VERY sad story ~ hopefully, making this story public will "encourage" TriCare to do right by this child and help her return to a normal life ~ Sooz

Obese, but starving: Girl, 12, denied weight-loss surgery for rare illness
JoNel Aleccia, NBC News
7 hours ago

Surgery to remove a brain tumor two years ago has left a 12-year-old Texas girl with a heartbreaking condition that makes her gain massive amounts of weight — even though her body thinks it’s starving.

Doctors say a gastric bypass operation is the only thing that can help Alexis Shapiro, who is 4-foot-7 and weighs 198 pounds. But the U.S. military, which provides her family’s health insurance, says it won’t pay for the $50,000 weight-loss procedure because she’s too young.

“Our reviewers have denied your request for Roux-En-Y Gastric Bypass,” reads the rejection notice sent this month.

Alexis’ parents — and her doctor — are protesting the decision from insurer TRICARE, which they say sentences the child to a fate of dangerous health problems and social isolation caused by hypothalamic obesity, which is packing on at least 2 pounds every week.

“It just keeps going up and up,” said her mother, Jenny Shapiro, 34, of Cibolo, Texas. “She desperately needs this. I feel like she will die if she does not get this surgery.”

In just the past three months, Alexis was hospitalized for a kidney infection and developed Type 2 diabetes that requires nightly insulin injections, both related to her growing girth.

Dr. Thomas H. Inge, a Cincinnati expert in pediatric obesity who is treating Alexis, acknowledged that there have been few cases like hers. But he said surgery may be the only way to stop weight gain that could top out at 400 pounds — and to cut the brain cravings that make Alexis want to eat an entire jar of peanut butter at one sitting.

“I think it is disappointing that they cannot see the facts of this case,” said Inge, of the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. “There is no evidence that doing nothing would be in this child’s best interests.”

But a spokesman for TRICARE and Humana Military, which provides insurance coverage for Alexis’ father, Air Force veteran Ian Shapiro, said their rules are clear. Gastric bypass and other weight-loss surgeries may be covered, but only if the patient is 18 or has achieved full bone growth.

“In general, our Managed Care Support Contractors are required to approve or deny coverage based on TRICARE policy,” spokesman Austin Camacho said in an email to NBC News. “We have an appeals process in place specifically designed to give our medical professionals the opportunity to examine the details of any special cases when coverage is denied.”

However, an appeal could take months or longer, said Jenny Shapiro, and there’s no guarantee that the surgery would be approved even then. She said that by-the-book denials are making the rare disease that struck her normal 9-year-old even worse than it's already been.

'We've had to padlock the cupboard'
Two years ago, Alexis was a normal, happy third-grader who liked to ride scooters and bikes with her brother Ethan, then 5, and sister, Kayley, then 7.

Then Alexis developed a craniopharyngioma, a rare kind of benign brain tumor that grows near the pituitary gland and affects at most 1 child per every million each year.

The good news was, the tumor wasn’t cancer and the surgery to remove it, though scary, went well. The bad news was, Alexis developed hypothalamic obesity, a rare condition caused by damage to the hypothalamus, the fingernail-sized organ that helps govern energy balance, appetite — and weight.

More than half of children who have such tumors develop problems with excessive eating — called hyperphagia — and significant obesity.

“The treatment is what ends up interfering with very, very important pathways that are immediately adjacent to the tumor,” Inge said.

In Alexis’ case, the result was an immediate, unceasing weight gain even with a diet restricted to 900 to 1,400 calories a day — and with extra exercise, said Jenny Shapiro. At the same time, Alexis developed a ravenous appetite.

“She’s always hungry,” Shapiro said. “In the past, we’ve had to padlock the cupboard.”

Alexis’ illness has upended family life, even though Jenny Shapiro said she works hard to keep things normal. Their daily routine is governed by a strict diet and exercise plan that is often frustrating for Alexis and the rest of the family.

It’s difficult finding clothes for Alexis, who now wears a woman’s size 1X or 2X and who goes up nearly a size every month, Jenny Shapiro said. She had to be home-schooled starting this year, both because her condition leaves her in constant pain and because of comments from other kids. It's hard to go out in public because of the looks and whispers targeted at Alexis' size, her mother said.

“She doesn’t have any friends or anything like that,” Jenny Shapiro said. “It’s so sad, because she remembers what it was like before.”

Worse, though, than the daily challenges is the worry about where Alexis’ illness will lead.

“You meet with the psychologist and you meet with the nutritionist,” she said. “They asked Alexis how she felt and she said she wants to die.”

The risk of devastating consequences is what compels doctors to consider bariatric surgery for patients like Alexis. The operation has lifelong consequences and no one wants to perform it on a child unless the benefits clearly outweigh the risks, Inge and other experts say.

Though the literature is scant — Inge and his colleagues have reviewed just 70 cases — craniopharyngioma patients who've had the surgery have lost significant weight, between 20 percent and 30 percent of their body mass. In addition, gastric bypass surgery, which makes the stomach smaller and bypasses some of the small intestine, appears to have an effect on the part of the brain related to appetite and satiety, the sense of fullness.

Kelsie Blackwell of Indianapolis, Ind., is shown at age 16 and now, at age 21. Like Alexis Shapiro, she also had hypothalamic obesity that spurred massive weight gain. She underwent bariatric surgery at age 16, which helped her lose 100 pounds and cut her severe food cravings.

Just ask Tawana Blackwell, 53, of Indianapolis, Ind., whose daughter, Kelsie, was diagnosed with hypothalamic obesity at age 8 and didn’t have surgery until five years ago, at age 16. Just 5 feet tall, the girl weighed 230 pounds and was gaining up to 20 pounds a month.

After the surgery, Kelsie, now 21, lost 100 pounds and has been able to keep it off with a careful diet and regular exercise.

“I feel very blessed we were able to get this surgery done,” said Blackwell, whose health insurance through her job covered the costs. “These kids are not normal kids where you can say, go out and exercise, go on a diet and lose weight. They have a medically induced obesity state.”

Inge has been pushing for an exception to the TRICARE bariatric surgery rule based on the severity of Alexis’ symptoms. Doctors at the San Antonio Military Medical Center have referred her case for higher review, but it’s not clear where it stands.

Meanwhile, Jenny Shapiro said she’s growing desperate to help her little girl. The family has started a medical fundraising account on the site GoFundMe.com to help raise the money to pay for the surgery.

“These kids will literally eat themselves to death,” the mother said. “That’s what I’m scared of.”

http://www.nbcnews.com/health/obese-starving-girl-12-denied-weight-loss-surgery-rare-illness-2D11803240

I'm sure that's right, Chaos ~ but, thanks to the kindness of strangers, this child will get a chance for a normal life ~ ~ Sooz

'Rooting for her': Strangers raise flood of donations for Texas girl's obesity surgery
JoNel Aleccia, NBC News
Dec. 30, 2013 at 8:22 AM ET


A 12-year-old Texas girl who became morbidly obese after a rare illness triggered by brain surgery could get a potentially life-saving operation by February, thanks to a flood of donations from strangers.

More than 1,700 people have contributed more than $70,000 for Alexis Shapiro, of Cibolo, Texas, who weighs nearly 200 pounds and is gaining about 2 pounds a week because of a runaway condition called hypothalamic obesity.

That’s in addition to at least four anonymous philanthropists who have stepped forward to help. The response started within hours after NBC News first reported the story on Saturday.

“My goodness! It’s crazy,” said Jenny Shapiro, Alexis’ mother, who added that her family has been surprised and touched by the generosity. “Alexis really likes it. I think she feels like people aren’t looking at her anymore and people are rooting for her.”

Doctors say gastric bypass weight-loss surgery is the only thing that can help Alexis, but the U.S. military, which provides her family’s health insurance, says it won’t pay for the operation because Alexis is too young.

TRICARE and Humana Military, which provide family insurance for Alexis’ father, Air Force veteran Ian Shapiro, denied the request citing rules that say gastric bypass surgery may be covered, but only if the patient is 18 or has achieved full bone growth. Officials said the family could appeal the decision.

But Alexis’ parents — and doctors — say that an appeal could take too long and that there would be no guarantee the child would be approved for the $50,000 operation. Ian Shapiro, 34, is claims representative for USAA, a banking and insurance provider. Jenny Shapiro, 34, works part-time as a dog groomer at PetSmart.

“If nothing else, we have what’s required for the hospital,” Jenny Shapiro said. “If I need to make payments or whatever, then I will.”

Dr. Thomas H. Inge, an expert in pediatric obesity at the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, said Alexis could receive the surgery at his hospital within six weeks now that the funding appears to be in place.

“The team is certainly in favor from a medical standpoint of moving forward as quickly as we can,” he said.

Every extra pound gained is a risk to Alexis, who has developed Type 2 diabetes and other health problems in the past two years. She was just 9 when she developed a benign brain tumor called a craniopharyngioma, which affects at most 1 child per every million per year.

Surgery to remove the tumor went well, but it damaged her hypothalamus and pituitary gland, two organs that help regulate energy balance, appetite and weight.

Like more than half of children who get those tumors, Alexis developed hyperphagia and hypothalamic obesity, disorders that make her gain massive amounts of weight — even as her body thinks it’s starving.

Her parents have had to monitor her food intake and exercise extremely closely, sometimes limiting the child to 900 calories a day. In the past, they’ve had to padlock the kitchen cupboards because Alexis’ conditions cause cravings that make her want to eat an entire jar of peanut butter at one sitting, for instance.

Gastric bypass surgery could help Alexis lose between 20 percent and 30 percent of her body mass, and also curb the misfire between her brain and gut that makes her feel like she’s starving, Inge said.

What’s not clear now is, even if the initial surgery is paid for, whether TRICARE would cover any follow-up care that Alexis might need. Officials with the military insurer did not respond to NBC News requests for comment about the new developments in Alexis’ case.

The Shapiros and Inge said they were planning to talk on Monday to discuss the timing for surgery — and its aftermath. Bariatric surgery is a serious procedure with lifelong consequences. New research by Inge and others suggests that teens do about as well as adults after weight-loss surgery, with the risk of major complications in about 5 percent to 7 percent of cases.

The money raised by NBC News readers and others will help pay for the surgery, Jenny Shapiro said. Any extra will go toward the costs of travel, lodging and other expenses as the family of five travels to Cincinnati for the operation. The family had started an account last summer at GoFundMe, one of several websites that help people raise money for medical expenses. Site organizers charge 5 percent of the donated amount, plus another 2.9 percent and 30 cents per transaction goes to WePay, a payment site.

But it wasn't until Alexis' situation received national attention that the fund jumped, within hours, from a little more than $1,000 to more than $50,000. As of Monday evening, it had grown to more than $71,000.

"I am really amazed at the power of information to bring out the best in people in cases like this," said Inge.

Alexis and her family are cheered by the outpouring of goodwill and generosity, especially during the holidays, Jenny Shapiro added.

“It’s going to be a lot of hard work,” she said. “We know that it’s not going to be 'Have the surgery and, yay, everything’s fixed.' But it’s a start.”

http://www.nbcnews.com/health/rooting-her-strangers-donate-50k-texas-girls-life-saving-obesity-2D11819010

A 12-year-old Texas girl who gained more than 140 pounds after a rare complication following brain surgery will have a weight-loss operation covered by U.S. military health insurance, her mother said Friday.

http://www.nbcnews.com/health/so-happy- ... 2D11851908

Hold on here.
Private donations raise money for her to have the needed surgery. Once that's achieved she gets the surgery covered by U.S. military health insurance?
WTF is going on?