignity and in relative peace.
Start by coming to THE MEDICAL MARIJUANA CHRISTMAS PARTY on Wed. Dec. 13 in BHAM.
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3 comments:
This is the worst human rights violations in the Earth. The Republicans and Democrats are like Castro and Hitler.
As a police officer that had cancer and four rounds of chemo, I can understand the barbaric treatment that has gone on. I was fortunate to have insurance and a drug card. Had I not had those then I would have went bankrupt trying to save my life. One of my drugs cost $1800. With my drug card I paid $65. And the only reason that the doctor wrote me the presciption was that I could afford the medicine. The drug did wonders with my vomiting. What about all the others that had no drug card or insurance? The doctor would have just let them suffer with the medicine that was cheap and not most effective. I have never used marj. nor am I saying that the drug is effective in stopping sickness, but I will say that ANYTHING that can help the sickness that I went through would be a great thing. You never know till you go through chemo or radition about how bad it effects a body. Anything that would cost very little and help the throwing up is needed NOW! I still do not know how all thoses people getting chemo and radition afford to continue.
Dear Barry,
Thanks for taking the time to post about your experiences. Having the view of a police officer in this conversation is very important. Most of the police officers I know would prefer to not have to arrest terminally ill people for trying to ease their suffering. That is one big why we need this law.
If you'd like to help out in any way (it can be behind the scenes because of your profession) please email me at alabamacompcare@yahoo.com
Best,
Loretta Nall
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