It's a Family Thing
Brothers Bob and Doug Lane, and their spouses, Beth and Gay, have a large family. When Doug learned about Healthnetwork Foundation, he naturally told his brother about it. The ripples went out from there. In less than three years, this large family has benefited from Healthnetwork's services 31 times helping 23 different people. The Lanes are generous donors to Healthnetwork and have joined at the Family Legacy level because they want to ensure these kinds of benefits continue for future generations of their family and they believe access to excellent medicine should be the norm for everyone.
DOUG: Gay and I spend our winters in Boca Grande, and we simply gave money to the clinic here over time. Because of our support for the clinic, we have access to Healthnetwork. We didn’t pay much attention for a few years, but then we ran into a situation and Healthnetwork was able to help us. Since that time, we’ve used them more and more. It’s quite a wonderful operation and we are happy to support it. Just off the top of my head I can think of four or five people we’ve referred to Healthnetwork who would not be okay right now, maybe not even alive, if not for their help.
BETH: Several years ago I was having some health problems and was getting desperate. I knew something wasn’t right, but I just couldn’t get to a diagnosis. Through Healthnetwork, I was put into the executive health program closest to our home at Yale New Haven Hospital. They lined me up with five different physicians that I met with one-on-one.
BOB: It was so impressive that every doctor spent time with Beth—an hour or more, and never once did any of them look at their watch. They even set up a guide for the day who met us upon our arrival and shepherded us to each appointment.
BETH: In the end, it turned out not to be a major problem, just a large endometrial fibroid that had gone undiagnosed for several years. Once the diagnosis was made, the surgery happened within days. I believe I was on the fast track because of Healthnetwork. The whole experience was streamlined and wonderful.
BOB: More recently, we were able to use Healthnetwork to help our grandson, Calder, who is now 21. Calder played hockey, lacrosse and football, and he injured his knee in one sport or another and then hurt it again skiing. His parents took him to all the orthopedic places near their home and were told again and again that there were no surgical options. They tried more conservative treatments like physical therapy and steroid injections. But the poor kid struggled with debilitating mobility issues. His knee was in constant pain. This went on through his last years in high school. He should have been starting college and looking forward to the rest of his life. Instead he was 20 and couldn’t even have a normal life. By this time we had become familiar with Healthnetwork and connected Calder’s father with them. A short time later, they met with Dr. Robert Parisian, an orthopedic surgeon at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, who said, “I can fix this. I see it all the time.” The surgery was a home run. Calder w
BOB: In theory there’s the potential to figure it out on your own. You make a million phone calls and spend hundreds of hours researching. What’s so remarkable about Healthnetwork is you have them as an intermediary and an advocate. They say go here, see this person. It takes months and months off the search!
GAY: The rapidity with which Healthnetwork responds is astounding. I hear people talking about how they have a major medical issue and can’t get an appointment with a doctor for three or six months. Meanwhile, if we make a call to Healthnetwork, they have an appointment set up with a doctor within a few days or a week. It’s amazing! I can think of four or five people we’ve referred to Healthnetwork who would not be okay right now, maybe not even alive, if not for their help.
DOUG: The way that Healthnetwork makes medical experiences happen is the way medicine should be for everyone all the time. Something comes up and you just don’t know what to do or where to go. For example, last summer my son went to the dentist for a toothache. Turned out he had cancer of the jaw. With Healthnetwork’s guidance, he decided to go to Dana Farber where he had a complicated operation—over 20 hours long. He’s gone through radiation and chemo and is on the other side. I don’t know how we would have navigated that situation on our own. We don’t know who’s ‘good’ at jaw cancer. Healthnetwork has been a godsend for our family.
BETH: Boca Grande is a small community and we contribute to many things here on the island. Once we found out about Healthnetwork and have seen how much they help people, it was an easy decision to include them in our giving. Now it’s an automatic gift every year we don’t even think about it.
If your interested in the benefits of Healthnetwork's Family Legacy program for your family, please contact Megan Frankel to learn more.