<\/p>\n
If it wasn\u2019t for the intervention of conservative talk radio host Glenn Beck, the start of the new year might have looked very different \u2014 and deeply grim \u2014 for Canadian Jolene Van Alstine.<\/p>\n
In fact, without\u00a0the spotlight\u00a0he shone on her situation, Van Alstine could have died this week.<\/p>\n
The 45-year-old Saskatchewan native has, for nearly a decade, suffered from a rare but treatable parathyroid disease that causes intense bone pain, nausea, and vomiting.<\/p>\n
When the story first rose to international attention, it was reported Van Alstine needed a particular surgery. However, there are currently no surgeons in Saskatchewan able to perform the required procedure. Because of Canada\u2019s healthcare system, Van Alstine would need to be referred to a doctor outside her province, but, in order to obtain a referral, she\u2019d need to first meet with an endocrinologist in Saskatchewan, none of whom were reportedly willing to accept new patient appointments.<\/p>\n
Listen to the latest\u00a0episode\u00a0of \u201cQuick Start\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Van Alstine visited the provincial legislature last November, where she begged for assistance in her case. But rather than remove bureaucratic red tape, government workers reportedly suggested the country\u2019s controversial euthanasia program, MAiD (Medical Assistance in Dying).<\/p>\n At her wits\u2019 end, she agreed; Van Alstine was slated to see a MAiD provider on Jan. 7 of this year.<\/p>\n When Beck learned of Van Alstine\u2019s story, he jumped on it immediately. In an interview with CBN News, he said, \u201cHow do you let a person die? How do the Canadians \u2014 how are they viewing this? How are they not standing up themselves and saying, \u2018That\u2019s unacceptable. She doesn\u2019t have to die?’\u201d<\/p>\n So moved by her situation, Beck offered to fund Van Alstine\u2019s care, including her transfer to the U.S. and whatever medical intervention might have been necessary for her recovery.<\/p>\n That overwhelming act of kindness has given Van Alstine a new lease on life and a renewed energy to keep fighting toward healing \u2014 rather than taking the government up on physician-assisted suicide, a route she said she never wanted to take.<\/p>\n \u201cYes, today was the original day they gave me,\u201d she\u00a0told the Toronto Sun\u00a0on Wednesday, later telling the outlet, \u201cI\u2019m Roman Catholic. Suicide is a sin, but I just couldn\u2019t stand the pain and nausea and vomiting and overheating 24\/7.\u201d<\/p>\n While Beck\u2019s offer to fly Van Alstine to Florida still stands, the Sun is reporting surgeons in Tampa, Saskatchewan, and Ontario are discussing what would be the best next steps in her case.<\/p>\n Together, doctors have concocted a strategy for Van Alstine.<\/p>\n \u201cI have been taking high doses of calcium and vitamin D,\u201d she said. \u201cThis was recommended by the specialist from Toronto, and the surgeon in Florida agreed that this should be tried first.\u201d<\/p>\n She explained the doctors told her, \u201cIf it brings my parathyroid levels down to low normal, then I don\u2019t need another surgery; I need an endocrinologist who deals with patients who need monitoring of their calcium, vitamin D, and magnesium levels and can adjust them as needed.\u201d<\/p>\n However, she added, \u201cIf it does not bring my levels down, then there is still another gland inside me somewhere that is overactive.\u201d<\/p>\n Beck and Van Alstine have remained in touch, according to the Sun.<\/p>\n CBN News has reached out to Beck for a statement. This story will be updated if he offers comment.<\/p>\n Please sign up for\u00a0Faithwire\u2019s daily newsletter\u00a0and download the\u00a0CBN News app\u00a0to stay up-to-date with the latest news from a distinctly Christian perspective.<\/strong><\/em><\/strong><\/em><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" If it wasn\u2019t for the intervention of conservative talk radio host Glenn Beck, the start of the new year might have looked very different \u2014 and deeply grim \u2014 for Canadian Jolene Van Alstine. In fact, without\u00a0the spotlight\u00a0he shone on her situation, Van Alstine could have died this week. The 45-year-old Saskatchewan native has, for<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":15980,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[4385,4922,3293,3055,1737,3290,4921,1113],"class_list":{"0":"post-15979","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-jesus","8":"tag-assistance","9":"tag-becks","10":"tag-canadian","11":"tag-date","12":"tag-death","13":"tag-glenn","14":"tag-survives","15":"tag-woman"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15979","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=15979"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15979\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/15980"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=15979"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=15979"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=15979"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}