Quinn's Story: Looking to Medicaid for a Multi-Organ Transplant
Quinn Mackercher urgently needs a multi-organ transplant, a procedure only offered in the U.S., and can only access it through Medicaid coverage.
by Quinn Mackercher
My name is Quinn Mackercher. I live in Michigan with my parents Kathy and Jim and my older brother Desmond. I love sports. I used to play baseball and I’m really good at mini-golf. I’m also a huge gamer. I play a lot of Fortnite, Roblox, and Star Wars with my friends. I also make gaming reaction YouTube videos, and just finished watching The Walking Dead. I’m working my way through The Rookie right now and I love all things Star Wars. The Mandalorian was great.
As you may have noticed, I come with more tubes than the average 14-year-old. I have a condition called prune belly that affects my kidneys and urinary tract, and causes my belly to look a little bit like a prune. I also have MMIH syndrome, which affects my intestines, colon, and bladder. I’ve received nutrition intravenously since birth, and I need all these tubes to help me get medications and drain urine. I definitely don’t like being stuck with all this medical stuff!
I want to grow up to help people, especially people with medical needs like me, or maybe homeless people. I’m also interested in medical research.
Living with these conditions can be really hard. I go to school, but if I have a leak or a stomach acid buildup, I have to leave class to take care of it. I have a lot of friends, but sometimes people are mean to me because of my medical issues. If someone calls me a loser or whatever, though, I tell them I survive more in a day than they can even imagine living through in a month.
Because of my medical issues, I need a multi-organ transplant. Without it, I will die. I also have other ongoing medical needs that my Medicaid covers for. If I lose my Medicaid coverage, I could die. My family is already $100,000 in medical debt and we would have a really hard time paying for the coverage I need.
I want to grow up to help people, especially people with medical needs like me, or maybe homeless people. I’m also interested in medical research. Because my condition is so rare, I’m already helping other kids because my doctors learn from me. Or I might do something like video or sound engineering, I still can’t decide. The Medicaid cuts I see people talking about would end my future. I don’t know what I or my family would do. That’s why I’m here to defend Medicaid. Even though it’s intimidating to be telling my story, this is too important.