Wednesday, April 30, 2003
Correct treatment was delayed by a misdiagnosis.
FARRELL, Pa. -- The family of an eighth-grader at Msgr. Geno Monti School will get some help meeting uninsured expenses associated with her treatment for leukemia.
A group called Friends of Brittany's has organized a spaghetti dinner to benefit Brittany Buhovecky, 13.
The goal is to help the family cover some of the uninsured expenses it is incurring, said Helen Scarmack, one of the organizers.
The dinner and Chinese auction will run from noon to 5 p.m. May 4 at Fatima Hall, 1225 Union St.
Tickets are $6 for adults, $4 for children 6 to 12, and $3 for children under 6.
Brittany was misdiagnosed as having juvenile rheumatoid arthritis when she became sick last year, said her mother, Mary Ann Buhovecky.
It wasn't until New Year's Eve that she was diagnosed with leukemia, after which she spent six weeks in the hospital. She has been bedridden frequently since then, often unable to attend school, her mother said.
She is facing 21/2 years of chemotherapy as part of her treatment, Buhovecky said.
Medical expenses so far have reached $50,000 but most of that has been covered by insurance, she said, noting that the family can use some assistance with things like travel costs.