Fight for life now a battle on two fronts Linda Beyer's illness only one side of the health struggle involving state's largest insurer, the school 'lunch lady' and her family, and complexities of managed care.(Series: Pitfalls of managed care)(News)

0 Comments | Daily Herald (Arlington Heights, IL), August, 2002 | by Cliatt, Cass

Byline: Cass Cliatt Daily Herald Staff Writer Linda Beyer tells her husband the only way she'll ever leave the hospital is in a body bag. Her lips form the words but make no sound. The hole cut in her throat to feed her oxygen has taken away her ability to speak. The tears constantly clouding the eyes of the former school lunch lady prevent one from guessing that today should be a joyous day for the 48-year-old.

Today is the one-year anniversary of the lung transplant that saved Beyer's life. But on the milestone day many transplant hopefuls only dream of, Beyer questions if today was worth the nightmarish struggle her family went through to get here. The Rolling Meadows woman had to suffer through two miserable years of heaving breaths through...