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Family plans walk to Houston for child's heart
By James Ramage, [email protected]
Looking at 7-month-old Daniel Harlan of Bossier City, blissfully lying on a
pillow and drinking his bottle of formula Friday afternoon, it's clear he's the
only one who doesn't know he should be dead by now.
A cardiologist told his mother, 33-year-old Tammy Harlan, that his heart is a
ticking time bomb and that he shouldn't have lived this long. Daniel was born
with infantile hypertrophic cardiomyopathy -- an enlargement of his heart that
causes major and lethal blockage in one of its chambers, doctors told Harlan.
Medical experts in New Orleans says he at least requires open-heart surgery
-- a procedure that's never been done on an infant -- and more likely a heart
transplant, Harlan said. They recommend Daniel have the work done at Texas
Children's Hospital in Houston.
The problem: Medicaid has said it won't cover either, which would cost as
much as $340,000 for both procedures, Harlan said.
Her family's response is to put one foot in front of the other ... for 243
miles. They want to walk from Cypress Baptist Church in Benton to the front
steps of Texas Children's.
"Talking to Medicaid, they don't understand," Harlan said. "I'd walk to the
ends of the earth for Daniel, for my family."
Harlan, three other sons and daughters, some cousins, other members of her
extended family and several residents will start the 3' 1/2 -week trek to
Houston on Sunday. Harlan's husband, Robert Harlan Jr., won't make the walk
because he must take Daniel to New Orleans on a bus to get tissue-matching work
done Wednesday.
"We want to get as many people as we can to call Medicaid to tell them they
're wrong for how they're handling this," Tammy Harlan said.
On May 27, she said she saw Medicaid's approval of a prior request for a
procedure at Texas Children's. Then Medicaid denied the request in a letter
earlier this week because it wouldn't be done in Louisiana, she added.
Tammy Harlan said Darlene White, Medicaid's prior authorization department
director, called her several times Friday afternoon to inform her that White's
department never received a request for a procedure.
"It's finger-pointing now. But as long as they fix (Daniel), I don't care who
messed up."
The scene in the living room of the Harlans' home on San Antone Drive
appeared typical for a sunny June afternoon. Daniel laid on a throw pillow and
occasionally kicked his legs as he looked around with wide brown eyes. His
mother sat on her sofa and fielded telephone calls from the media, Medicaid and
various supporters as her other children and friends entered, asked questions
and left.
Daniel's sister Sherry Harlan and his cousin Janie Scroggins sat next to
Tammy Harlan and watched MTV with the sound muted and talked quietly.
Janie, who arrived from Missouri to lend her support, is excited about the
prospects of the "hot and tiring, but fun" walk.
"We're going up against big people," the 10-year-old said. "I think it's
wrong that they're not going to save a baby's life."
Sherry, 15, agreed.
"I think it's good we're going to walk for him. Walking for my little
brother, it's worth it."
The Harlans are looking for donations for the trek and the procedures.
A local Domino's Pizza store has agreed to feed them along the way; and
Creative Advertising Products of Shreveport is making T-shirts for Daniel's
cause and donating the first 50 to those who already have committed to walking,
Tammy Harlan said. They're selling the rest for $10 each and giving the proceeds
to Daniel, she added.
Tammy Harlan also is looking for someone to lend them a recreational vehicle
in which the children can sleep.
"When I get there, to Houston," she added, "I'm falling down."
GRAPHIC: Robert Harlan (left) will take his son, 7-month-old Daniel, to New
Orleans on Wednesday to get tissue-matching work done. Jessica Leigh, The Times
By James Ramage, [email protected]
Looking at 7-month-old Daniel Harlan of Bossier City, blissfully lying on a
pillow and drinking his bottle of formula Friday afternoon, it's clear he's the
only one who doesn't know he should be dead by now.
A cardiologist told his mother, 33-year-old Tammy Harlan, that his heart is a
ticking time bomb and that he shouldn't have lived this long. Daniel was born
with infantile hypertrophic cardiomyopathy -- an enlargement of his heart that
causes major and lethal blockage in one of its chambers, doctors told Harlan.
Medical experts in New Orleans says he at least requires open-heart surgery
-- a procedure that's never been done on an infant -- and more likely a heart
transplant, Harlan said. They recommend Daniel have the work done at Texas
Children's Hospital in Houston.
The problem: Medicaid has said it won't cover either, which would cost as
much as $340,000 for both procedures, Harlan said.
Her family's response is to put one foot in front of the other ... for 243
miles. They want to walk from Cypress Baptist Church in Benton to the front
steps of Texas Children's.
"Talking to Medicaid, they don't understand," Harlan said. "I'd walk to the
ends of the earth for Daniel, for my family."
Harlan, three other sons and daughters, some cousins, other members of her
extended family and several residents will start the 3' 1/2 -week trek to
Houston on Sunday. Harlan's husband, Robert Harlan Jr., won't make the walk
because he must take Daniel to New Orleans on a bus to get tissue-matching work
done Wednesday.
"We want to get as many people as we can to call Medicaid to tell them they
're wrong for how they're handling this," Tammy Harlan said.
On May 27, she said she saw Medicaid's approval of a prior request for a
procedure at Texas Children's. Then Medicaid denied the request in a letter
earlier this week because it wouldn't be done in Louisiana, she added.
Tammy Harlan said Darlene White, Medicaid's prior authorization department
director, called her several times Friday afternoon to inform her that White's
department never received a request for a procedure.
"It's finger-pointing now. But as long as they fix (Daniel), I don't care who
messed up."
The scene in the living room of the Harlans' home on San Antone Drive
appeared typical for a sunny June afternoon. Daniel laid on a throw pillow and
occasionally kicked his legs as he looked around with wide brown eyes. His
mother sat on her sofa and fielded telephone calls from the media, Medicaid and
various supporters as her other children and friends entered, asked questions
and left.
Daniel's sister Sherry Harlan and his cousin Janie Scroggins sat next to
Tammy Harlan and watched MTV with the sound muted and talked quietly.
Janie, who arrived from Missouri to lend her support, is excited about the
prospects of the "hot and tiring, but fun" walk.
"We're going up against big people," the 10-year-old said. "I think it's
wrong that they're not going to save a baby's life."
Sherry, 15, agreed.
"I think it's good we're going to walk for him. Walking for my little
brother, it's worth it."
The Harlans are looking for donations for the trek and the procedures.
A local Domino's Pizza store has agreed to feed them along the way; and
Creative Advertising Products of Shreveport is making T-shirts for Daniel's
cause and donating the first 50 to those who already have committed to walking,
Tammy Harlan said. They're selling the rest for $10 each and giving the proceeds
to Daniel, she added.
Tammy Harlan also is looking for someone to lend them a recreational vehicle
in which the children can sleep.
"When I get there, to Houston," she added, "I'm falling down."
GRAPHIC: Robert Harlan (left) will take his son, 7-month-old Daniel, to New
Orleans on Wednesday to get tissue-matching work done. Jessica Leigh, The Times
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