Letter: Payment came ahead of treating 5-year-old

Let me introduce myself. My name is Joshua Genereux, and I am 5 years old. I have an older brother who is 7, his name is Joseph, and a baby sister who is 16 months. Her name is Naomi.

The reason I am writing this letter is because my mom and dad are sad. They don't understand why a dermatologist in town will not treat me and my feet. I have two sores on my feet that are in need of attention to be removed and treated. One sore on the bottom of my right foot prevents me from walking very much as it is painful and is becoming larger by the day.

My mom and my grandmother (two generations) have been seeing this dermatologist for over 10 years. They have spent thousands upon thousands of dollars at her office, having moles removed and minor surgeries for a disease known as melanoma. My uncle almost died last year from the disease and is currently in remission. My grandmother, grandfather and both my aunts have also had melanoma, and I certainly don't want this horrible, horrible killer.

So anyway, my mom and dad were sad last week when my mom called the dermatologist to see if the doctor would remove the sores on my feet. The dermatologist was happy to see me, but unfortunately, with a $350 a year deductible, of which I have met $0, she wanted an up-front payment of one-third, with two following payments of one-third each. My mom explained that we did not have more than $15 right now, and the doctor said there was nothing she could do about that. My mom also explained to the doctor that our family has also been making $10 a month payments on my mom's account and that she had never been late or missed any payments, but once again the doctor said she was sorry but unless my mom and dad had the one-third, she would not see me.

But thank goodness I have a wonderful family doctor, Dr. Stoloff. Any time I am sick or something is wrong, he helps me. He lets me make payments and he said that he would help my feet get better.

I guess the saddest thing that I feel is knowing that there truly is a line between having money and not having money ... between a doctor treating a patient with money and a doctor refusing to treat a patient who can only make payments.

My mom said that she has a great group of doctors and all of them have let her make payments. She really liked the dermatologist and trusted her but when a doctor won't treat a kid like me, what can you do?

I hope my mom can find another dermatologist who will be nice to her and me. Melanoma is a deadly disease, very silent, and can be fast or slow moving. It can start anywhere, anytime with anything. Whether your struggles are small or big, rich or poor, or you don't have any struggles, nobody wants to die at any age with a disease that could have been prevented. Prevention to fight the disease starts young. It starts at home with good doctors, but name any doctor who would refuse treatment to a 5-year-old.

P.S. And since melanoma runs in my family, that would make anyone nervous.

JOSHUA GENEREUX (by his mother, Alice)

Carson City