A British Columbia woman who had to fight for a double lung transplant is now recovering from surgery but says she will continue to fight to ensure patients receive transplants.
When Global News first met Christina Dirksen Unrau, her asthma, emphysema and lung cancer meant she could only walk a few steps and was constantly out of breath.
But she removed herself from the transplant list in March because she did not have the $35,000 to $55,000 needed to stay in Vancouver for the mandatory recovery period after surgery.
Her story resonated with the public, and offers of accommodation and other assistance flooded in, allowing Dasken Unrau to finally undergo surgery on June 24.
“It's like night and day. I can breathe, I can walk, I can do all the things I couldn't do before. And it's just the beginning,” she told Global News on Thursday.
“A second chance at life. I owe it all to my (lung) donor and his family.”
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Dirksen Unrau is on the road to recovery, but she said her case is not unique and people across British Columbia still face significant financial barriers when they have to travel to access medical care.
The state government has increased its budget for travel and accommodation costs for people who have to travel to major centres for treatment, but the funds are mainly earmarked for cancer patients.
Dirksen Unrau said transplant patients continue to be overlooked, especially those who need new lungs.
“We're still pushing forward with this effort and we're not going to stop until we make a change so that no one dies,” she said.
“No one should die because of money, because the health law says that no one should be denied the right to health care because of any barrier, including financial.”
Premier David Eby acknowledged during his housing policy announcement Thursday that there are still disparities in health-care coverage in rural B.C.
“Small communities across the province are bearing the brunt of the health-care worker shortages we're seeing not just in British Columbia but across Canada,” he said.
He noted that the state remains focused on attracting workers to these areas, and recently added 7,000 new nurses and 700 family physicians to the health system.
“Smaller communities are still facing emergency room closures and we can't let our guard down.”
Dirksen Unrau said she met with Eby and he made it clear he wanted to do more for transplant patients.
She would like to see B.C. adopt a model used in other provinces, where donors provide homes or buildings for surgical patients to live in, run by the province.
“I'm not just doing it for myself, I'm doing it for everyone so that no one is in the same position as me and has to make the decision to take something off the list because they can't afford it,” she said.
“The government should put in funds to meet people's housing needs.”
Meanwhile, she said doctors have told her that her recovery is progressing ahead of schedule and that she could be released from the hospital by Labor Day weekend.
“I'm going to live. I'm going to enjoy life again,” she said.
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