posted
After being blessed by Pope Francis, and having a physician come forward with an offer to treat her, Julia Bruzzese has been denied coverage for her Lyme disease treatment for a third time by her insurance company. She has written the following letter to NY Governor Cuomo. Please help to spread the word and like, share, or comment on her facebook page.
KarlaL
Julia Bruzzese, "Believe in the Miracle" Facebook feeling emotional. 8 hrs · New York, NY · Edited ·
Julia’s father, “After being denied treatment for a third time, Julia handed me this letter and asked if I could mail it for her.”
Dear Governor Cuomo,
My name is Julia Bruzzese. I am 12 years old. I go to St. Bernadette School in Brooklyn NY. I am currently in a wheelchair and cannot walk or feel my legs. I have been sick since last May.
I was recently blessed by the pope, and was all over the news! Before I got sick I was very active in my school community. I participated in many activities and clubs I was also the second vice president elect of my school.
I was a straight A student and have a lot of friends. In May something tragic happened. I got very sick. I visited the emergency room six times and I was in four different hospitals. I have visited numerous specialists and after three months and many negative test results I got a clinical diagnosis of Lyme disease that triggered GBS and POTS. I had to start taking pills every half an hour.
I was very depressed and was giving up on myself. Some doctors told me it was all in my head. I was giving up on hope and especially prayer. I spent my whole summer in hospitals. My two older brothers, James and Adam and my little six year old sister, Sofia gave up there summer and spent every single day in the hospital with me.
My siblings and I are very close and I love them more than anything. My dad had to leave his work to take care of me and he lost his salary. After three months of being sick I realized there is still hope and that I shouldn’t bury myself in self-pity. Instead of being mad at God I began to pray to him.
After getting oral antibiotics for Lyme disease, I started to feel my toes and wiggle my toes. I started to become more awake when before I couldn’t stay awake for more than five minutes. I started to feel better but I still couldn’t feel the rest of my legs and still couldn’t walk. When September came I wasn’t able to go back to school because I couldn’t focus on my school work and because my school is not wheelchair accessible.
My friends and Principle have been by my side every step of the way. My principle Sr. Joan, gave me and my family tickets to see the pope at JFK airport. I wasn’t expecting the pope to come over to me to bless me, but he did! Meeting the pope was the most precious moment of my life. I believe that he will give me a miracle to walk again. After meeting the pope I was interviewed by many reporters.
An Albany, NY doctor saw me on TV and offered his help for free. My family and I took him up on his offer. He would administer IV antibiotics for Lyme disease. I now have been living in upstate, NY with my father away from my siblings and my mother and my best friends who I love so much.
Now we are trying to get a PICC line and medicine delivered to my home so that I can reunite with my family and friends. Because my dad is not working, we cannot afford this. We are in danger of losing our home, where I grew up.
The insurance company is denying paying for my treatment. I know that I am only 12, but I believe that this experience has matured me and made me stronger than ever. I promise myself that when I walk I will make a difference. I promise myself I will visit the sick.
NO child or adult should go through what I’ve been through. The country that I live in, the country that I love, please stand up for me to get better. I do not get sleep over just thinking of not walking again. I have to stay strong for my parents, my siblings, my friends, and my school.
So to whoever is reading this, speaking from the bottom of my heart, please help me! I promise in a wheelchair or not, I will try to the best of my ability to make a difference! To Governor Cuomo, I hope you read this message and I am asking you to please help me!
posted
Since Julia is 12, she could apply to www.lymelightfoundation.org for a grant, an organization which gives grants up to 10K for anyone under 26 years.
I just made the suggestion on her fb page. I see someone beat me to it!
Posts: 13116 | From San Francisco | Registered: May 2006
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posted
Great balanced news piece on twelve-year-old Julia Bruzzese and the insurance denials for her Lyme treatment. Please help to bring attention to this important issue by like, commenting, and/or sharing this news piece.
KarlaL
NBC News New York: I-Team: Lyme Disease Confusion Ensnares Sick Patients in Treatment, Insurance Complications
When Pope Francis touched down at Kennedy Airport, 12-year-old Julia Bruzzese was there to greet him. Sitting in her wheelchair, the pontiff put his hand on her forehead and blessed her.
“It means that he’s going to give me a miracle, to walk again,” the teen told NBC 4 New York afterward on Oct. 24, fighting back tears. “I know I will walk again because of him.”
Dr. S. in upstate Delmar, just outside Albany, was watching Julia and reached out to her family because he believed he could help. . . .
-------------------- KarlaL Posts: 694 | From New Lebanon, NY | Registered: Dec 2010
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Tincup
Honored Contributor (10K+ posts)
Member # 5829
posted
That little girl is a true believer and has so much faith she will get help. Bless her heart.
I contacted the reporter and also the doctors office to give them info on getting her funds for treatment. Hope her Christmas stocking will be filled with joy and IV meds!
Hard to believe the insurance company finally decided to pay for the pic line, but no medicine to go in it! Hope they get coal in their stockings!
Tincup
Honored Contributor (10K+ posts)
Member # 5829
posted
Update- Pray for a Christmas Miracle. Was contacted again by the docs office with questions making me hopeful something can be worked out. Sure am hoping something will come through for them!
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From the Lyme Action Network facebook page: "Julia Bruzzese, the 12 year old Lyme patient blessed by the Pope, was interviewed by Alex Witt today on MSNBC. Please go to this link and post a comment about your experience with Lyme. Were you diagnosed quickly enough? Did your insurance cover your illness? What has your experience been? Please be concise and clear. We'd like for this network to do more investigating on this topic."
Bruzzese family revisits post-Pope blessing WEEKENDS WITH ALEX WITT 12/20/15
The Lyme Disease Network is a non-profit organization funded by individual donations. If you would like to support the Network and the LymeNet system of Web services, please send your donations to:
The
Lyme Disease Network of New Jersey 907 Pebble Creek Court,
Pennington,
NJ08534USA http://www.lymenet.org/
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