37 [Excerpts from 2022 follow-up interview] One major problem with chronic, complex medical illnesses is that you look normal, but you don’t feel that way. So, people are misdiagnosed or they experience medical gaslighting. With the Camp Lejeune Justice Act, there is more awareness, but little else. I am working diligently to get my attorney what he needs to submit a claim, but one of my doctors has retired, and I’m pulling death certificates and wondering how the heck did I, do I, do all this. I’m still fighting, but I’m only one person. And while I’m a paralegal and possess an M.B.A. degree, there are days I have to grab my walking stick and rush to the hospital or, if I’m lucky, a pool where the compression helps me function. It hurts my heart to think of what fellow veterans are facing without this background. Many have died. o PAULA’S PLEA LEGAL AID “Interpreting the Camp Lejeune act as an accident or personal injury claim means lawyers set a contingency of 33–40 percent of what they get for poisoned veterans, plus fees. The point was raised as the bill was being written, but ignored. If a tort approach is taken, the range drops to 20–25 percent. Veterans still face court proceedings, offset charges, and claim challenges. This may offer some light at the end of the tunnel. RESEARCH “Dr. Klimas supported me with letters (as well as clinical care) during a 10-year diagnosis dispute. The rub is that toxins are prevalent in all our lives. Baby food is contaminated. Water. Chemicals outlawed in other countries are allowed here. I’ve been to the hospital by ambulance five times since January. We all need more specialists. HIGHER EDUCATION “We need larger numbers of strong students in the lab at microscopes now. Time spent retaking courses on subjects learned in high school is wasteful. Let’s get them immersed and enamored with research more quickly. It takes different modalities to combat complex, multi-symptom illnesses. Add long COVID to the list. As we would say in the military, we need “all hands on deck.” We need a revolution to get to cures.” —Paula Twitty Bushman Doctor’s Note | With CFS, inflammation occurs in the brain. Patients with this illness experience a level of disability that’s equal to that of patients with late-stage AIDS, patients undergoing chemotherapy, or patients with multiple sclerosis.” Nancy Klimas, M.D., Director, NSU Institute for Neuro-Immune Medicine ‘‘ VETERANS LAW CLINIC SERVING THOSE WHO SERVED «PRO BONO Our goal is to remove legal barriers to housing, health care, education, employment, and financial well-being for veterans. (954) 262-6063
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