Link to the article:

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/3815583/

Here is the article:
Hero pilot has one more life to save
by Chris Genna, Journal Reporter
The King County Journal
Updated: 7:19 a.m. ET Dec. 27, 2003
December 27, 2003 - SEATAC -- Capt. Al Haynes became a national figure in
1989 when he managed to land United Airlines Flight 232 in Sioux City, Iowa,
saving 185 lives, even though he had almost no control of the DC-10 after
its center engine exploded.

Now, he hopes his lingering fame can help save the life of his daughter,
Laurie Haynes Arguello, 39, by raising enough money to pay for her bone
marrow transplant.

Arguello was diagnosed in December 2001 with aplastic anemia, a disorder in
which her bone marrow can't produce enough red or white blood cells. Lack of
red cells produces anemia; lack of white ones means the system can't fight
off infections.

A form of chemotherapy called ATG, for antithymocyte globulin, ``worked for
a while,'' she said, meaning, ``I didn't need transfusions once a week.''
The first time she had ATG, it reduced her symptoms for nine months. There
was some hope the disorder had been cured. It wasn't.

Even though the failure of ATG treatment meant a bone marrow transplant was
the only way to save her life, she had another ATG session because, ``We
hoped it would hold me out until we could collect the deposit.''

A marrow donor has been lined up and is waiting for the call. But what
Arguello calls a deposit is $156,000 that her insurance will not pay. ``That
gets you in the door to do the transplant,'' she said, but after care --
medicines, doctor visits and such -- could easily cost another $100,000.

And even after that, Haynes said, ``She'll probably need anti-rejection
drugs the rest of her life.''

So Haynes and Arquello are trying to raise $250,000. ``A committee of 25
friends of Laurie's and mine set up a foundation,'' he said, to raise money
for her transplant.

In the less than two weeks since the effort started, it raised a little more
than $30,000, Haynes said, a strong start, boosted by Haynes' associates in
the ALPA, the Airline Pilots Association, and the Association of Flight
Attendants.

Both unions have published links to the fund drive on their Web pages. So
has the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association.

A Seattle television station carried a story last week. MSNBC did one
Tuesday, and the story is to be picked up on NBC affiliates nationwide.

Arguello can't hide a little bitterness about the medical insurance
industry. ``I paid for insurance for many, many years when I wasn't sick;
then, when I needed it, it was ... um ... it was a tough one.''

She explained that for the eight years she was employed by Northwest
Janitorial Supply, she and her employer paid into a Regents Health Care
group plan. After she got sick and couldn't work, her employer kept her on
the group plan five or six months, as long as they could.

But when she had to apply for an individual plan, she was refused for a
pre-existing condition.

She got insurance through Washington state, but it covers only $100,000 of
the $256,000 she needs just for the marrow transplant.

About everything else, Arguello is upbeat, talking about her condition, the
treatment, the fund-raising effort as if her life did not depend on it.

As she talks to a reporter, her 9-year-old son Michael -- ``There are so
many Mikes in the family, I call him Cruz,'' Haynes said -- listens
politely, but he's heard it all. The fourth-grader's favorite subjects are
math and P.E., affinities he hopes to use in a career as professional soccer
player.

Haynes too has the matter-of-fact, almost stoic, determination that drove
him to write the book on controlling a DC-10 jetliner using only throttles,
saving the lives of more than half of the 296 souls aboard at Sioux City
July 19, 1989.

``My wife died in 1999, my oldest son was killed in a motorcycle crash (in
1997) and now this is coming up with my daughter. So we're having our share
of bad luck; but we learned a long time ago that it doesn't do you any good
to cry about it. You just do what you can and deal with what you have.''

CONTRIBUTIONS

www.friendsforlauri.com or write to the National Foundation for Transplants
in behalf of Laurie Arguello:

NFT for Laurie Arguello

P.O. Box 7781

Covington WA 98042

MORE FROM TOP STORIES


"Jay Honeck" wrote in message
news:VLIIb.707319$Tr4.1787059@attbi_s03...
Capt. Haynes is trying to raise the money for the treatment. So far, he
has
raised about $30,000.

I don't mean to be cynical (that's Martin's job), but something doesn't
add
up here...

Capt. Haynes is a retired airline captain, and a sought-after speaker on
the
mashed-potato circuit. As such he should set for life, and pretty much
rolling in money.

Yet he can't borrow/raise $250K to save his daughter's life?
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"
"James Blakely" wrote in
message
...
I know everyone hear remember Capt. Haynes. Capt. Haynes was the pilot
of
United flight 232 when the center engine suffered an uncontained
failure
and the DC-10 lost all of its hydraulic systems. Capt. Haynes landed
the
ship at Sioux City using differential power. His handling of the
emergency
is considered an example on how to manage cockpit resources.

However, do you know the family tragedies he has had to face since then?
His wife passed away in 1999 and his son died in 1997. Now it his
daughter
who needs help. Laurie Haynes Arguello has been diagnosed with aplastic
anemia. The only treatment is a bone marrow transplant. A donor has
been
located but the cost of the transplant and follow-up treatment is over
$250,000.


If you wish to make a donation to Laurie's treatment, please click:
http://www.transplants.org/

According to the site, the donations are tax-deductible but you should
check
with your tax advisor.

NOTE: I am not representing Capt. Haynes, Ms. Arguello, nor the
National
Foundation for Transplants. I read this story in the paper and decided
to
make a donation. I just thought that as pilots, you may be interested
as
well. Go ahead and flame me if you want.