KU Medical student turns near - death diagnosis into fight for reform

aol.com · Feb 19, 2026 · Collected from GDELT

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. — For one KU Medical student, a near-death health complication has redefined the work she’s doing not only in school, but far beyond the walls of the classroom.Fourteen months ago, continuing her education at the University of Kansas School of Medicine didn’t seem possible for Kaitlyn Sy.“It was kind of horrifying to know what will happen to me if I don’t get the treatment I need,” she said.Sy is now rounding the corner of year two in medical school. But just over a year ago, her future and her life were in jeopardy. Chiefs cheerleader’s legacy remembered with STEM grant at Central Middle School “My immune system thinks that my platelets are germs so it destroys them so that keeps me from being able to clot my blood when I get injured. So, just a little bump or scrap for someone else is not a big deal but for me it could be a big problem,” she said.More than four years ago, Sy was diagnosed with Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura, or ITP a rare immune disorder that attacks platelets, the blood cells responsible for clotting.The condition can cause dangerous internal bleeding and, in severe cases, become life-threatening.“I ended up in the emergency room with some pretty serious bleeding that had been going on for about a week,” she said.She required a blood transfusion to survive. To stabilize her condition long term, doctors prescribed a medication called Promacta.That’s when she faced another crisis.“When I got the pharmacy we found out that – that medication cost about – they told me $8,000 but it was actually more like $10,000 a month.”“For each refill?”“Each refill yes. And this is a maintenance medicine, $10,000 a month that adds up pretty quickly. Basically, on top of my tuition as a medical student I already have loans so, $120,000 a year is just something that I can’t pay just to stay alive,” she said.Sy turned to her insurer, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City, hoping the medication would be covered. See the latest headlines in Kansas City and across Kansas, Missouri While waiting on a decision, she was placed on a temporary alternative that produced severe side effects forcing her to step back from medical school activities. Her dream of becoming a doctor hung in the balance.“I seriously considered dropping out of medical school, reason being, I spend so much time, so much effort, so much money trying to learn about how to treat diseases and then a single word from an insurance company can keep any of my work from mattering I was like what’s the point,” she said.The denial, she later learned, stemmed from a misunderstanding about her insurance coverage.She and her providers believed she was enrolled in one plan.The insurance company said she was actually enrolled in a similarly named plan with different benefits highlighting just how complex insurance policies can be.With few options left, Sy’s classmates, neighbors and viewers stepped in.“Hey can we start a GoFundMe? And honestly I’m like dude I don’t have anything to lose at this point sure you can set up a GoFundMe I didn’t expect that to work out but like FOX4KC amplified my story and my community came together,” she said.The GoFundMe raised more than $20,000, covering the first two months of her medication.Eventually, Sy was able to enroll in her father’s insurance plan, which now covers the full cost of the drug.Her story also prompted an investigation by the Kansas Department of Insurance into Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City. The agency ultimately determined the insurer did nothing wrong.“If everything they did was legal, the law needs to change,” Sy said.Discouraged but not defeated, Sy returned to school and to advocacy. Asbestos discovered at Sedalia school, district says air is safe She joined other advocates in drafting a petition supporting prior authorization reform in Kansas.They gathered 600 signatures pushing for legislative change.The bill failed last session, but supporters are trying again. Senate Bill 330 aimed at reforming prior authorization practices is currently sitting in committee.The deadline for it to advance is Feb. 19. Sy remains hopeful it will reach the Senate floor.Her advocacy doesn’t stop at the Capitol.Sy now serves as Director of Funding and Community Outreach for the Socially Responsible Surgery Clinic, which partners with Caree Beyond the Boulevard.The safety-net clinic provides free care for uninsured and underinsured patients, operating 9 to 12 pop-up clinics each week.Sy and other medical students perform procedures that can be done under local anesthesia volunteering their time to care for those who might otherwise go without treatment.“As a volunteer coordinator that’s one of my proudest moments is when I see these young students come,” said Charol Ward, program director and volunteer coordinator for Care Beyond the Boulevard.For Sy, the experience of nearly losing her life and almost losing her dream reshaped her purpose. Download WDAF+ for Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV “This experience taught me that silence is not a luxury that I had it’s like basically, if you’re not at the table you’re on the menu – so you got to speak up sometimes,” she said.From patient to changemaker, Kaitlyn Sy is proving that medicine isn’t just about treating disease it’s also about fighting for a system that works for everyone.Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV | News, Weather, Sports.