My wife Marcia who’s a water color artist and I just completed a DIY (do it yourself) logo design. We’re trying to symbolize the outreach and support that the ProtonPals provides without being too maudlin. The colors are the ones MDACC uses.
Hope you like it.
Joe Landry
May 9, 2009
Dear ProtonPals:
Some momentous events for the ProtonPals, caregivers and supporters of the Proton Therapy Center took place in the past few weeks.
One cloud to all this silver lining - Effective June 1, 2009, HCSC Blue Cross Blue Shield(BCBS) will no longer pay for proton radiation treatment for early prostate cancer along with other tumors where the treatment is considered experimental. This is a huge shift in their policy where the company paid for treatments for past several years. You probably read of their argument – it’s too expensive and not more effective than other modes of treatment.
This would be a major setback to our center as well as to all the other centers under construction. Other private insurers and Medicare would join BCBS join in this landslide. I agree with Bob Marckini, author and founder of the Brotherhood of the Balloons, that we cannot let this happen. ProtonBob wrote of this early on when Medicare asked for comments and wrote in depth in his recent May newsletter.
I’ve been in contact with Bob and offered my support to do what we can by urging that you join the effort. “We cannot let this happen.”
Here’s what I’m urging you to do.
1) Download the May issue of Bob Tales, Proton Bob’s newsletter from our site (I have Bob’s permission to distribute the letter to our readers) and learn about the issues. BobTales May 2009
2) Download Bob Marckini’s guide on the first phase of a letter writing campaign. Letter Writing Guide from Bob Marckini
3) Follow the recommendations and write a letter to the BCBS CEO in your respective state while sending a copy to the Medical Director of the BCBS office. Let us know by email that you’ve written to the officials.
4) Join the ProtonBob site and ProtonPals site if you are not already a member. Be sure to record where you were treated. Sign Up for ProtonBob Newsletter Sign Up for ProtonPals Newsletter
Best regards,
Joe Landry
ProtonPals, Ltd.
The rest of the news will follow in the May news letter.
Larry Hock graduated on Friday, May 1, 2009 and Joe Landry took some photos of Larry, his friends and the key radiation therapists, Claudia, Denice, and Jennifer. These same therapists who, as he jokingly said in a German accent when he rang the gong, “led him to a cave like room with 8 foot walls, strapped him to the table and tried to get him to divulge the secrets of the oil production in North Louisiana”.
TO VIEW LARRY’s GRADUATION SLIDE SHOW USE THIS LINK ProtonPals Slide Show
Seven ProtonPals finished radiation treatment on May 6 and it was a busy time for the gong and the photographers. I was able to get some pics for three of them, Joe Filler, Hugh (Mr. Ex) Exnicios and Craig Roshaven.
TO VIEW JOE FILLER and HUGH EXNICIOS GRADUATION SLIDE SHOW USE THIS LINK ProtonPals Slide Show
PROTONPALS FELLOWSHIP AND STAFF APPRECIATION EVENING. After several days of serious planning by Larry Hock, Joe Filler and Hugh (Mr. Ex) Exnicios around 110 folks gathered at the Proton Center on Wednesday April 22nd for the first ProtonPals Fellowship and Staff Appreciation night. One of Larry Hock’s friends, The BigE Drilling Company drove up with a crew, a Texas sized BBQ grill with all the donated fixings and cooked up the main courses. It was a marvelous night as Pals got to meet and make new friends as well as getting to know the staff a little better. The balloon babes know you pretty well already. You can tell from the following slide show that this should be a regular event. Let me know if you want to continue what could become a tradition.
TO VIEW THE PROTONPALS FELLOWSHIP AND APPRECIATION SOCIAL USE THIS LINK ProtonPals Slide Show
