Deschutes prosecutor recovering with new liver

A Deschutes County prosecutor at the center of a public battle to have a life-saving liver transplant covered by county-provided insurance was recovering Saturday from a long, difficult transplant operation at UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles, family members said.

“We are so blessed that Dan received a liver yesterday (Friday),” Dan Reesor’s sister, Sharon True, said in a Facebook posting Saturday afternoon.

“The surgery was very long and very difficult,” True said; family friend Vicki Kipp said it lasted over 12 hours.

True said her brother “has some of the best doctors and nurses he could have. Dan is in ICU right now and slowly recovering. He is alert and knows who is there. There are more tubes than you could ever imagine, which is normal after receiving a transplant.”

While things are progressing well, True added that “it will be a very slow, long recovery and things can change very quickly. We are feeling good at this time – things are looking positive! Please continue to pray for Dan and our family. God has already done some miracles for Dan.”

“They just found me a liver! Surgery in an hour!” Vicki Kipp said Reesor texted her before the procedure began Friday afternoon.

Kipp said Reesor had been back at UCLA due to bile duct complications due to his cancer and liver disease.

“Dan just happened to be at UCLA getting another procedure done due to a blocked bile duct when he got the word they had a liver. Amazing!” Kipp said.

“Truly incredible, because he just went on the list, and it’s typical to take nine to 12 months to get a donated liver,” Kipp added.

We’ll have more updates as we get them; meanwhile, here’s our earlier reporting on the story, starting with our Oct. 3 update from Wanda Moore:

A Deschutes County prosecutor whose life-saving liver transplant was denied by a county contractor’s doctor as not “medically necessary” welcomed a reversal of that decision Friday as the family got word the self-insured county will cover the transplant after all.

Dan Reesor was diagnosed early this year with liver cancer and also a rare condition that damages the bile ducts inside and outside the liver.

The doctors he consulted said a liver transplant is needed as soon as possible. But the county is self-insured, and it contracts with a company called Employee Benefit Management Services. A doctor from EBMS reviewed Reesor’s case, deeming the transplant “experimental:” and not “medically necessary.”

That prompted an impassioned public effort by the family, co-workers and friends to, as their Website’s slogan said, “Let Dan Live.”

And good news came late Friday on their Facebook page:

“Friends, we were just notified that our INSURANCE HAS APPROVED DAN’S LIVER TRANSPLANT!” the update said.

“Our family is extremely happy and thrilled that Dan will be able to receive the treatment his doctors recommend. We are immensely grateful to this wonderful community of people who have come forward and made this happen. Dan would not be receiving his treatment if it were not for the caring and love of all of you, and the time you took to help him. We are overwhelmed with gratitude, and will forever be thankful to all of you for the time you took to help Dan.”

They also expressed gratitude to county commissioners “for doing the right thing, listening to Dan’s team of doctors, and allowing him to receive the medical treatment he needs to save his life.”

But for Deschutes County, doing the “right thing” in many eyes wasn’t as easy as it sounded.

“In my eight years with the county, I haven’t seen something like this come before us,” said Commissioner Tammy Baney.

In the month since the EBMS decision, county officials exercised another option: an in-house plan administrator. That administrator has the ability to overrule a third-party administrator if deemed necessary. County Administrator Tom Anderson requested the medical recommendations from doctors UCLA.

“We received that information on Tuesday, which was necessary for our plan administrator to make the determination to move forward,” Baney said Friday evening.

It was a decision that left Jo Mongan, Reesor’s wife, struggling for words after a months-long struggle for answers and a change of heart.

“I don’t even know the words to describe it,” Mongan said. “Absolutely excited to be given the news.”

We caught up with Mongan late Friday during a fundraiser at the Mudpies and Lullabies Preschool in Bend.

And for a wife overwhelmed with good news, it was a microcosm of how the community has been with her husband every step of the way.

“It’s really the community that’s going to save Dan’s life,” she said.

Reesor received the news during his chemotherapy on Friday, and did not have the strength to conduct an on-camera interview.

But on the “Let Dan Live” Facebook page, he wrote, “I want to especially thank all my co-workers at the Deschutes County District Attorney’s Office, for helping me get my transplant approved by insurance. They have been there for me every step of the way the last nine months through my battle with cancer, and the last four months with my battle for insurance coverage. It takes an army to do battle, and they have been fighting with me every day. Thank you.”

Here’s the original Sept. 10 story, also by Wanda Moore:

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In January, Dan Reesor, a prosecuting attorney with the Deschutes County District Attorney’s Office, was diagnosed with liver cancer.

“They did some blood tests on me and three days later the doctor called me up and said: “You have liver cancer,” Reesor said Wednesday.

It was, of course, a life-changing diagnosis for Reesor and his family.

“It was absolutely devastating,” Jo Mongan, Reesor’s wife, said.

Reesor was not only diagnosed with liver cancer, but also a rare liver condition called Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis (PSC), a disease that damages the bile ducts both inside and outside the liver.

Due to the rarity of his disease, he contacted specialists at UCLA, one of the top hospitals for liver disease in the nation.

His team of specialists told him his condition could be treated with a liver transplant.

“Hearing we have a cure was one of the greatest things I’ve ever heard,” Mongan said.

It’s a cure that Reesor needs as soon as possible. But his insurance, which is provided through Deschutes County, denied him coverage.

“If I don’t get a liver transplant, I’ll die, plain and simple,” Reesor said.

It’s a life-or-death challenge for Reesor. Without approval from the insurance, Reesor cannot even get on the transplant waiting list.

He and his wife created a website (www.letdanlive.com), but raising enough money to pay for the $1.4 million procedure is unrealistic.

“This isn’t something where I can sell my house or take money out of the bank,” Reesor said.

Reesor underwent numerous tests at UCLA, proving that he is a viable candidate for a liver transplant. But even then, his insurance denied the coverage.

Deschutes County is self-insured, but they hire a company called Employee Benefit Management Services (EBMS) to determine whether insurance claims are approved. A doctor from EBMS company looked at Reesor’s case, deeming the transplant “experimental” and not “medically necessary.”

“He’s never looked at me, diagnosed me,” Reesor said. “Basically he’s only seen me on paper. So EBMS hires this one doctor who basically determines whether I live or die.”

Deschutes County commissioners said they are not able to comment on the case in detail, because it is covered by HIPPA privacy laws. They said they’re pressuring EBMS as much as they can, but the decision is not up to them.

NewsChannel 21 contacted EBMS Wednesday, but did not hear back from them.
Meanwhile Reesor and his family are running out of time.

“He tells me all the time, ‘I’m not giving up being a dad,'” Mongan said. “‘It’s the greatest joy ever. I will fight until the bitter end, I will not give this up.’ It means so much to him.”