KHQ Right Now - News and Weather for Spokane and North Idaho | Your Response: Shriners Hospital named in possible closures

Your Response: Shriners Hospital named in possible closures

SPOKANE, Wash. - Monday, the Spokane Shriners Hospital was named on a list of six Shriners Hospitals that may be facing closure. Your response to the announcement was huge. Below are the responses KHQ received in e-mails. 

Click here to read the responses KHQ received in Monday's live blog with Dana Haynes. 

The criteria for closing these hospitals is contingent upon under-utilization.  Shriners Hospital says there is a way to help. You can write letters to the Shriners' general email account at spokanenews@shrinenet.org  or go to their web site at shrinershq.org.

You can also contact the headquarters in Tampa, Florida at 813-281-0300 or contact your local representative.

The best thing to do though, they say, is spread the word.

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Viewer response in e-mails

Our daughter was help when she was about 10 years old back in the 70's. We was very poor and just couldn't afford to pay for what they did for her. We just would like to thank them but still don't have money to help them. - Roger

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I am so deeply saddened and also scared as to what my family will do if Shriners closes here. My daughter Clara has a rare boner tumor disease called  multiple hereditary exostoses or for short (MHE). She grows bone tumors all over her entire body and lives in daily cronic pain. We are seen there almost on a monthy basis and she has had several surgeries there since she has been about three years old, she is now nine. She is scheduled for a total of four surgeries sites on April 21st with two surgeons and we are on a plan of how to help her straighten out as she grows because this causes deformaties all over her body. She has more scheduled surgeries down the line and has a comfort level with her surgeons and the hospital staff, they know her on a first name basis now even when she is just there for P/T or an out patient visit.
 
Not only that her dad suffers from the same disease and has and still is undergoing many surgeries. It is hard enough, but Shriners makes sure we are cared for in every way and makes it less scary for my daughter and also her siblings, they take us all in as a family to help us take care of her. We need them, we moved here, saved up six years here in a tiny apartment to be able to buy a small home here to be close to the surgeons and staff that can help me with her pain and try and give her the best future possible. I can not imagine not going there and we do not know what we will do if they shut down. What can we do as a community to save this from happening, I mean it we need them!!
 
Please if you can we would be happy to share more. The surgeons there work miricles, we all need them. - Melissa

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hello, I just recently saw your newscast about the possible closing of shriner's hospital in spokane,wa and almost cried. My son was born with cerebral palsy and was born with 6 toes on each foot. He has been going to shriners since he was 9 months old. He has had his 6th toes removed and had multiple heel cord and hamstring surgeries. My son (Alex) didn't walk until he was about 2 and when he did take his first steps, he walked to his "Buddy" at the shriners hospital. (a male nurse) Shriners has always been loving and caring towards our family and never made me feel uncomfortable. I am a single mother and can't afford to rent a motel to stay in during his surgeries,and Shriners never made me feel like I was poor or that we were disadvantaged at all. I love the whole atmosphere and the kind and caring people of this facility. My son is now 10 and he walks great, without shriners I don't know if he would have ever walked this good. my son goes to 6 month check ups and I dread the day I have to tell him he isn't going anymore. Alex will be so let down and I can't afford to take him to a private doctor. So what am I to do? I hope people realize that Shriners is not just a facility, it is a family. Thank You for your help in saving a special place for the kids of the Pacific Northwest and all around the world. - Very Concerned Mom

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Our daughter, Meghan, has cerebral palsy.  She is now 26 years old, but from the age of 3 through age 20 she was a patient at Shriners Hospital in Spokane.  Over the years, she received intensive physical therapy, leg braces, wheelchair fittings, yearly examinations to keep on top of her development, and 9 or 10 operations, several of which were major surgeries.  We're grateful for Shriners Hospital and all the doctors, nurses, therapists and other professionals that helped Meghan.  Everything that was done for her was totally free of charge.  We can't even imagine having to have paid for such a huge amount of healthcare.  We hope there will be a way to save the Shriners Hospital in Spokane.  They do so much good for so many people. - Doug and Cindi

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when i was born i was born with talipes or club foot, causing my foot to be bent at the ankle. at the time and place i was born in 1987 in Brewster WA they told my mom to wait and sww what happened wheni started to walk. This is not a very good way to treat this birth defect, if not treated early on children have a difficult time learning to walk or often have to have the foot broken to straiten it after the bone hardens. luckily my mom drove the approxamate 150 miles to her home town of spokane with the purpose of taking me to the shriners hospital. at shriners they simply put a brace on my ankle and straitened my ankle, this may sound simple but without thier care i may have suffered from this birth defect by not learning to walk properly or still having the lame foot. I really think shriners is the best place for children and have heard of nothing but miracles comming from them. im not religious,but for the sake of all the children and my own unborn baby i pray this hospital stays open as it is a light of hope for many. - Whitney

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My mother was in and out of the Shriners Hospital when she was young. If it weren't for their generosity and caring, my mom along with thousands would never be able to lead normal life. - Shawn

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my name is Gregg Dearth.  My son is Jaxon Dee Dearth and is a patient at Spokane's Shriners Hospital.  He is 15 months old and has been through four open heart surgeries, two stomach surgeries and also brain surgery.  He was born with multiple VSD, hydrocephelus, and scoliosis. He has lived in a hospital for multiple months at a time and then home and then back again.  He has had all his surgeries at the nearby Sacred Heart Medical Center and has recently been seen by doctors at Shriners for his back issues.  Since he is not old, and or grown enough for any treatment, Shriners is just watching his growth and will make sure to help him when the time comes.  We happen to live in Moscow, Id which is about an hour and half south of Spokane.  Its not a long drive but when you have to sometimes stay the night it becomes complicated.  My wife and I love our son more than anything.  He is our special angel and has fought to be with us when people said he shouldn't.  He is as tough as nails and will smile at any nurse who is poking or proding him.  We will do anything for him.  His grandma and grandpa also would do anything.  We have all spent way beyond our means of income to povide him with the care so far and closing Shriners would have a major impact on Jaxon.  He will have to have back surgery.  We want Shriners to be around to do it.  Thank you and God Bless. - Gregg

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I went through their hospital twice.  Once at age 4 with my feet turning too far backward so I was in leg braces from feet to hips to slowly turn my feet forward in about a year.   I also have severe scoliosis or curvatures of the spine.  I am one of the rare folks who has three curves instead of one or two so was a test case and a teaching tool for the docs when I went through as a teenager from age 13 to age 18.  I also look straight up and down when my spine really looks like a snake in the x-rays.  With a back brace for years in high school and a body cast once they stabilized my spine enough so I could continue to do what I love, training horses and rescuing dogs at the farm.   Without the Shriner's and their hospital my life would have been much different. - Margo

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Years ago, probably late 1960's, my sister Jill Margaret Hughes was severely burnt in Hunters, Washington when she was about 3-4 years old.

Her dress had caught fire and burnt like 70% of her body. Jill spent many years in the Shriner's Hospital in Spokane getting skin grafts and treatment for her burns. Growing up she would spend time each summer in Shriner's getting treatment for her burns, they would remove a section of unburned skin from her back or leg and then graft this to her neck, chest, arms or where needed. This way she would be able to go to school like everyone else in the fall and winter. She probably did this for at least 10+ years of summers. She did not like having to spend her summers in 10+ the hospital, but Shriner's staff were very kind and it was like her second home. My sister just recently passed away from gastrointestinal cancer this February. Jill was a very strong young lady whom in her short life here on earth endured alot of struggles. Shriner's Hospital was a huge benefit to her and her family for all they did for Jill. I have high admiration for this hospital and the treatment and services they provide to Children of this area. It would be very sad to close those doors. - Laurie

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This breaks my heart.  My son, Larry Grigsby, was 2 ½ when he learned to walk at Shriners Hospital.  Larry was born with slight cerebral palsy.  When Larry started therapy at Shriners in April of 1977, I told the therapists that a great Christmas present would be for him to walk.  Lo and behold, 3 days before Christmas he walked out of the therapy room with a huge smile on his face.  He continued with occupational therapy over several years.  We knew if he struggled he could always be welcomed back to the hospital.  Even a week before he was diagnosed with cancer at age 16 he was to start therapy again.  That never happened because of his cancer, though.  But to know that he could be accepted was a relief.  Unfortunately, when Larry was 22 he succumbed to his cancer.  We will always be grateful to Shriners Hospital for the care that Larry received.  To know that other children in the area will not receive free therapy through Shriners is devastating to say the least.  Maybe the US Government could give a stimulus package to Shriners to continue to help children instead of to help the rich!!!!

Thank you for letting me tell Larry's story. - Barbara

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My name is Brenda Devine.  I am a single mom of four children, one of which had a traumatic birth fourteen years ago and as a result experienced brain damage that has required on going physical, occupational and speech therapy.  She is fourteen years old now.  She attended the Spokane Guilds School and Neuromuscular center until three years old.  Although she did not receive any services for her developmental delays from the Spokane Shriners Hospital for such, we did end up there for an emergency surgery for my daughter a few years ago.  Due to her delayed motor responses, my daughter had fallen on a frosty walkway, breaking the upper part of her femur (thigh bone) at the growth plate.  Because of the nature of the unstable break, we were expedited to the Shriners Hospital, where she had two screws surgically placed in her bone.  Subsequently, she was seen there for follow up visits to monitor healing and progress after being wheelchair bound for months.  I was very impressed with the quality of care given to my daughter and to the other children I happened to see there.  As a result of the life-changing experiences associated with my daughter's birth injury, I am now a back-to-school, non-traditional (older) student at Eastern Washington University, seeking to earn a Master's degree in Occupational Therapy.  I have been moved by the many children and their families that I have encountered through the years and am looking forward to being of assistance in this area.  I was likewise moved by the mission of Shriners Hospital and had recently decided to contact them about volunteering, especially after recently hearing they were struggling financially.  Though my previous experience as a medical assistance may not be as useful, I was hopeful that I could be used and that I might be able to continue volunteer service once my degree was earned, as an Occupational Therapist.  I had already decided to contact them this week after determining my Spring quarter schedule, which started today, when I saw your news report.  I am saddened to think of a day we might not have the Spokane Shriners Hospital.  With a little experience in the medical and therapy field, I can honestly say that their service and staff are truly exceptional and outstanding, and would be sorely missed. Holding on to hope, - Brenda

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Hi!My grandson had surgery, followed by a long stay, at Shiners for leg perthes disease.  He is now 21 years old and living in Moscow, ID.  That leg is a bit shorter, but he lives a pretty normal life.  I was a special education teacher in Moscow and one of my junior high students had a heart valve that stuck open causing him to almost die on s a couple of occasions.  He received free surgery and care at Shiners and has gone on to be a productive man with a family.  Those are just two people I had direct contact who have benefited from Shiners.  When we lived in Havre, MT, there was a Hutterite child born with a club foot that was brought the 12 hours to have surgery to correct it so he could go on to a normal life.
I hope the Shiners in S[pokane does not close as many people already travel such a long ways to receive expert care there.
I now live in Erie, PA and the Shiners here is also in danger. - Leslie

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My son received evaluation and care at the Shriner's Hospital 25 years ago.  The care was excellent and instruction we both received made surgery unnecessary.  I was a divorced working mom who received no child support and every penny I earned counted.  I had enough money to meet usual expenses but did not have anything extra.  I did not want my son "labeled" as a welfare kid so never took advantage of the reduced-cost school lunch program or other public assistance programs that I probably could have qualified for.  I had insurance, but it required a 20% co-payment that I could not afford.  I remain thankful that we got the help we needed, no questions asked.  It was reassuring to know that if surgery was needed it could be done without cutting into money for utilities, groceries, gas, child care or my house payment.  I think there are many families in similar or worse circumstances today.  Closure of the Shriner's Hospital would be a great loss to our community. - Peggy

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My daughter had several surgeries @ the Shriners Hospital.  She had a dislocated hip-I am told it was a birth defect.  The surgeries she had helped her.  My daughter is an adult now with a child of her own.  I would hate to see the Shriners hospital closed.  It helped my family and I know it has helped others. - Sandy

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shocking is my first response.  A budget cut for such an important not to mention remarkable place that helps people tremendously.  My daughter has been a patient with shriner's since she was 1 year old.  Even though her delay is so much more minor than others, without there help and guideance i don't believe she would be as thriving and self sufficient as she is.  This is somewhat rediculous to think they would close this hopsital. Parents and children come from all over spokane and neighboring cities to get help and assistance.  I can't say enough about the staff, dr's and coordinator's at this hospital.  Find the buget cuts elsewhere and leave them doing what they do.  Impact me was your question, not me alone but my child and other children who need there help.  The doctor's are phenominal and go above and beyond the extra mile to get you answers that no one else can even come close to answering.  Or help you fix the problems at hand, no matter how minor that problem might be.  I would be devastated if they do this, as would so many other parents and children. thank you. - Teana

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My two sons have an uncommon bone disease called Osteochondroma and have been patients at Shriners since we moved to Spokane in October 2000.  When I told my sons' pediatrician in San Diego that we were moving to Spokane and was concerned about who we would find to care for them (not a lot of pediatricians are familiar with the disease nor are a lot of orthopedic surgeons, and if they are - they don't usually treat children) he said don't worry - Spokane has a terrific Shriner's hospital.  And that's what Shriner's is - terrific! 

As I stated above - my sons have a genetic bone disease called Osteochondroma which is where the calcium in their bones doesn't distribute evenly throughout the bone but instead will deposit in one spot and create "tumors" (hard deposits of calcium) that cause the bones to misform and can effect the surrounding muscles and arteries if they happen to grow around/through them (My husband almost lost his leg when he was 6 years old because one of the calcium deposits collapsed the main artery in his leg and Shriner's in San Diego saved his leg).  Dr. Katsky at Shriners follows my boys disease with an annual exam to make sure that none of their calcium deposits are effecting their growth.  When my older son was 8 years old they discovered that his ankles were growing outward and if they continued to do so he wouldn't be able to walk so they inserted screws into the outside of the ankles to keep them from growing outward and he had the screws in for about 2 years.   At my older son's annual appointment last May, Dr. Katsky said that he would like to do a series of MRIs on his spine because they had discovered that kids were starting to get calcium deposits in their spine which they didn't think they could.  Fortunately the MRI revealed a calcium deposit in my son's C7 vertebrae that was impinging on his spinal cord that if it continued to grow could have left him paralyzed.   Since Shriner's doesn't perform that type of surgery, they referred us to Dr. David Gruber at Inland Neurosurgery and I am happy to report that the surgery was successful and my son was able to wrestle for Lewis and Clark High School this winter. 

I am aware that Shriner's has 22 hospitals across the nation and 6 of them are up for closure, including the Spokane hospital.  It would be devastating to not just the Spokane community if the Shriner's Hospital closed but also all of the Pacific Northwest as the Spokane Shriner's Hospital provides services for the whole area - when my older son had the screws inserted in his ankles his roommates were from small towns in Northern Oregon and Western Montana that without Shriners wouldn't get the care they needed.   The Spokane Shriners also provides services to kids from as far away as Alaska. 

Our personal concern with the Spokane Shriner's Hospital closing is where we will find comparable care?  Our personal experience has been that it is difficult to find a doctor who is as familiar with Osteochondroma as Dr. Katsky is and one who also understands children, i.e., their bone growth, whether the calcium deposit is too close to growth plate to be removed, etc.  I know for a lot parents the fact that Shriner's provides all of its care free of charge to the families is a real blessing as getting treatment otherwise would be a financial burden as many families do not have health insurance.  We have always been fortunate (so far) to have health insurance and our health insurance covered my older son's neck surgery this summer (although we did have to pay our $2600 deductible) so getting the care free of charge isn't an issue for us.  I read that something the Shriner's Board of Trustees was considering was Third Party Pay and I think that would be a wonderful alternative to closing the hospital altogether.   For those of us families with health insurance it really wouldn't make much of a difference because if Shriner's closes then we will have to find other medical care and use our insurance benefits anyway.

If there is something that KHQ will be doing to try to convince the Board of Trustees to not close the Spokane Hospital - please let us know.  We would like to help in any way we can. - Jodi

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Click here to read the responses KHQ received in Monday's live blog with Dana Haynes.

Have you been affected by the Spokane Shriners Hospital? Has the hospital made an impact on your life or the life of someone you know? If so, tell us. You can leave your comment below or e-mail us at khqnewsdesk@khq.com. Make sure to include your name and a phone number where we can reach you.

To view the story on the announcement concerning Shriners Hospital, click here.