Chapter 8.
Monday
Waking Monday morning was not what I expected. Jennifer was in the bathroom, getting sick. I knew she hadn’t been feeling well, but thought rest would make her feel better. She’s been taking her medicine three times a day and is supposed to eat a meal when taking it. But lately, her appetite has barely been there, and yesterday she napped most of the day. Sometimes, Jennifer is just so tired! During the school year, she would push herself all week and then collapse on the weekends.
After 20 minutes in the bathroom, she felt better and joined me at the dining room table. Sally was still sleeping or playing on her phone (sometimes it’s the same thing, in my opinion). I asked Jennifer how she was doing, and she said, “Lousy, I was up most of the night and have been feeling sick on and off.”
“Did you eat anything last night?” I asked.
“I tried but felt sick afterward.”
Since being diagnosed with cancer six months ago, the best we’ve been able to do is keep the cancer from growing. The last CAT scan showed the cancer had stayed in her lungs and did not move into her lymph nodes. They have tried different treatments that are subtle and in stages, to hopefully attack the cancer. They don’t want to inundate her with the heavy chemotherapy again. The last time she went through that, it was awful. And it only brought her cancer down to stage 2 for a month. Then it quickly grew back. She really wanted to go on this vacation for Sally and me. To help support me in my interviews and my blogs and to spend time with all of us together as a family.
Jennifer didn’t want to go through any more significant treatments that would have kept her from going on this trip. Once school starts up, she and Sally will be too busy for anything else. So, the current treatment and pills she’s taking only seem to keep the cancer stable but aren’t doing anything to attack it. They’re hoping to someday find another treatment that can do more, if there ever is one.
Later, I went downstairs to talk to the concierge. I told him Jennifer wasn’t feeling well and asked if they had a clinic or doctor’s office close-by, off the property, that she could go to and be checked out. He told me we could go to the medical facility on the property. All he would need to do was call over and set things up. I was so happy to hear this. After a simple, three-minute phone call, he said we had an appointment for 2 p.m. that day. He said to bring Jennifer back to the concierge desk at 1:45 p.m. and he would have someone take Jennifer and me to the facility.
“This is so great,” I thought. “How nice of them to do this and on such short notice.”
I went back upstairs to tell Jennifer, but she was fast asleep. I decided to let her sleep for a while. I’d tell her later. She needed her rest.
At 1:00 p.m., I woke Jennifer and told her about the appointment. As I expected, she didn’t want to go because she didn’t want to bother anyone. I told her it wouldn’t be a bother, and she needed to be looked at. She hasn’t been feeling that good since leaving home. At 1:45, we met the concierge, and he had Larry from the medical facility there to meet us.
“Hello, I’m Larry from medical. I’m here to escort you to the medical facility and get you checked in and taken care of,” he told Jennifer.
He took us out an employee door and down a short hallway to where a multi-seated electric cart was waiting. He invited Jennifer and me to hop aboard for the ride. We started riding down a fully enclosed corridor heading toward the medical facility. As we were going, we made small talk with each other to help pass the time.
“This is really nice that you all provide this type of service to your guests,” I said to Larry.
“I agree,” Larry said. “We can take any guest to be looked at 24-hours a day, seven days a week, and have medical carts to transport guests who can’t sit in an electric cart. We also have three first aid centers in the Complex.”
I asked him, “What do they handle and where are they located?”
“They can handle cuts, scrapes, falls, heart attacks, and more,” he said. “We have one in the Dark Room; in between Castle Mare and Galactic Wars, one in the Harmony Theater area, and one in between Fun Town USA and The Continents.”
“Who staffs them?”
“We usually have one paramedic, one EMT and one nurse on duty at each one. There is also a nurse practitioner at one of the centers and a doctor at the other, they alternate” Larry said.
“Wow! They really have everything covered. When someone has a heart attack in most other theme parks, they must wait for the fire department to arrive off property, which can take some time,” I said.
Larry responded, “Not here. We can get almost anywhere in just a few minutes. We have specially equipped emergency carts that can travel to any location quickly. The centers that are staffed by a doctor are listed daily, and employees can visit on a walk-in basis for any problems they might be having. The nurse practitioner also sees employees daily. This allows for quick access and not much time away from the job. Employees can also make appointments for physicals and other procedures at the centers or medical facility for more complicated procedures or tests. All of the employees here also have CPR and First Aid training.”
Just then, we pulled into a parking area for the carts and walked inside the medical facility. Larry introduced us to the person working at the front desk. The clerk called back, and a staff member came to take us back to an exam room. Larry told us he would take us back when we were done.
“Welcome, Jennifer and Peter. My name is Jessica, and I am a registered nurse here at the WOE medical facility. I will gather all your information and do a few tests before the doctor comes in to see you.”
Instead of having us fill everything out ourselves, Jessica put all of our information right into the computer. She was polite and professional. After about fifteen minutes, Jessica had everything she needed and proceeded to take vitals and draw blood from Jennifer. Once done, she said she was going to request all the medical records from Jennifer’s family doctor and cancer doctor back in Orlando. She gave us a pager and a quick tour of the waiting lounge, which had free snacks, beverages, TVs with headphones, couches, and even recliners. She said we could wait in there and they would page us when they were ready. The pager would also display the exam room number to report to.
After about 45-minutes, our pager went off with exam room number three displayed. We went to that room and Jessica, and the doctor were both in there waiting for us.
“Hello, Jennifer and Peter. My name is Dr. Peterson. I’m here to help you figure out what’s going on and hopefully try to make you feel better.”
“Thank you, Dr. Peterson. We really appreciate your help,” said Jennifer.
“You’re welcome, Jennifer. I looked over your blood tests and over your records from Orlando. I see that you’ve been battling lung cancer for the last six months now and you’re on a stabilization medication until they figure out the next step. Is that correct?”
“Yes, that’s correct,” replied Jennifer.
“And now you’ve lost your appetite and haven’t been eating, so you’re getting sick from the medication?”
“Right again. I’m so tired, and I just don’t have the energy. I was so-so when we left and subpar on Friday. By Sunday night, I started feeling more and more tired and had no real appetite.”
“Well, Jennifer, I would like to run a few tests on you to see if any of the cancer has spread. Your blood test shows signs of possible movement or increased activity; high white blood cells and low red blood cell counts. That’s probably what’s making you sleepy. I’ll be back in a little while to talk again.”
Dr. Peterson left, and Jessica gave me the pager and said she would page me when Jennifer was back. She then led Jennifer away for the tests.
About 90 minutes later, I was paged and met Jennifer back in exam room number one. Soon, Dr. Peterson came in with another doctor.
“Jennifer,” Dr. Peterson said, “this is Dr. Lee, and he is an Oncologist. We have reviewed your scans.”
“Hi Jennifer, it’s nice to meet you,” Dr, Lee said. “I’ve looked over your past scans and compared them to the ones you just took. It looks like the cancer has grown a little since your last scan.”
Jennifer immediately began to cry, and I wasn’t far behind.
“Please don’t be upset, we’re here to help you,” he said. “I’ve talked to your doctor back home, and he is aware of your situation.”
“What should we do?” I asked the doctors. “We are supposed to be here for another week and a half. Should we go back home now? I’m not even sure that our medical insurance will cover these tests.”
“I wouldn’t leave now,” said Dr. Lee. “At this stage, driving back two days is not going to help Jennifer. She needs a blood transfusion and treatment. We can help with all of that while you’re here on vacation. You don’t need to use your insurance, everything is covered.”
I couldn’t believe what I just heard. “I think this is incredible that you’re able to help us and not charge us or the insurance. No one else would do this.”
“Everything we do here at the WOE is superior to what you will find outside here,” said Jessica. “We don’t have to worry about numbers here. We have over 40 doctors on staff and 30 beds to provide medical care. You didn’t come here seeking treatment, you came here for a vacation. We wouldn’t send you away to seek treatment elsewhere or to make a profit off your illness. Nobody should make a profit when it comes to healthcare.”
“Jennifer, today, I would like to give you a red blood cell transfusion to help you feel better and get you to be able to eat and sleep for a little while before we do anything else,” said Dr. Lee. “In the meantime, you enjoy yourself, and I will talk with the other doctors here about a treatment that may help you.”
Dr. Peterson and Dr. Lee shook our hands and said they would see us in three days.
“Jennifer, I’m going to take you back for a red blood cell transfusion. Peter, you can either come along or go to the lounge,” stated Jessica.
“I’d like to go back with Jennifer,” I said.
Jessica was with us the whole-time Jennifer was getting the blood. While the process was happening, she and I talked about the medical facility.
“How large is this medical facility?” I asked.
“We have 200,000 square feet dedicated to helping our residents, guests, and entertainers. We have dentists, optometrists, cardiologists, neurologists, internal medicine, oncologist, psychologists, and other doctors on staff. We also have surgeons, all full-time staff. We have some of the best doctors and nurses anywhere. Many of us live on property and love working here.”
“What type of medical insurance do you all have?” I asked.
“We are self-insured for all local care on the property and have a national carrier to cover us when we travel away from the property. Everything is covered here. Glasses, dental, hearing aids, medication, surgery, chemo, you name it. No one pays for anything, and if you need help while away, they cover all the costs of whatever the carrier doesn’t pay. You feel a lump on your neck, experience cold sweats at night or any other symptom you’re concerned about, you can go to a first aid center in the Complex or make an appointment here to get it checked out. We don’t want anyone stressed about their health, especially a medical bill when they’re sick.”
As Jennifer received her transfusion, she began to feel better and better.
“I can’t thank you enough for your help and being so kind,” Jennifer told Jessica. If I were somewhere else, I would have had to go to a clinic or maybe even a hospital, hoping they were ‘in-network.’ Who knows what the bill would have been. Plus, we would have just been waiting around for hours, and Sally would have had to be with us.”
“We love to help others,” Jessica confided. “It’s what we strive to do in the medical field. We have plenty of staff, aren’t overworked, have all the equipment and supplies we need, great benefits and a nice salary. We actually all enjoy our role in helping others feel better.”
With that, Jessica made an appointment for us to come back on Thursday and to call anytime if anything changed.
Now perky, Jennifer was ready to eat. “Let’s go beautiful,” I exclaimed. “Let’s go hit the buffet!”
“Let’s do it!” Jennifer happily replied.
Monday
Waking Monday morning was not what I expected. Jennifer was in the bathroom, getting sick. I knew she hadn’t been feeling well, but thought rest would make her feel better. She’s been taking her medicine three times a day and is supposed to eat a meal when taking it. But lately, her appetite has barely been there, and yesterday she napped most of the day. Sometimes, Jennifer is just so tired! During the school year, she would push herself all week and then collapse on the weekends.
After 20 minutes in the bathroom, she felt better and joined me at the dining room table. Sally was still sleeping or playing on her phone (sometimes it’s the same thing, in my opinion). I asked Jennifer how she was doing, and she said, “Lousy, I was up most of the night and have been feeling sick on and off.”
“Did you eat anything last night?” I asked.
“I tried but felt sick afterward.”
Since being diagnosed with cancer six months ago, the best we’ve been able to do is keep the cancer from growing. The last CAT scan showed the cancer had stayed in her lungs and did not move into her lymph nodes. They have tried different treatments that are subtle and in stages, to hopefully attack the cancer. They don’t want to inundate her with the heavy chemotherapy again. The last time she went through that, it was awful. And it only brought her cancer down to stage 2 for a month. Then it quickly grew back. She really wanted to go on this vacation for Sally and me. To help support me in my interviews and my blogs and to spend time with all of us together as a family.
Jennifer didn’t want to go through any more significant treatments that would have kept her from going on this trip. Once school starts up, she and Sally will be too busy for anything else. So, the current treatment and pills she’s taking only seem to keep the cancer stable but aren’t doing anything to attack it. They’re hoping to someday find another treatment that can do more, if there ever is one.
Later, I went downstairs to talk to the concierge. I told him Jennifer wasn’t feeling well and asked if they had a clinic or doctor’s office close-by, off the property, that she could go to and be checked out. He told me we could go to the medical facility on the property. All he would need to do was call over and set things up. I was so happy to hear this. After a simple, three-minute phone call, he said we had an appointment for 2 p.m. that day. He said to bring Jennifer back to the concierge desk at 1:45 p.m. and he would have someone take Jennifer and me to the facility.
“This is so great,” I thought. “How nice of them to do this and on such short notice.”
I went back upstairs to tell Jennifer, but she was fast asleep. I decided to let her sleep for a while. I’d tell her later. She needed her rest.
At 1:00 p.m., I woke Jennifer and told her about the appointment. As I expected, she didn’t want to go because she didn’t want to bother anyone. I told her it wouldn’t be a bother, and she needed to be looked at. She hasn’t been feeling that good since leaving home. At 1:45, we met the concierge, and he had Larry from the medical facility there to meet us.
“Hello, I’m Larry from medical. I’m here to escort you to the medical facility and get you checked in and taken care of,” he told Jennifer.
He took us out an employee door and down a short hallway to where a multi-seated electric cart was waiting. He invited Jennifer and me to hop aboard for the ride. We started riding down a fully enclosed corridor heading toward the medical facility. As we were going, we made small talk with each other to help pass the time.
“This is really nice that you all provide this type of service to your guests,” I said to Larry.
“I agree,” Larry said. “We can take any guest to be looked at 24-hours a day, seven days a week, and have medical carts to transport guests who can’t sit in an electric cart. We also have three first aid centers in the Complex.”
I asked him, “What do they handle and where are they located?”
“They can handle cuts, scrapes, falls, heart attacks, and more,” he said. “We have one in the Dark Room; in between Castle Mare and Galactic Wars, one in the Harmony Theater area, and one in between Fun Town USA and The Continents.”
“Who staffs them?”
“We usually have one paramedic, one EMT and one nurse on duty at each one. There is also a nurse practitioner at one of the centers and a doctor at the other, they alternate” Larry said.
“Wow! They really have everything covered. When someone has a heart attack in most other theme parks, they must wait for the fire department to arrive off property, which can take some time,” I said.
Larry responded, “Not here. We can get almost anywhere in just a few minutes. We have specially equipped emergency carts that can travel to any location quickly. The centers that are staffed by a doctor are listed daily, and employees can visit on a walk-in basis for any problems they might be having. The nurse practitioner also sees employees daily. This allows for quick access and not much time away from the job. Employees can also make appointments for physicals and other procedures at the centers or medical facility for more complicated procedures or tests. All of the employees here also have CPR and First Aid training.”
Just then, we pulled into a parking area for the carts and walked inside the medical facility. Larry introduced us to the person working at the front desk. The clerk called back, and a staff member came to take us back to an exam room. Larry told us he would take us back when we were done.
“Welcome, Jennifer and Peter. My name is Jessica, and I am a registered nurse here at the WOE medical facility. I will gather all your information and do a few tests before the doctor comes in to see you.”
Instead of having us fill everything out ourselves, Jessica put all of our information right into the computer. She was polite and professional. After about fifteen minutes, Jessica had everything she needed and proceeded to take vitals and draw blood from Jennifer. Once done, she said she was going to request all the medical records from Jennifer’s family doctor and cancer doctor back in Orlando. She gave us a pager and a quick tour of the waiting lounge, which had free snacks, beverages, TVs with headphones, couches, and even recliners. She said we could wait in there and they would page us when they were ready. The pager would also display the exam room number to report to.
After about 45-minutes, our pager went off with exam room number three displayed. We went to that room and Jessica, and the doctor were both in there waiting for us.
“Hello, Jennifer and Peter. My name is Dr. Peterson. I’m here to help you figure out what’s going on and hopefully try to make you feel better.”
“Thank you, Dr. Peterson. We really appreciate your help,” said Jennifer.
“You’re welcome, Jennifer. I looked over your blood tests and over your records from Orlando. I see that you’ve been battling lung cancer for the last six months now and you’re on a stabilization medication until they figure out the next step. Is that correct?”
“Yes, that’s correct,” replied Jennifer.
“And now you’ve lost your appetite and haven’t been eating, so you’re getting sick from the medication?”
“Right again. I’m so tired, and I just don’t have the energy. I was so-so when we left and subpar on Friday. By Sunday night, I started feeling more and more tired and had no real appetite.”
“Well, Jennifer, I would like to run a few tests on you to see if any of the cancer has spread. Your blood test shows signs of possible movement or increased activity; high white blood cells and low red blood cell counts. That’s probably what’s making you sleepy. I’ll be back in a little while to talk again.”
Dr. Peterson left, and Jessica gave me the pager and said she would page me when Jennifer was back. She then led Jennifer away for the tests.
About 90 minutes later, I was paged and met Jennifer back in exam room number one. Soon, Dr. Peterson came in with another doctor.
“Jennifer,” Dr. Peterson said, “this is Dr. Lee, and he is an Oncologist. We have reviewed your scans.”
“Hi Jennifer, it’s nice to meet you,” Dr, Lee said. “I’ve looked over your past scans and compared them to the ones you just took. It looks like the cancer has grown a little since your last scan.”
Jennifer immediately began to cry, and I wasn’t far behind.
“Please don’t be upset, we’re here to help you,” he said. “I’ve talked to your doctor back home, and he is aware of your situation.”
“What should we do?” I asked the doctors. “We are supposed to be here for another week and a half. Should we go back home now? I’m not even sure that our medical insurance will cover these tests.”
“I wouldn’t leave now,” said Dr. Lee. “At this stage, driving back two days is not going to help Jennifer. She needs a blood transfusion and treatment. We can help with all of that while you’re here on vacation. You don’t need to use your insurance, everything is covered.”
I couldn’t believe what I just heard. “I think this is incredible that you’re able to help us and not charge us or the insurance. No one else would do this.”
“Everything we do here at the WOE is superior to what you will find outside here,” said Jessica. “We don’t have to worry about numbers here. We have over 40 doctors on staff and 30 beds to provide medical care. You didn’t come here seeking treatment, you came here for a vacation. We wouldn’t send you away to seek treatment elsewhere or to make a profit off your illness. Nobody should make a profit when it comes to healthcare.”
“Jennifer, today, I would like to give you a red blood cell transfusion to help you feel better and get you to be able to eat and sleep for a little while before we do anything else,” said Dr. Lee. “In the meantime, you enjoy yourself, and I will talk with the other doctors here about a treatment that may help you.”
Dr. Peterson and Dr. Lee shook our hands and said they would see us in three days.
“Jennifer, I’m going to take you back for a red blood cell transfusion. Peter, you can either come along or go to the lounge,” stated Jessica.
“I’d like to go back with Jennifer,” I said.
Jessica was with us the whole-time Jennifer was getting the blood. While the process was happening, she and I talked about the medical facility.
“How large is this medical facility?” I asked.
“We have 200,000 square feet dedicated to helping our residents, guests, and entertainers. We have dentists, optometrists, cardiologists, neurologists, internal medicine, oncologist, psychologists, and other doctors on staff. We also have surgeons, all full-time staff. We have some of the best doctors and nurses anywhere. Many of us live on property and love working here.”
“What type of medical insurance do you all have?” I asked.
“We are self-insured for all local care on the property and have a national carrier to cover us when we travel away from the property. Everything is covered here. Glasses, dental, hearing aids, medication, surgery, chemo, you name it. No one pays for anything, and if you need help while away, they cover all the costs of whatever the carrier doesn’t pay. You feel a lump on your neck, experience cold sweats at night or any other symptom you’re concerned about, you can go to a first aid center in the Complex or make an appointment here to get it checked out. We don’t want anyone stressed about their health, especially a medical bill when they’re sick.”
As Jennifer received her transfusion, she began to feel better and better.
“I can’t thank you enough for your help and being so kind,” Jennifer told Jessica. If I were somewhere else, I would have had to go to a clinic or maybe even a hospital, hoping they were ‘in-network.’ Who knows what the bill would have been. Plus, we would have just been waiting around for hours, and Sally would have had to be with us.”
“We love to help others,” Jessica confided. “It’s what we strive to do in the medical field. We have plenty of staff, aren’t overworked, have all the equipment and supplies we need, great benefits and a nice salary. We actually all enjoy our role in helping others feel better.”
With that, Jessica made an appointment for us to come back on Thursday and to call anytime if anything changed.
Now perky, Jennifer was ready to eat. “Let’s go beautiful,” I exclaimed. “Let’s go hit the buffet!”
“Let’s do it!” Jennifer happily replied.