PeachCare for Kids™ Helps a Family Put its Life Back in Balance
Jeannette Poole is a typical "good mom," willing to do whatever it takes to keep her daughters Amy and Liza healthy and safe. She went through a bad time recently: being furloughed from her job of 20 years and getting a divorce. She knew she had to take action, because the health insurance the girls depended upon was gone. She persevered—she got another job--but with no insurance.
Luckily, she ran into a friend who told her about the Georgia Department of Community Health's PeachCare for Kids™ program, which provides comprehensive health care for uninsured children. She called and found out that when children enroll in PeachCare for Kids™, they receive primary, preventive, specialist, dental and vision care. The program also covers hospitalization, emergency room services, prescription medications and mental health care. PeachCare felt like it also might provide Jeannette with some breathing room until she got a job with benefits.
She enrolled Amy and Liza in the program.
"I am very independent and I've never had to rely on the state for anything, so naturally, I was little concerned about what getting state funded health insurance would say about me, but my daughters are my life. I realized I care more about them than what people might think of me for getting help," said Jeannette.
A few months later, something happened to Amy.
Jeannette noticed that her eldest daughter, whom doctors believed had chronic hormonal and inner ear problems, seemed more off-balance than usual. Whereas other kids at school could run to the top of the bleachers like gazelles, Amy would pull herself up slowly step by step. Jeannette saw that Amy was clenching her fists a lot, too. She'd been having headaches and seemed increasingly tired. The doctor had been giving Amy medication, but at her regular checkup one Wednesday afternoon, Jeannette asked the doctor to check further. The doctor ordered an MRI. When he read the results, he told took Jeannette by the hand and said he was sending them to a neurologist. That doctor in turn made an appointment with the Chief of Pediatric Neurosurgery at Emory Children's Health Care. They were to go to see him immediately.
"I knew something was wrong. Things were moving very quickly—and I am not accustomed to doctors making appointments with other doctors for me or my girls," said Jeannette. "Amy turned to me as we were driving to Emory and said, 'I know it's something serious, Mom'."
When they arrived at Emory, Dr. Timothy Mapstone was waiting for them with the test results. He sat them down and explained that Amy had a tumor the size of a half-granule of rice near her brain stem blocking an aqueduct.
By Friday, Amy was in the hospital having a shunt placed in her brain to drain the fluids.
Amy was in the hospital for 11 days. She was in physical and occupational therapy for three months following her release. She had to be reprogrammed to walk.
"I was really worried about the cost of all this treatment and therapy," said Jeannette. "But, because of PeachCare, I never saw a bill. They covered all Amy's medical expenses. PeachCare gave me tremendous peace of mind from start to finish."
Eventually, Amy went back to school as her doctors still watched her. Through it all, she never lost sight of her plans for the future. She went to therapy at Shepard Center so she could learn to drive again—but this time with her new sense of balance. She continued preparing for college aiming to become a broadcast journalist.
Recently, Amy celebrated a year of wellness and now only has to get check-ups every six months.
"I look at Amy now, and I know I would never have been able to take care of her without PeachCare for Kids™," said Jeannette. "Amy had the best doctors—everyone was caring and attentive. We never once felt that we had anything but top-notch service. Without insurance, I would have never been able to pay the bills—I would have gone bankrupt. But instead, I feel thankful and blessed. PeachCare helped save my daughter's life."