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Terminally-ill woman fights to keep health benefits



Story Published: Mar 15, 2007 at 11:27 PM PST

Story Updated: Mar 15, 2007 at 11:49 PM PST
By Mark Miller Watch the story Time is running out for a local flight attendant on sick leave battling a terminal disease as her employer's policy threatens to cut off her health care benefits.

Jo Reinhardt traveled the world as a United Airlines flight attendant for 18 years until Lou Gehrig's disease grounded her career.

"From my first flight to my last flight, I loved it," she said.

Jo now speaks with the help of a ventilator. Her mind is healthy, but her body is not so well from the neck down. She can no longer give hugs to her son, Jacob, and her husband, Rodger.

"It is a devastating and terminal disease, we know that. And we feel fortunate that I have had this long," she said.

And Jo now faces a crushing deadline. She has reached the end of her three-year medical leave, and United Airlines rules state if you can't return to duty, you lose your job. That would mean no more health care benefits.

"Financially, it would be devastating. emotionally, more so," Jo said.

In a desperate attempt, Jo has written her employer a letter asking the company to allow her to keep her benefits.

Jo and her husband look at it this way. Jo dedicated a long time to her deadline and now, she needs her United Airlines family to stand by her side.

"This is about doing right for Jo. This is what she has left," Jo's husband, Rodger said.

It might not be the most realistic plan, but Jo is hoping to stay alive long enough for science to find a cure.

She needs her doctors and her medical benefits now more than ever, and she still wants her company to need her.

"And I hope that one day I can go back to the airport in my uniform and be working. And I don't want that hope taken away" she said.

KOMO 4 News contacted United Airlines regarding Jo's situation, and the airline released a statement which said:

"Jo is a valued member of our team and has just recently accepted our long-standing offer to discuss potential positions within the company that would accommodate her situation."

The airline says it is committed to figuring out a way to help Jo.

http://www.komotv.com/news/6529072.html