Paging Dr. Spirtos ... to the Closet

We are all too familiar with the hardships and heartbreaking stories of people without health insurance. But then there are the woeful tales of those who have health insurance, but still can't receive the treatment they need. It's nothing short of outrageous.

Christina Aguilar is a cancer patient and an insurance holder, yet unable to receive the chemotherapy she needs to fight advanced-stage ovarian cancer. A cashier position at Toys R Us provides the 28-year-old with health coverage, but the plan doesn't cover expenses like chemo or surgery. And, her hourly wage of $8.76 disqualifies her for Medicaid. Aguilar was seemingly out of options, until Dr. Nick Spirtos came along.

The oncologist is spearheading a pro bono treatment center — in a converted storage space in a Las Vegas medical center. He's also managed to get the generous people of Clark County to pay for the chemo drugs, which can run as high as $10,000 per treatment. And, his simple fundraising tactics are working just fine. He's placed 380 boxes, labeled "Cash for Chemotherapy" throughout the county.

In a CNN interview, Spirtos, the director of the Women's Cancer Center of Nevada, says, "It helps. If these boxes pay for one more patient's chemo, that's one lady who in the overall context wouldn't be able to have her treatment."

Aguilar's story comes at a poignant moment in our nation's increasingly acrimonious health care debate. Hers is surely a case that begs for universal care. Interestingly however, while Spirtos believes we could use some form of universal system, he believes the president must proceed with caution. He shared his thoughts directly, in a recently letter to Obama:

"[I] respectfully suggest that instead of rushing headlong into ill-thought out proposals, you and your staff along with Congress take some time and thoughtfully review the issues facing us and formulate a plan that might actually meet our needs," Spirtos said.

And while all this remains to be seen, cases like Aguilar continue to rise. Spirtos says of the 75 to 80 women he treats per month, 20 percent share a similar health care predicament to that of Aguilar. "If you're recently unemployed, you have no insurance benefits and you don't qualify for any of the public aids," he says. "So amazingly, the people who've been working and supporting the system, the moment they're out of work they don't fit in any of the round holes — they're square pegs."

Aguilar, who detected her cancer by accident, couldn't be more grateful for the help she's received from Dr. Spritos, for without his treatment, she certainly would not survive. And, he doesn't just give the treatment — he offers it with a hearty sense of humor. Spirtos stops at Christina's side as the chemo drips into her arm, and she pats his smooth bald head. He jokes, "The great part about this is Christina's hair is going to grow back and mine won't."

The two share a laugh before he makes his way to cheerily save more lives.

Photo courtesy of aflicio2008, via Creative Commons and Flickr