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'It meant her life' | Georgia family grateful after governor steps in to ensure 15-year-old cancer patient's treatment

Fifteen-year-old Alexis McRae's application for the Katie Beckett Medicaid insurance waiver was denied, putting her life at risk - until Gov. Brian Kemp stepped in.

ATLANTA — A 15-year-old Georgia girl has a new lease on life after getting some much-needed help from the highest office in the state.

The world is a stage for Alexis McRae - even her hospital room. 

"Whenever I am in the hospital or just homesick, I'll watch a play or a musical, or I will put on a little show for my mom in the hospital room. It fills my spirit," she said.

Those shows prepared her for her biggest stage: the Gold Dome, with the governor as her audience.

She shared her story with Gov. Brian Kemp and First Lady Marty Kemp at Georgia's Capitol. She was invited to read Georgia's proclamation on Childhood Cancer Awareness Month in September. McRae stepped into the spotlight to highlight healthcare and, admittedly, some of the struggles to afford it.

Every day, 47 kids in the United States are diagnosed with cancer. Every minute of the fight counts for those children since getting treatment is critical. When McRae's family learned their teenage daughter may not get the treatment she needed, they were desperate to find help.

"I got a port placed in my chest and I started chemo. Chemo is the worst," she said.

She explained having osteosarcoma, a type of bone cancer, the way only a teenager can.

"It sucks, and it's frustrating," McRae said. 

More frustration came when her renewal for the Katie Beckett Medicaid waiver was denied. The waiver, also known as TEFRA, provides supplemental insurance coverage for kids suffering from chronic, life-threatening conditions.

She was denied. 

The world is a stage for Alexis McRae. But a hospital room is where the 15 year old performs. “Whenever I am in the...

Posted by Kaitlyn Ross 11Alive on Thursday, January 11, 2024

"This treatment is her last option. So being told that she could not receive it was life or death for her," said her mother, Katy McRae. 

Her parents said they ran into roadblock after roadblock as the time to appeal the decision ticked down.

"We couldn't get any definite answers because we didn't understand the language. 'Well, send this in, what is this, it's that,'" said her father, Michael McRae. "Because we wanted to do the right thing, but we didn't understand what needed to be done."

That's when the Rally Foundation for Childhood Cancer Research took center stage.

"I thought, 'We have to do something,'" Executive Director Dean Crowe said. "So immediately, I just started thinking, 'What is it that we can do to help her be approved for Katie Beckett?"

She leaned on the foundation's connections to appeal to Alexis' former audience: the governor.

"Had the governor not stepped in, our time would have been severely cut short with her," McRae's mother said.

Just an hour before the deadline, the McRae's got the call that their waiver was approved.

Kemp's spokesperson, Garrison Douglas, said the governor was glad to help.

“The Governor and First Lady are delighted and thankful that Alexis is able to receive the treatment she needs," Douglas said on behalf of the governor. "They are keeping her, her family, and all those afflicted by this terrible illness in their prayers." 

McRae's family said the call was life-changing because of how dire it was that Alexis received treatment. For them, the governor getting involved meant her life. 

"My first thought immediately was: 'He listens,'" McRae said. 

The governor's involvement set the stage to let McRae shine in the spotlight another day. She begins her treatment in early January.

Doctors are hoping the medicine will get her well enough to take part in another clinical trial that could help slow the progression of her cancer.

She wants people to hear this story and understand how many kids need this waiver in the state. 

For more information on the TEFRA/Katie Beckett waiver, click here.

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