JayB Posted February 23, 2010 Share Posted February 23, 2010 Hasn't he read the WHO rankings? "'My heart, my choice,' Williams says, defending decision for U.S. heart surgery By Tara Brautigam (CP) An unapologetic Danny Williams says he was aware his trip to the United States for heart surgery earlier this month would spark outcry, but he concluded his personal health trumped any public fallout over the controversial decision. In an interview with The Canadian Press, Williams said he went to Miami to have a "minimally invasive" surgery for an ailment first detected nearly a year ago, based on the advice of his doctors. "This was my heart, my choice and my health," Williams said late Monday from his condominium in Sarasota, Fla. "I did not sign away my right to get the best possible health care for myself when I entered politics." The 60-year-old Williams said doctors detected a heart murmur last spring and told him that one of his heart valves wasn't closing properly, creating a leakage. He said he was told at the time that the problem was "moderate" and that he should come back for a checkup in six months. Eight months later, in December, his doctors told him the problem had become severe and urged him to get his valve repaired immediately or risk heart failure, he said. His doctors in Canada presented him with two options - a full or partial sternotomy, both of which would've required breaking bones, he said. He said he spoke with and provided his medical information to a leading cardiac surgeon in New Jersey who is also from Newfoundland and Labrador. He advised him to seek treatment at the Mount Sinai Medical Center in Miami. That's where he was treated by Dr. Joseph Lamelas, a cardiac surgeon who has performed more than 8,000 open-heart surgeries. Williams said Lamelas made an incision under his arm that didn't require any bone breakage. "I wanted to get in, get out fast, get back to work in a short period of time," the premier said. Williams said he didn't announce his departure south of the border because he didn't want to create "a media gong show," but added that criticism would've followed him had he chose to have surgery in Canada. "I would've been criticized if I had stayed in Canada and had been perceived as jumping a line or a wait list. ... I accept that. That's public life," he said. "(But) this is not a unique phenomenon to me. This is something that happens with lots of families throughout this country, so I make no apologies for that." Williams said his decision to go to the U.S. did not reflect any lack of faith in his own province's health care system. "I have the utmost confidence in our own health care system in Newfoundland and Labrador, but we are just over half a million people," he said. "We do whatever we can to provide the best possible health care that we can in Newfoundland and Labrador. The Canadian health care system has a great reputation, but this is a very specialized piece of surgery that had to be done and I went to somebody who's doing this three or four times a day, five, six days a week." He quipped that he had "a heart of a 40-year-old, so that gives me 20 years new life," and said he intends to run in the next provincial election in 2011. "I'm probably going to be around for a long time, hopefully, if God willing," he said. "God forbid for the Canadian public I won't be around longer than ever." Williams also said he paid for the treatment, but added he would seek any refunds he would be eligible for in Canada. "If I'm entitled to any reimbursement from any Canadian health care system or any provincial health care system, then obviously I will apply for that as anybody else would," he said. "But I wrote out the cheque myself and paid for it myself and to this point, I haven't even looked into the possibility of any reimbursement. I don't know what I'm entitled to, if anything, and if it's nothing, then so be it." He is expected back at work in early March." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hafilax Posted February 23, 2010 Share Posted February 23, 2010 Where's the crazy part? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G-spotter Posted February 23, 2010 Share Posted February 23, 2010 He's not an MP... He's the premier of Newfoundland. sort of like a state governor, and newfoundland is kind of like Louisiana (poor and backwards) but with better rock, and seal flipper pie instead of beads-for-boobs parades Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KaskadskyjKozak Posted February 23, 2010 Share Posted February 23, 2010 "This was my heart, my choice and my health," Williams said late Monday from his condominium in Sarasota, Fla. "I did not sign away my right to get the best possible health care for myself when I entered politics." But Canada's health care is so much better than ours! WTF?!?!?! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j_b Posted February 23, 2010 Share Posted February 23, 2010 People go to other places/countries all the time to get specialized surgery. There is no profound meaning in this. Lame. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hafilax Posted February 23, 2010 Share Posted February 23, 2010 "This was my heart, my choice and my health," Williams said late Monday from his condominium in Sarasota, Fla. "I did not sign away my right to get the best possible health care for myself when I entered politics." But Canada's health care is so much better than ours! WTF?!?!?! Americans would never leave the states for medical care. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bstach Posted February 23, 2010 Share Posted February 23, 2010 Every time Canadians talk about allowing more private healthcare options, opponents always express outrage that this would just lead to a 2 Tier system - a private one for the rich and public one for the rest. This just shows that we already have a 2-tier system....those that can afford to go to another country instead of waiting in line, and those that can't. Hopefully this will bring a dose of reality to the political discourse. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KaskadskyjKozak Posted February 23, 2010 Share Posted February 23, 2010 People go to other places/countries all the time to get specialized surgery. There is no profound meaning in this. Lame. Why don't you go to another country for medical care? Why don't you go to another country period? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j_b Posted February 23, 2010 Share Posted February 23, 2010 You first. I hear Somalia is exactly what you are looking for: low taxes, minimal government (LOL), no regulations, ... it's "freedom". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KaskadskyjKozak Posted February 23, 2010 Share Posted February 23, 2010 You first. I hear Somalia is exactly what you are looking for: low taxes, minimal government (LOL), no regulations, ... it's "freedom". You should go to France or Sweden. Oh, wait, you are too stupid to learn a foreign language. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tvashtarkatena Posted February 23, 2010 Share Posted February 23, 2010 Great recreational boating in Somalia. And as for Florida, they do have a regional expertise in cardiology Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmace Posted February 24, 2010 Share Posted February 24, 2010 The crazy part is that Americans are still chest thumping even though what they have for health care is an embarrassment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
olyclimber Posted February 24, 2010 Share Posted February 24, 2010 technically i think it is belly bumping. as you can see from the pic above, there is little chance of the chests actually touching. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tvashtarkatena Posted February 24, 2010 Share Posted February 24, 2010 Chests can easily touch if the one subject is inverted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j_b Posted February 24, 2010 Share Posted February 24, 2010 Great recreational boating in Somalia. don't forget the great gun culture .. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tvashtarkatena Posted February 24, 2010 Share Posted February 24, 2010 KKK got his givadictomy in Thailand. Saved some major coin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
olyclimber Posted February 24, 2010 Share Posted February 24, 2010 like this? 69 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tvashtarkatena Posted February 24, 2010 Share Posted February 24, 2010 If you can stomach some killing, Somalian piracy sounds like a great life style in an even better climate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j_b Posted February 24, 2010 Share Posted February 24, 2010 technically i think it is belly bumping. as you can see from the pic above, there is little chance of the chests actually touching. I hope they put a shirt on because it's going to be sloppy contact in that heat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tvashtarkatena Posted February 24, 2010 Share Posted February 24, 2010 like this? 69 That's a cross section of KKK's surgically constructed member. It's a medical marvel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hugh Conway Posted February 24, 2010 Share Posted February 24, 2010 like this? 69 That's a cross section of KKK's surgically constructed member. It's a medical marvel. much like the medical marvel that is PP's 10 sizes to small heart Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billcoe Posted February 24, 2010 Share Posted February 24, 2010 Americans would never leave the states for medical care. Au contraire: a family friend just got a double hip resurfacing surgery done in India 2 weeks ago. According to him (and he researched it in depth) they do more of that type of surgery, do it BETTER, have a higher post surgery complication rate and the price was only $30,000, including the airfare vs $100,000 here. ..of course, the food is Indian.....but at least it's truly authentic. ps, my sarcasm detection meter is turned off, I might have misread your post halifax. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billcoe Posted February 24, 2010 Share Posted February 24, 2010 If you can stomach some killing, Somalian piracy sounds like a great life style in an even better climate. Well, those guys all have great suntans! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G-spotter Posted February 24, 2010 Share Posted February 24, 2010 have a higher post surgery complication rate wow what a glowing recommendation Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billcoe Posted February 24, 2010 Share Posted February 24, 2010 opps, I meant lower! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.