Just before Yvette Taylor’s husband died a year and a half ago, she made a vow to him – one that is proving costly to keep.
The 67-year-old New Brunswick woman promised she would get the life-saving procedure and stay strong.
“I promised my husband I’d get one double lung transplant On his death bed. And I’m looking forward to keeping that promise,” she said from her home in Riverview, N.B.
Taylor has sarcoidosis, an inflammatory disease that has severely affected her lung capacity.
“It affects everything in my life. This affects my walking. “I can’t do a lot of things alone, which is a big thing for me because I’m very independent,” she said.
Her condition has worsened since her husband’s death, and she is now thinking of relocating to Toronto to put her name on the list for a double lung transplant.
Yvette Taylor has sarcoidosis, an inflammatory disease that has severely affected her lung capacity.
Suzanne Lapointe/Global News
While surgeries are covered by New Brunswick Medicare, the program only partially subsidizes the cost of accommodation, which would be significant in Toronto.
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Melanie Langille, president and CEO of NB Lung, said it is common for patients in the province to relocate while waiting for transplant surgery.
“You have to be very close to where lungs are available and where surgeons are available to do that kind of work,” Langille said.
“The closest lung transplant facilities to us in New Brunswick are either Montreal or Toronto.”
Taylor lives on a pension and does not have private insurance, which means it is challenging to cover some of the cost of rent, as well as the full cost of hiring someone to help care for her.
His daughter, Julie LaForge, has organized a GoFundMe campaign to help cover these costs, which they estimate will be in the thousands of dollars.
“Unfortunately, if we can’t raise the money to help him get there, he’s not going to have a chance to get there, you know?” LaForge said.
“And then we just keep watching and it’s already a struggle. So I don’t want that to happen.”
‘Needs a lot of support’
NB Lung said Taylor’s financial situation is not rare, and that is what is so worrying.
Langille said the organization is trying to help patients who are going through difficult situations.
“We have a lung transplant assistance program where we’ve worked with condo owners near those hospitals,” he said.
“We’ve furnished condos, negotiated rental rates, so people can live really close to the hospital while they wait for those lungs to become available.”
Langille said NB Lung is continually advocating for increased support for patients who need to travel out of province “for this type of life-saving surgery.”
While there are various programs that can help lung people navigate some financial assistance, “it takes a lot of support,” she said.
“We have a small bursary program where we provide $500 to patients newly listed for lung transplant to help cover some of their out-of-pocket costs. We know it’s not much but it’s all we can do at this point,” she said.
“And we can continue to advocate for greater coverage of these out-of-pocket costs through Medicare.,
Lung NSPEI, which covers the other two Maritime provinces of Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island, said they also hear from patients who need financial assistance.
Lung NSPEI spokesperson Michelle Donaldson said they received 20 requests for assistance last year.
“It is important to acknowledge the expertise of transplant teams across Canada, including Toronto, who are adept at providing exceptional care to individuals undergoing lung transplant procedures,” Donaldson wrote in an e-mail to Global News.
“Although this process can be challenging, we are committed to supporting individuals in improving respiratory health.”
Global News has contacted New Brunswick’s Department of Health for comment.
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