Is this just another PREMATURE DEATH caused by inappropriate care, denial of care, or just “writing off” another high acuity chronic pain pt? Another death that will not show up on any statistical database as an intentional failure of our health care system?
PLEASE READ URGENT-DEATH of PAIN PATIENT-undiagnosed ALS……. DEATH of 59 yr old Mother-undiagnosed ALS and her pain was not treated adequately, she suffered. From Maria Higginbotham:
Hi Kat I’M BEGGING YOU to PLEASE read this horrific story. (Below my message) This was my BEST friend. She wanted her story told. For the last 3 years she suffered because doctors didn’t give her adequate pain medication. In October 2023 she tried to commit suicide. She kept dwindling away and on Jan 1, 2025 went into hospital with pneumonia. She was then diagnosed with ALS-Lou Gherigs disease. She died 2 days ago on January 19th. Her death has horrific, she was literally scared to death.I’m begging you to read this, I promise it is something the people in this country will want to hear.I am attaching her story, it’s a rough draft I’ve been working on in hopes that someone will tell her story, but you will get the point.I’m still working with family to get the rest.In October she filmed herself and took pictures. The system failed her in every way. Her sons now have no mother.PLEASE
read and help me share her story Hugs Maria Higginbotham 253-381-1783**Gretchen’s Pain Journey and Death I’m writing this on behalf of my best friend and fellow pain warrior Gretchen Lont who I loved deeply. I promised Gretchen I would make sure her story would be told, her last hope was it might stop the needless suffering of others from non treated or under treated pain, this mission meant the world to her. We call ourselves pain warrior’s because we have been fighting a war for the right to receive adequate pain treatment since 2016. According to the NIH and CDC almost 21% of the US Population, 51.6 million American adults, suffer from chronic pain, more than heart disease, diabetes and cancer combined. Many of these patients suffer from horrific chronic pain, a symptom of underlying disease that often takes years to identify and in many cases the diagnosis is too late to help. Sadly, Gretchen Maria Lont, age 59, died on January 19, 2025 after suffering for years from undertreated pain. She kept telling her doctors of her pain issues, her words fell on deaf ears. In the end, 12 days before her death, she was diagnosed with ALS-Lou Gherig’s Disease. Prior to becoming disabled, Gretchen lived life to the fullest, she loved beyond measure her 3 sons Zach, Jordan and Nathan. She enjoyed spending time with her family, including her father, sister and her extended family. She worked hard to provide for her children but always found time to have fun and enjoy life.Gretchen truly knew that it was more of a blessing to give than to receive. Her generosity knew no bounds. Her radiant smile lit up any room she entered. She had a feisty personality and would be a mother bear and protect anyone she loved. She enjoyed crafting, making jewelry and painting. She had an amazing talent and her art work was her release. She adored animals, in her paintings and also seen in her Facebook posts were always of cute animal pictures, especially foxes. She could often be found feeding the squirrels and birds in her yard. Most recently she adopted a special needs cat, Cleo, knowing it would need special care, and remarked we’re two damaged bodies just trying to survive and we’ll do it together.Gretchen originally got hurt working for an upscale restaurant in Tacoma, due to a spill that had not been cleaned, Gretchen slipped, fell and hurt her back. That led to years of living with excruciating back pain, back surgeries and then joint pain. She had swallowing issues which required her throat to be stretched, she was constantly having lung issues.Gretchen tried all the alternative treatment methods, but they did not relieve her pain. Living with chronic pain is like living with chronic illness, you feel invisible, from the outside you look fine, on the inside your body is screaming in agony. Eventually Gretchen found a wonderful pain management doctor who treated her like the individual she was and with compassion and empathy. Opioids helped get her pain to a manageable level in which she could live, do things for herself and enjoyed some quality of life. She spent time with her family, enjoyed holidays and getting outdoors and enjoying nature. She was passionate about art and she was able to paint and also create beautiful jewellery and other craftwork.Sadly, her doctor, after years of constant reprisals from medical agencies regarding her prescribing habits (she never lost her cases) decided to retire, she like many other physicians chose to shut their doors due to the hostile treatment they received for taking care of patients suffering in pain. In June 2021 she gave her patients a 1 year notice so they could try to find a replacement pain management care. Unfortunately, Washington is a wasteland, most physicians will not take chronic pain patients, those who will, won’t if you’re on opioids, and others will if they can treat you with other methods already tried and failed. Gretchen’s only option was to initiate the process of having an invasive surgery, and have a pain pump implanted. In order to get this surgery, she had to complete several psychological and physical exams which she passed. Then she was told she had to reduce her current opioid dosage by 75%. This drastic reduction left her bedbound suffering in agonizing pain. After months of agony she was informed by the pain “pump” doctor that her insurance, through the state, Medicaid, would not cover the cost of a pain pump. In light of this denial, she asked if her dosage would be increased as she could no longer tolerate living with this excruciating pain. The physician declined to increase her dosage back to a dosage that allowed her some quality of life and left her to suffer.On October 3, 2023, Gretchen got very despondent, she felt hopeless, what is there left to live for when you are bedridden suffering in agonizing pain? She felt like a burden. Unable to spend time with family, no longer able to enjoy quality of life. The pain “pump” physician didn’t seem to care that she was progressively deteriorating. She was physically dwindling away to nothing, her cries for help were unheard. During one particularly difficult evening, she decided to have a drink, the first drink in over 20 years. Then she took all her medication in an attempt to commit suicide. Fear set in and she told her son who immediately called 911, she was resuscitated via CPR. The ER doctors and nurses noted this would not have happened if her pain had been treated appropriately. She was discharged and told to speak with her pain “pump” doctor about increasing her pain medication.Gretchen contacted her pain “pump” doctor the following day via a virtual visit, he seemed sympathetic, saying that “we need to provide you with better pain management” but told her they would have to work slowly to look at increasing her dosage of pain medication. He gave her hope. That hope was extinguished the following day when help never came, her doctor declined to increase her medication and she continued her downward spiral.I referred Gretchen to a different doctor who was both a primary care practitioner and a pain management specialist. The physician agreed to try and help Gretchen but had to start cautiously. They tried various other medications which helped a little but Gretchen was struggling and her health continued to worsen. She was incapacitated for months, losing 5-8lbs a week. She had always had swallowing issues and had her throat stretched several times but the last time didn’t help. She began having issues breathing, clots in her lungs, falling down often. It had become difficult to speak. She was the shell of the person she was 2 years ago.In late December 2024 Gretchen’s breathing issues became worse, coughing non stop. Her doctor, also fearing an underlying neurodegenerative disease, recommended her family take her to UW Emergency Room where she would in addition to receiving care for her probable pneumonia, would receive a neurology consult. Ultimately in addition to pneumonia she was diagnosed with ALS- Lou Gehrig’s disease. All the suffering she had been going through was due to an undiagnosed incurable painful disease.Gretchen was admitted into the hospital on January 1, 2025. She was discharged to home hospice on Friday January 17th. After only an hour at home she had a coughing fit and an anxiety attack and was taken immediately to a nearby hospital. By the time she arrived she was frozen in place. Eyes and mouth open, hands extended but unresponsive. She laid that way for approx 46 hours, surrounded by those who loved her until finally on Sunday January 19th, she stopped breathing.I told her son, she has her angel wings and is flying around no longer in pain, a bright light in our lives whose flame will never be extinguished.Gretchen’s Words:Please help patients like me who have no options, no doctors will take you if you’re a chronic pain patient.It’s awful when you’re in a vulnerable position like this and no one will help.I am sharing my story because I want people in charge to understand that we are not just people suffering with pain, we are members of a family, with people we love and family members who love us. We deserve to live out our lives laughing and enjoying those around us, not lying in bed incapacitated.Please stop punishing those suffering in pain. Our lives matter. 
Filed under: General Problems
Horrific and tragic. How have things been allowed to get so inhumane and bad in this country? Where is the advocacy from public leaders? God Bless her soul and her family.