Ann Gregory has fought for her life for more than three months, and she finally won one of her battles. After arguing and fighting for a transplant that could save the former University student’s life, Ann Gregory and her husband Chris Gregory received word her insurance company decided to approve the procedure Tuesday morning. “I drew a complete blank,” she said. “Then I started crying like a baby. It’s been such an emotional few months that when we got the news, it was hard to reconcile the fact that we were going to be able to move forward.” Doctors diagnosed Ann Gregory with a rare type of leukemia Jan. 9, one week before the spring semester began. Ann Gregory and her husband left Baton Rouge for M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston immediately. The hospital is one of three major cancer treatment centers in the United States. Since then, she underwent intense cycles of chemotherapy and other treatments. Problems arose after Ann Gregory’s insurance company through Harold’s, her former employer, said they would not pay for an umbilical cord stem cell transplant, a $500,000 procedure they considered experimental. Chris Gregory said the approval means his wife will get “a fighting chance to beat the cancer and live a normal life again.” Ann Gregory will have to take several steps before receiving her transplant. “Ann will have to get heavy duty chemo and radiation to kill off the existing bone marrow and cancer cells,” Chris Gregory said. “Then, after they will infuse the stem cells harvested from the umbilical cords into her with an IV.” Paige Raschke, international studies senior, said she could not stop thinking about Ann Gregory after reading an article about her battle with leukemia in The Daily Reveille. She wanted to do something to raise awareness about Ann Gregory’s situation, so she created a group on Facebook.com called “Help Me Save Ann Gregory’s Life” on March 24. “The group itself is a fundraising tool,” Raschke said. “The idea of the group was to invite all of your friends, and everyone donate at least $1. It’s a very simple idea, but everyone has to participate in order to work.” More than 3,200 people have joined the group as of Wednesday. Chris Gregory said people have donated approximately $82,858 to his wife. He said the Facebook group is responsible for approximately $2,500 of the total amount of donations. Raschke raised $365 during table sits in Free Speech Alley so far this week. Chris Gregory said they had to sell their house in Baton Rouge, and they are currently waiting on the contract. “Selling the house was necessary to cut our expenses, and the money made would help to cover any uninsured medical costs and legal fees,” he said. “We are very sad about having to sell it.” Dixie Gregory, Chris Gregory’s mother, organized a blood drive that will be held tomorrow from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Construction Management Building near CEBA in honor of Ann Gregory. “For every pint donated, Ann also gets $15 applied to medical bills at MDA,” Raschke said. Raschke said the group is looking for 24 volunteers to help with the blood drive.
—–Contact Angelle Barbazon at [email protected]