Julie Wood spent the last two years of her life fighting for recognition of new cancer therapies. Julie learned in February 2008 that the pain she had complained of for the past eight months was a very rare form of cancer of the appendix. Julie fought to have a radical new surgical intervention in March 2008, and paid for the operation herself with borrowed funds when Kaiser turned her down. She continued the fight after the operation and Kaiser reversed its denial.
Julie and her friends found adoptive immunotherapy searcing for a hopeful therapy and Julie fought for approval of the therapy. When Kaiser again refused, Julie's friends and family raised the money for the treatment in Sweden, but Julie fought for the coverage anyway in hopes of opening the way for coverage of adoptive immunotherapy as an alternative to chemotherapy. Adoptive immunotherapy uses a patient's own antibodies to attack her tumors.
Julie filed a complaint against Kaiser with the Insurance Commissioner and endured a churlish deposition by Kaiser's attorney. She was unable to prove that the treatment was considered effective for her form of cancer, but, importantly, she proved that Kaiser had not complied with Hawaii medical necessity law in denying the therapy.
Julie received the adoptive immunotherapy treatments, but succumbed to complications resulting from the destructive chemotherapy that was all Kaiser was willing to cover.

Julie (left) and friend, Diana Custer
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