Provincial drug funding puts arthritis victim back in action

Tag : rigid lace

The drug treatment isn't cheap. According to Harrington, when hisown physician first made the recommendation he was told it wouldcost about $16,000 a year and he turned it down.
Now, with an announcement this year by the provincial HealthMinistry, medical specialists can apply to have certain drugtreatments for their patients covered by the PharmaCare SpecialAuthority Program: Enbrel, Remicade and Humira.
Approval for the coverage is handled on a case by case basis.
The B.C. Health Ministry estimates 200 to 250 patients may beeligible for the drug coverage at an annual cost of $4 million. Andboth those numbers are expected to grow.
Ankylosing spondylitis, the disease that hit Harrington, is apainful degenerative, inflammatory arthritis that mostly afflictsthe spine. Eventually permanent fusion of the spine or other jointscan occur, resulting in locked and rigid posture and movement.
Dr. Andrew Chalmers, the rheumatologist who treats Harrington, saidthe disease can be crippling. But medications like Enbrel generallyoffer good results although their expense can hold some peopleback. So he said it was a welcome move to see the government agreeto fund it.
"They [the drugs] are by and large effective," said Chalmers.
Harrington was first diagnosed with his condition, when he was 16.For the previous two years he had been noticing pain and stiffnessin his hips extending down to his feet. But he was a keen hockeyand lacrosse player and doctors kept on diagnosing sports injuries.
The disease continued to progress and by the time Harrington was 18he had to give up hockey. His feet were so swollen he couldn't laceup skates.
A Junior-A centre at the time, this was especially tough since likeall hockey players he aspired to the NHL. He admits it was nothingmore than a dream but that made it all the harder to give up.
"It you are playing at that level [Junior-A] that is going to beyour dream," said Harrington.
And when he first heard about Enbrel from his doctor Harringtonsaid he had to turn it down because he just couldn't afford it.
Luckily for him, his employer -- he works as a manager at theWestin Bear Mountain -- agreed to see the cost would be covered bya health plan, starting with a portion but now covers all the cost.
Within four weeks, of the taking the drug Harrington said he beganto regain movement in his legs. By six weeks he was "a new person."
Now he climbs mountains and dreams one day of tackling Everest.Even dreaming of such a climb is a huge step. Just a few years agoan afternoon hike in a park would lay Harrington up for days ofpain and fatigue.
"My parents, friends and family are always saying 'You should slowdown,'" he said. "But I push myself now harder than when I trainedfor hockey."
"Now that I feel as good as I do I want to do everything I everwanted to do."
rwatts@tc.canwest.com

© Times Colonist (Victoria) 2008