Jason Overman, a 6-year-old cancer patient from Orem, was readmitted Tuesday to the UCLA Medical Center and is scheduled for an Aug. 18 bone-marrow transplant.
"The family is tickled," Lorraine Hill, Jason's aunt, said Tuesday. "This is the most definite thing we have heard in a week."Jason was diagnosed in February as having neuroblastoma, a rare form of nerve cancer. When the Overmans' health insurance company refused to pay for a bone-marrow transplant that could increase Jason's chances of survival, the family turned to the community for help.
Dozens of fund-raisers were organized, sponsored by everyone from grade school children to inmates at the Utah State Prison. Dances and auctions were held, and senior high school classes donated class funds.
Efforts raised $192,000 for Jason's transplant. Hospital bills for the procedure are expected to be between $155,000 and $200,000, although complications could drive costs higher. Doctors' fees are not included in that projection.
Jason was admitted to the medical center Aug. 1, then released Aug. 4 because needed tests could be performed on an outpatient basis.