The Valley has come together in stellar form to get treatment for Melissa Griffin, the 21-year-old cowgirl with a brain injury from a riding accident.
According to an e-mail I got from her mother, JoEllen Moreno, today, she starts therapy Nov. 26 in Bakersfield. What a blessing it is to live among such caring people. Even though we live in a time with such incompetence in our administration of health insurance coverage, people step forward to make things right.
I am really curious to know what kind of administrative insurance imbeciles refuse therapeutic treatment for a 21-year-old with a brain injury? This young woman has her whole life in the balance -- education, career, future child bearing and child-rearing. What possible sense could it make not to help her be as strong and healthy as possible going into this important stage of life? Are they complete idiots -- or what?
Don't get me started ... better you hear all the happy talk from Melissa's mother.
As, I hope, most of you saw, Melissa made the front page of the Fresno Bee! Wow! I knew that they were doing an article on her story but I had no idea at all that it would have been a headliner. Thank you Diana Marcum!! Thanks to the exposure we are still getting donations trickling in. My sister Connie, who is handling the donations called me last night and told me that she received 33 envelopes in the mail today totaling an additional $3.500.00!! I am still getting calls from readers that were so touched by her story and want to help in some way. Some callers have actually apologized for only being able to send a modest donation.....ARE YOU KIDDING ME??? Any dollar we receive and can help Melissa is so very much appreciated. So, please do not apologize. You are wonderful people and may the Lord bless you. Her father, Greg, has been in contact with CNS and has negoiated a price since we are paying cash. (Most of you in the medical field know that if you pay cash, you usually get a 25% discount.) I believe that Greg got a 30% discount which means that the money everyone raised can make for a longer stay for Melissa! Which I think is great. Greg informed me last night that she will be heading to Bakersfield the sunday after Thanksgiving. She will be admitted into the program on Monday, November 26th. She will head to Bakersfield on Sunday afternoon and spend time with her step sister who lives in Bakersfield so that she won't be so tired to start her first day on Monday. Again, I know that I sound like a broken record but thank you, thank you, thank you all so very much for helping our daughter! Those of you that don't know her that well, she truly is a wonderful person and deserves this chance at getting her life back.
Congrats to Melissa on her coming as far as she has and will come in the coming weeks and months. The community really stepped up for her as they usually do in a time of need. Thanks everyone for helping this young lady. Keep her in your prayers cause that is the best therapy for everyone.
It could be that achievement of cost reduction goals for insurance benefits is a more likely reason for this kind of callousness.