Beware the hand that helps you...

kcm

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Feb 29, 2016
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My dad passed away in Aug 2014 with multiple forms of cancer. However, it was not the "cancer" that killed him!

Going back several years, my dad had told us about a small skin cancer that he had removed. He also told us about having to have a pacemaker installed - not for keeping his heart from stopping, but rather to slow it down when needed. Always being one who dealt with things himself, he chose not to disrupt our lives by telling us about his failing health. Even his lifelong best friend was, for the most part, left in the dark.

Going back many years, his father developed Alzheimer's, and became dangerous as he used his cane as a weapon. Mom & Dad eventually had no choice but to place him in a nursing home where he withered away, doped up on drugs. They vowed to never put each other in a home! Unfortunately, Mom developed Alzheimer's/dementia. Dad did his best to take care of her, still never letting anyone in on the difficult times he was experiencing. He told us when he reached out for help and was able to have insurance pay for a nurse/house-helper to come in. The only thing they did was babysit Mom while he went to the grocery store or other needed errands. He caught these people on multiple occasions just watching TV and eating THEIR food! But what other choice did he have?

Finally, his doctors told him there was nothing more they could do; he was terminal and didn't have much time. Still, he kept everyone out of the loop, not wanting to be a burden. He finally found a place in California that all but promised they could cure him. So he spent a huge chunck of their savings trying to get healed - after all, he still felt severe regret for Mom being in a nursing home. Things are happening pretty quickly by now. He drives himself from Arkansas out to Culver City, CA. Of course, he told us and others either that he wasn't going, or that he had someone else who was going to go with him and do the driving. Yes, outright lies.

Soon after he got there, his 3-year-old Chrysler 300 decided to break down - something to do with a faulty alternator. They ended up replacing the alternator and the battery at $1,000 (after his death, it happened again, only this time there was a known recall for this problem). Before the repairs were done, he was in his room out there when he collapsed, paralyzed from the waist down. This was due to an unknown cancer on his spine. So the people there focused mostly on this spot. Their approach was to use some very simpleton-looking device mounted to a piece of 4x4 on a re-purposed articulating arm that was mounted to the wall. This was their pride and joy of equipment! Also in their arsenal was a radiation machine that, as near as I could figure, was new back in the 40's or 50's! ...All of this is supposed to be cutting-edge medicine!

When he collapsed, we were notified. I flew out from Minnesota and tried to keep his wishes enacted. Spent about a month there. Everyone else kept yelling at me to get him home! But his wishes were to continue with his treatments. Took a while for me to see the scam going on there. After a while, it became painfully apparent that any actual success they had of curing other people was due to 2 reasons: 1) patients that were younger, healthier, stronger, etc... and 2) they ran radiation treatments much further and more aggressively than the medical world would otherwise allow.

Going back to this tumor on his spine, it was about in the center of his chest. I kept telling the people that he wasn't drinking enough and that he was getting weaker, but if anything, they doubled-down on his treatments. I was too long in understanding what was REALLY happening. At one point, he was admitted to....can't remember the name of the hospital, but it's the 2nd best in LA for cancer; a world-famous hospital. While there, this cancer treatment center kept trying to get the hospital to release Dad to their care instead. When that didn't work, they tried to get the hospital to release him for treatments, then they would bring him back to the larger facility. In a last-ditch effort, they tried to talk Dad into forcing the hospital to release him into their care. I was Dad's voice by this time, as he could not even talk. The treatment center had treated him more aggressively with radiation, thereby cooking his throat and making him unable to swallow!!

Everything was happening so fast that even the doctors there didn't realize just how close Dad was to death. I was looking into options to get him home, and the doctor there recommended him going on a standard passenger flight. I opted for a private medi-flight; like a flying ambulance built into a Lear Jet. That was $20,000. Got him home and he passed away less than 2 days later.

I had been in touch with this small cancer treatment center, hospice nurses in both locations, family, friends, insurance, etc, etc, etc. In the end, he was going to die anyway. However, this treatment center in Culver City was trying WAY too hard to keep him making his treatments. It was their own aggressiveness that killed him. Of course, I have no proof of that, which is why I cannot reveal the name of the center. I only ask, beg, PLEAD with anyone reading this to please beware small treatment centers such as this. The doctors were ALL very old, and their equipment, offices, even their wheelchairs were all broken and falling apart. Dad couldn't see it. All he could see was that these folks were his ONLY option to last a little longer.

This is the first time I've addressed a potentially large number of people about what happened. Maybe half a dozen folks in private otherwise. I'm General PoA, Healthcare PoA, and Executor of the estate, so I'm not crossing any lines by passing on this experience. I'm NOT looking for handouts, donations, or even sympathies. My only regard here is to inform and to warn others to please pay attention. There are scammers out there that are happening right under our noses.

I can only speculate on this, but Dad drove himself out there - so therefore, in "their" eyes,:
* He must not have any close family, or at least nobody that cared about him.
* If nobody else cares, then they are not worthy of his (the patient) money, so...
* We will make as many treatments as possible in order to separate as much cash as possible from their bank account.
None of the payments are covered by insurance - it was ALL out-of-pocket! I think AARP kicked in a little, but not much.

Again, THIS IS ONLY SPECULATION! Albeit, from my having been there and observed, and even taking some pics using my cell phone. I have recorded phone calls that are disturbing, but not conclusive. And I have my Dad dead, not from the multiple terminal cancers in his body, but from the treatments that were supposedly trying to save his life. I mean, think about it - who is anyone going to believe? ME?? These are doctors (whose past work history I cannot find) with a cancer treatment center, and yes, they have actually helped people. There are actual success stories. But NONE of them were very elderly, NONE of them were nearly as weak, and NONE of them were fighting multiple cancers. Some were supposedly listed as terminal by the general medical world, but I could not verify any of them. ...Well, didn't really try. I'm not trying to go after anyone and not trying to get any place shut down. If they can help even 1 person by being so aggressive, then good for them!

I only beg anyone reading this to please keep your eyes open and pay attention; to sometimes beware the hand that helps you.
 

DeepseekerADS

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Sorry to hear this about your father. You have my best wishes.

Health issues and hospitals are kinda like a rocket sled ride with no control.

A decade ago I had what I thought was great insurance (United Health Care). So I decided it was time for a complete check-up. My tab was $10,000 which UHC would not pay. I went to the hospital admin and told the lady I couldn't possibly pay that. She immediately, without hesitation dropped my tab to $2,000 and put me on a payment plan of $100 a month till paid.
 

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kcm

kcm

Gold Member
Feb 29, 2016
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NW Minnesota
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Hey DS - sorry took so long to reply. Been without internet OR phone for a week+, courtesy of Verizon. ...Us living 1,000 miles from the nearest tower has NOTHING to do with it, either! :thumbsup:

Yeah, Mom has UHC supplementing Medi-Care. Both of them are cutting down the costs, but not as much as I would have expected! As for the drop in billing, we used to go through that quite often, especially at the dentist. Now on state dental, but no dentists accept that insurance - at least none within 6-hour drive! Funny - they also no longer offer lower cash-payment alternatives - not since Obummer-care went through. Once our generation is gone, the new kids (for the most part) will never know what they lost.
 

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