Celebrities and Athletes Drug Abuse is Killing Little Kids

Preface

Increasingly, celebrities and nationally recognized athletes are being identified and arrested for abuse or possession of growth hormone. Undoubtedly, there are many others abusing this drug with false ideas of endless youth or muscle strength.

To all those who abuse this drug,

To those who report this drug only for its cosmetic use without also validating its real medical importance, &

To those who deny medically ill children and adults their right to insurance payment for this treatment-

STOP!

You are killing little kid’s chances and affected adults rights for a healthy life!

Hidden in the shadows of our world are little known, but very powerful people who control everything in our lives. Their decisions control what we see on television all the way down to the items we have to choose from in the grocery store. To some extent, everything we think we have a choice of- is already pre-chosen for us. And that is probably a good thing (to an extent). The world needs some type of order and control in order to be a peaceful place. We, the regular "normal" working people, get it. But when we are quietly being manipulated at the expense of our own children’s health and well being…we no longer sit still nor remain quiet.

It seems as if these select people sitting at the top of large corporations have gained enough confidence to unequivocally say…growth hormone is not medically needed for anyone- deny all claims. "They" are probably thrilled each time an athlete or celebrity is arrested for possession or abuse of this drug. If the public is against this drug,  they can "get away with" denying insurance payments for truly needy children and or adults. After all, insurance companies save thousands of dollars for each day and each child they deny. This happens each day without any thought to the children's bodies ravaged by a lack of medical attention along the way. I can imagine their thoughts…it’s a rare condition, how many people will rally to their defense if we deny some kids? It’s not like we are denying something that they think is life saving.

For parents of growth affected children, this trend is beyond alarming. Denying medically needy children growth hormone treatments can shorten their life spans, cause heart, lung and bone problems, invoke osteoporosis and decrease the quality of their health in many other ways throughout their lifetime. (This by the way, leads to more insurance claims down the road which could have been avoided. But that is not important to those watching this years “bottom line”!)

Growth hormone is a crucial hormone for every living creature. For those whose bodies cannot make or use it properly, they actually rely upon this medicine for life. The impact of going without it may not be immediate in all cases but rather it would be a slow, torturous debilitating death. Some nationally syndicated news programs have implied that growth hormone is used as a cosmetic drug which is used primarily to give short children an edge of being taller. Additionally, many newspapers, magazines, and other media frequently report about the latest scandal of celebrities and athletes drug abuse. Thankfully, some true journalists on local levels have performed their due diligence and reported the facts about how essential this medical treatment is for children and ill adults.

So to get to the bottom of this medical insurance problem we had to wonder, who does this sensationalized reporting of growth hormone abuse benefit? It does not benefit those truly in need of this medicine, it does not benefit the poor sap who was convinced into thinking he or she needed it to "stay ahead", so who benefits?

Sensational stories do feed our curiosity about high profile people. And sensational stories do sell more papers and increase viewer ratings. But ultimately who truly benefits? You don't benefit, I don't get anything, certainly the sick kids don't benefit...The magazine owners, television owners etc. make a profit…but it is a small one time thing...unless repeated stories encouraged. Who else…on an even higher level gets something beneficial from this abuse?

I find it “funny” that at the same time these stories become news, families begin to report insurance company denials for their kids cases in record numbers. Did this happen years ago when reports of the abuse first started creeping into the media…you bet they did!

So who is using what or who?

In order to understand what is going on today, you have to look at the big picture- so hang on!

The Beginning –

Growth hormone was first identified and used as a medical therapy back in the 50’s. And rather than bore you with tons of medical “junk” I will simply say that prior to the mid 1980's growth hormone was VERY difficult to get and very few people knew about it. However, in 1985 a completely new process of making medicine was discovered. This scientific breakthrough technology allowed for the clean and safe “reproduction” of a bio-identical growth hormone (and other desperately needed medicines). The cost to develop the technology was VERY expensive and the process to actually make these medicines is also expensive, therefore-the medicine is expensive.

Initially, there were many studies about this "new" growth hormone. This meant that pharmaceutical companies paid the costs (physician’s charges and medicine bills) for the children's medical care. However, after the studies were completed and everything pointed to a very successful and safe medicine, the medicine became available to everyone who "fit" the FDA's guidelines. As the years went on, news of a safe treatment for the kids spread and physicians began referring children and adults to specialists for help. It took a while for this transition to happen but by the mid 1990's most everyone had heard something about growth hormone. This increase in awareness meant that more children were actually getting help and.....insurance claims were filed. As an FDA approved drug, insurance companies were required to pay for this treatment.  

Ultimately, and eventually parents began to call The MAGIC Foundation for help. We were told about insurance policies which had been "changed” to exclude growth hormone specifically from their policies, or begin to mask this discrimination by rejecting all “injectables” (this includes insulin unless otherwise stipulated) in their policies. This tightening of what they would and would not cover has become even more detailed today. Insurance companies have begun to stipulate that they will pay for growth hormone for certain conditions but will not pay for other conditions despite the FDA approval for those conditions. (These include conditions in which the children are experiencing medical challenges and a severe lack of normal growth.)

Unexpected numbers of ill children are now living normal and healthy lives thanks to the various new medicines developed via biotechnology. This must have sent the Insurance companies into planning panics as other drugs were and will continue to be, on the horizon using this same new technology. They will not be cheap. But what is the price of having a healthy child? If you work hard, do everything right to provide for your family, pay your insurance premiums without fail, why should you not get what you have worked and paid for?

So from the Insurance industry standpoint, they must have wondered; how can we argue against allowing this medical treatment without looking like a monster to the public as we financially need to deny covering this medical treatment?  From my standpoint as a mom and consumer, if you are profiting by millions and millions of dollars each year, why would you deny my child?

Some companies simply refused to cover the medicine. However, parents began to fight against “paper pushers” having a voice in their child’s medical care. Some parents gathered in groups and others were up against such a wall of NO that they had to go public and approached the media with their personal plight. Insurance companies want to look good to the public so that they can sell more policies and to their stockholders. So going public is very bad publicity! Other insurers began to quietly deny the drug, or to place harsh restrictions and criteria prior to covering this treatment. Some insurers required that children undergo not just one but multiple hours of repetitive tests (different types of the same test) to verify the diagnosis. The amazing thing was that these decisions were being made by people employed by Insurance companies who were not specialists in this medical issue! Yet, they had the power to deny little kids a desperately needed hormone to make them healthy!

In the past couple of years, we have seen trends whereas the Insurance companies seem to automatically deny all growth hormone claims. Such claims seem to get lost in endless mountains of “proper process”. With denial letters lacking any “specific” details for the denial. If families press for the exact reasons, ridiculous excuses, such as they were filed with the wrong diagnosis, were commonplace. It seems as if insurance companies have mastered the game of stalling the claims. So thinking “deep” again, we had to wonder; What does stalling a claim accomplish? Hmmm… Could it be that for each month they stall the start of an authorized medical treatment they save thousands of dollars? Who does this benefit? Reason would dictate that insurance chairmen look better to their stockholders if their bottom line looks good…But at the expense of ill children! What happened to ethics and decency?

We have heard arguments about the “prohibitive costs” or “cosmetic therapy” as being reasons for denial of many growth hormone claims. We could counter that argument with an examination of the salaries of the insurance company management. As hard working middle America people, we believe that millions and millions of dollars for one person’s salary is prohibitive. However, we do not begrudge anyone earning such a salary…that is until that person denies a child health care so he or she can maintain his own salary. This is particularly true when parents are paying his company a premium to ensure health coverage for their child.

Please do not misinterpret my argument here, I am neither a socialist nor a communist and do not agree with socialized medicine. (I have heard horror stories from Canada, England and many countries where socialized medicine exists and definitely prefer our system). But I do believe in ethics and our current system is in serious need of refreshing that concept.

Now imagine it is 1985 and the national and local press has been doing some small stories about this new wonder technology which now can replicate growth hormone.

-How does an Insurance company prepare for the inevitable expense? Surely they realized that this problem was only going to increase. Growth hormone was proving to be crucial for more other healing issues such as burn victims! Could media reports be encouraged which would show the sensational aspects of how it builds muscle in a deficient body?

To be honest this entire concept was a joke 10 years ago. As "normal" people we do not have the luxury of focusing on the “bigger” picture. Instead we have to worry about paying the bills coming in next week. This narrow focus is what people in the shadows rely on. Keep them too busy to organize together and things will be different before they know it and then it will be too late. They are too tired from helping their kids with homework, doing their job, worrying about everything in their little worlds to take time to do anything (make a phone call, send an email or write a letter to a politician or television advertisers) if they see a problem. They don’t have the time, energy or desire to see any big picture.

If that is true-we (the little people) deserve everything we get!

So what I want to say is this:

Attention-

Mike Jacobs

Roger Clemens

Barry Bonds

Sylvester Stallone

Suzanne Sommers

Jason Grimsley

Keith Richards

Tyler Perry

Wyclef Jean

Timbaland

Chris Benoit

Mary J. Blige

50 Cent

(Excuse me if I listed you falsely. I got your name from a list on this website: http://www.kensavage.com/archives/hgh-and-celebrities/ )

and anyone else who is trying to pharmaceutical their way through life instead of doing the work...as a public person what you do has a ripple effect in more ways that you imagine. Your personal abuse enables people to use you to destroy the medical opportunities of innocent and ill children. Stop....Think....and be aware.

Savy business people look at the current situations and very long term paths. They are not like you or I struggling to make it with a day to day, maybe even a few years planned. With these guys, everything is planned waaay in advance. It is NOT uncommon for them to have a 20 year plan. Business moves and scenarios are calculated and maneuvered into place. This is what they do, this is the time they can afford to wait. They have the resources and business smarts to do it all.

So thinking from that mindset, could it be possible....that in order to sway public opinion against growth hormone, that "they" had to dangle the carrot (the benefits of growth hormone) out there knowing that some high profile people who struggle to stay on top would jump on it.....abuse it...and get caught?  Once it happened..."they" could use that public curiosity and media to turn public opinion again growth hormone all together? Hmmmm

Stop....Think...and be aware. 

After the Growing Years -Final

So at the doctor's office we learned....she needed to be on growth hormone as an adult! And she would most likely need it for the rest of her life but we had to watch her very carefully for the first 6 months to make sure everything was "good".

It took another frustrating 2 months before all the paperwork, Insurance, etc. all went through...but she finally got her med's. And after only 10 days of being back on it (finally)...her vision began to improve-the headaches stopped and she stopped all of her heart med's...Guess what- she didn't need it anymore! The neurocardiosyncopy (passing out) was essentially gone! And after only a few months she was gaining a normal persons strength...meaning she could walk...drive...play with her kids...and her hair started growing back (instead of looking like an old lady with old age hair loss).

Three months after being back on growth hormone, I flew her back to the pediatric endocrinologist for her check up....all systems PERFECT! YAY-YAY-YAY!!!!!!!!
Another 3 months later....still good! So we were able to finally switch her to a local adult endocrinologist in her area who could monitor her from that point forward.

In our house I used to drive the kids nuts by saying "mom is always right". And if they argued...I would let them learn something the hard way and then say...."mom is always right" (instead of "I told you so").   Nice to know that I have not lost my touch as my brain is definitely aging- so I doubt I will have many more of these opportunities! :-)

So today, she is getting healthy again. Her lung strength is getting back to normal. She walks every night and she is loosing weight. (I am so jealous!) Her mind is sharp and her smile is contagious as it once was...live is good...not perfect....but really REALLY good!

And now that I have fulfilled my promise to write all of this journey down...I can get on with more humorous stories in the future. If anyone needs help...visit;
http://www.magicfoundation.org/ !

After the Growing Years Part 6

Dad told me that my mom was really sick and "in trouble". She was having "spasms" lasting for hours and rarely slept because of pain etc....and his brother had terminal cancer and only had weeks left. He had gone to see him a few weeks earlier but now....he had his hands full. It was an agonizing decision and horrible choice to make but ultimately my daughter convinced me to go to the greater emergency at that time. And so I packed up my computer, loaded my car and headed out for the 19 hour drive home. I felt horrible. I had left my nearly blind daughter, grandsons and my son in law to basically fend for themselves.

However, by this time I had my daughter in agreement that IF I could convince her pediatric endocrinologist (thank God he had not retired yet) to see her...she would go. I was so hopeful that I could pull this off....

When I got back home to Georgia, I unpacked...slept for 7 hours and then drove 4 more hours south...to my parent's house. My poor husband! Thank goodness he is so understanding and supportive of everything. He had been at our home in Georgia the entire time-ill from kidney failure! But he was managing to go to school and helped by my rock-youngest daughter and her family in my absence.

So....when I got to Dad's I was literally horrified to see the condition of my mother. She only weighed 89 pounds and was in horrible pain. It was like a pharmacy there as she had time lines for what pills when....long story! To summarize...I would be in Georgia all week and drive to Florida to help Dad on weekends. I did this for almost 2 months when finally it became so apparent that Dad would not go against Mom's wishes and force her into the hospital without STRONG persuasion. So that is what I did. I had been at there house for 10 days straight-afraid to leave either of them. Dad was exhausted from being up and down with mom 24 hours a day (she rarely slept and when she did it was usually less than 2 hours at a time). Mom was irrational from pain.
So I told Dad that in the morning....if he had not convinced Mom to go to the hospital- I would call 911 and force her there....Thankfully he was able to convince her by telling her that she was dying!

The next morning she said her goodbye's to my brother and I before leaving for the hospital. She was really that sick.

Long story short...she is still with us today. YAY! It has been a year now. She still battles with some spasms, but is much much better. However, their lives are changed as they are confined to the house for the most part. They do get out some, and dad has some help so he can get out several times each week, but mostly they are at home.

All the while this is going on with my parents, I am still trying to help Missy via the phone and managed to get her an appointment with her childhood pediatric endocrinologist.  It took me almost 11 years to convince her to do this and I was relieved she had agreed and everything was a "go"! To heck with Insurance....I would pay for this man's opinion. He had treated her for years as a child and I knew first hand...he was brilliant!

I flew Missy and her youngest son down for a long weekend coinciding with the doctor's visit. My oldest grandson was in school and stayed with his Dad.

So off we go to the appointment I have been praying for .... for a decade! It took an hour and a half to get there and I was worried that I might be wrong....she may be VERY sick and all of my "theories" about it being a result of not being on growth hormone still as an adult....could be wrong. That would have been a HUGE crow to swallow as I am not a quiet person when I believe something! But my "gut" just kept pressing on that I was not wrong-mother's instincts are so strong!

So anyway, we get to his office after going to the wrong place...who knew he moved his office? It was like old times in his waiting room filled with things for kids...only now my kid- was a mom herself! How weird and desperate were we?!  And so after the normal paperwork etc. we are escorted to the back where we wait in the exam room. It was just a few minutes before this kind face of yesteryear appeared in the doorway. And at that exact instant- I felt peace. I felt a calm that I had not experienced for years....everything was going to be ok. But before he says his normal "hi", he looks at my daughter and says; "what the heck happened to you?"  I guess he was startled at how sick she was!

After the Growing Years Part 3

She said that the doctors had ruled out liver failure...WHEW! But how ...what.... I asked her to start at the beginning a tell me what happened and why she was all wired up!

She began to explain that during a  group jog she started feeling "bad" but kept pressing on. Then she felt light headed and fell down. She got back up. But then she fell again and every time she tried to get up- she "passed out". She said she could hear what people were saying sometimes and others she could not. So one of the other kids who was running in the group sought adult help who managed to get her to the Air Force Base Hospital.

The doctor on base had never seen anything like this and started some labs....her liver enzymes were out of whack and he "assumed" liver failure. (That is when I got the phone call.) The doctor knew that no local hospital could help her quickly and expertly enough so he med vac'd her an hour and a half away to Tallahassee which is where I saw her.

And as she had such a priority case, most of her labs etc. had been done by the time I got there....15 hours after she fell down!

But now we were facing an unknown condition. Why would someone just suddenly start "passing out"?  And doing it EVERY single time she tried to stand up and walk?
She was fine while laying down- nothing and I mean nothing-abnormal showed up while she was laying down.....and how did this perfectly healthy kid go from outstanding at the beginning of a day- to out of it completely by the afternoon?

So more tests, and more tests were ordered....She saw neurologists, cardiologists, etc. No one had any answers....it was even proposed that she may be "acting" for attention. AHHH! And then came a test called the "tilt table". It is like a treadmill with wires and more wires etc. And it proved that she had something called... neurocardiogenic syncopy. This meant (in lay terms) that when she was laying down...her heart was high normal....but when her body was commanded to produce more (to stand up etc.) it actually did the opposite! So it was like she was passing out or going to sleep at the same time.

Following this test, the doctor explained to my husband and I the details of this latest medical challenge. I heard words that..... as a Mom I had heard before....no cures-some treatments seem to help a little...lifetime debilitating.....

I did not doubt that they found what they found. But because this started only weeks after she stopped growth hormone therapy....I was VERY suspicious that she needed to go back on it. But because she had gotten sick in France...and no medical articles documented anything like this....my thoughts were discounted.

And so we took her home and began a trial and error routine with a variety of med's to try and keep her "upright". She had to stop going to school and lost her scholarship to be an Air Force Pilot. It was so bad that I even had to help her to the bathroom! Most all of her friends went on with their lives but a few stayed in touch and gave her an emotional light which was beyond description.

This kid is amazing. She fought to have a good outlook on life. She put up with stares as we helped her get out into the world by going to the gas station with us. If she was strong enough to go into the store at the gas station...she would often have to lie down on the floor inside-to bring her heart rate back up....so that she could manage to walk back to the car! This caused quite a disturbance everywhere we went....but we did not care---I luckily had learned and passed along to my kids a lesson I wish more people would learn....Clean your house for your family/use manners with your loved ones....don't reserve the best of you for people you don't know and make no difference in your life....use the best for those who matter. So the stares of strangers did not matter very much!

For 2 years we struggled with the med's until finally finding an over the counter drug which kept her standing up for the most part. But it was very limited windows of time that this worked throughout each day. However, she was able to home school sort of and graduate and go on to college locally. Her younger sister was a HUGE help to all of us during this time. She drove her around- helped her get to classes when needed-and was a rock of support to her sister. For the first time-they were a team and not rivals. It was a great turning point in their relationship. (God always has a reason doesn't he? grin).

After the Growing Years Part 2

(Read the After the Growing Years Intro- first- if you have not already done so....so that this makes sense.)

In late May of 1996, my daughter reached the height of 5'3. She was only weeks away from her 16th birthday and had been looking forward to being off of growth hormone shots for almost 11 years. The doctor said---"your bones are almost completely closed and you can stop taking growth  hormone now or go a little bit more...it is up to you."

HUGE GRIN! Needless to say- she JUMPED at the chance to stop the shots. It was a HUGE day of joy and celebration for the entire family! Finally....FINALLY we were finished with the nightly battles to take a shot...the huge costs...and the numerous trips to doctor. She was full grown and healthy! YAY!!!!!

The medical treatments were successful. No she was not a huge person, we were only hoping for "normal". Nor was she a super athlete (I do NOT support the abuse of this med- AT ALL!)  Rather, she was an honor roll student, beautiful (had boys jumping all around her), and most importantly she was healthy! As a junior in high school she was on her way to a full scholarship at the Air Force Academy because it was her dream to be a US Air Force officer and jet pilot.

After school was out for the summer, we took a trip to France for 2 weeks in celebration. It was a great trip but she developed a weird rash that looked like little spots of measels. The "spots" itched and scabbed over leaving scars....They seemed to go away and so we just ignored it and pressed on with life.

In July she began an Air Force ROTC boot camp of sorts. She loved it. There were classes, trips and physical training. She did great but noticed that she was feeling a bit tired and out of it. She began spending a great deal of her "down time" on the couch which was WAY out of character for her.

On July 23rd I took my youngest daughter and her best friend to The MAGIC Foundation's Annual Educational Convention in Chicago. The trip was great and the girls were so excited to be with all the families. We got in around 1:00 in the afternoon. At 9:30 pm I received a phone call saying that my oldest daughter (GHD) was being med-vac'd to a hospital with suspected liver failure. I couldn't get a flight out that night and it was a HORRIBLE night of panic and worry. The next morning we were all 3, on the 6:00 a.m. flight back home where we would then begin our 2 hour drive to the hospital.

I raced everywhere. Where was she? Would she be alive when I got there? Cell phones were not allowed- so I could not reach my husband...and I was just sick to my stomach with panic. Finally-Elaine and I got to the hospital and truly jogged everywhere to get to Missy's room ASAP. When we got there....she was drinking a milk shake and laughing!

I was confused! Is she ok? She has tubes and wires all over her head, chest and both arms but she doesn't look like she is on her death bed.... I gave her a huge hug and just said....ok give me the update.

Growth Hormone Deficiency-After the Growing Years Intro

Well after good intentions of starting this blog YEARS ago....life got in the way....2 kids got married....4 grandkids....just stuff! But now- I finally am going to make an honest effort to stay on top of this.
Why?
Well... for the past few weeks I have been getting frequent calls from Moms all over the country with the same or very similar problems....Their now grown child...who was on growth hormone therapy as a child...is now experiencing more medical issues and they need help.

Why are they calling me?

My name is Jamie Harvey and I am a co-founder of a children's charity called The MAGIC Foundation. (http://www.magicfoundation.org/). My daughter was one of the first on the bio-identical growth hormone (not a generic) from 1986-1997 (she started at age 5 and stopped at age 16).  (You can read about the early days in the post from 2007 archives on this BLOG.)

Over these many years, people have heard me talk (or read my early story online) about problems in this journey of medical "new-ness". And because there is so very little information "out there"- desperate parents are tracking me down for answers.

I need to make it clear that I am not a medical professional of any sort. I am just a mom (and now a grand-mom...lovin it!) who has been at this a long...LONG time. I decided to put all of this together so that families have some information to consider during their quest for answers.

This process will take a while...so just hang in there with me!

In the early days....when we finally got my daughter diagnosed as being growth hormone deficient and on medical treatments as a child...things were great and we thought that was the end of the problem....unfortunately it was not. Growth hormone deficiency can last a lifetime and we did not know that....way back when....and we found out the hard way! It took 12 long, agonizing years to learn about the issue of growth hormone after the growing years.

And because I know this can be boring...I am going to tell you WHY this is important ...

During the 12 years (after my daughter stopped her GH treatments)...she:

1. Developed an irregular heart beat
2. Gained lots of weight
3. Went on anti-depression med's
4. Struggled to get out of bed regularly
5. Began to have a thinning of her hair
6. Was diagnosed with Hashimoto's thyroiditis (hard to control thyroid)
7. And she began to loose her vision! Meaning she was getting close to legally blind WITH glasses on.

I will go into these issues and more in the upcoming days....

Labels: magic foundation;growth hormone deficiency