I had been drawn to Natalin's cause thanks to nyceve's diaries and also because my mother died last year from liver cancer. Certainly when you are 80 years old, liver cancer is very deadly, but an HMO made us waste time because they did not want to pay for her transplant. By the time I prepaid for one, it was too late. But what I know is that liver transplants are far from experimental nowdays. But they have to be performed quickly after a diagnosis to give the patient a better chance of survival.
Nataline was just starting her life. The doctors recommended a transplant. Cigna acted like the petty bean counters they are.
Their miscalculation was that Nataline was part of a very tight knit community of Armenians around Glendale where their HQ is. Nataline had a fighting chance thanks to her family and friends and thanks to nyceve who mobilized us and the California Nurses Association.
Below are my impressions and some photos I took as I promised. Since no relevant diary is available I post this short diary of my own.
500 people, SRO, 10 TV cameras.
It was held at the St. Mary's Armenian Apostolic Church of Glendale, California.
The service lasted 1 hour and was mostly in Armenian, with parts in English. I stood in the back where the TV cameras were.
Most touching was her aunt's eulogy. It brought tears to my eyes. She told us about Natalin's spirit and how she was upbeat to the end. Natalin was smart, a leader, an organizer. The bean counters at Cigna are not worth 1% of Nataline's wasted potential.
The service reminded me of the Catholic services I grew up with. The Armenian Church Archbishop for the Western US also spoke;
What I have learned from the Nataline tragedy is that it is possible to fight the soulless corporations looking out for their profits and CEO compensation packages. The Internet (nyceve at DailyKos), unions (like the nurses) and real communities together, can defeat the greedy CEOs and mindless bean counters. An individual alone does not stand a chance.
In my opinion the mindset that denies a liver transplant to such a young and promising human being like Nataline is the same mindset that harasses an 80 year old woman by making her take off her shoes while going through a TSA checkpoint at an airport. Power without common sense and enlightened leadership makes little emperors of a lot of people.