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– We are completely overwhelmed by the response, says mother Isabell Hagen on TV 2.
He sits in front of the screen and reads the comments of many of the almost 7,000 who have contributed to the joint that has been created so that they can finance the operation that is needed to save the son’s sight. He suffers from an extremely rare eye disease that causes him to go blind without treatment.
– We can’t believe it’s true! People are so generous. They give money, share the case on social media and encourage sharing. It gives the case all the speed, says Mother Isabell.
Took off completely
In just 12 hours after TV 2 news told the story on Saturday night, more than a million crowns entered.
– It was overwhelming. We have received very good comments and there has been a huge commitment since the case was known on TV 2.
The splice has exceeded NOK 1.5 million.
GRATEFUL: Isabell Hagen talks about a tremendous commitment to her son Ulrik. Photo: Arne Rovick / TV 2
– We had no intention of starting a fundraising campaign. Our focus has been to do the Decision Forum for New Methods and politicians understand that Health Norway must accept this bill for the eight patients it is about, Isabell Hagen tells TV 2.
But the answer was unequivocal and fundraising campaigns were organized in various places in Norway.
– We felt we had to take control of this ourselves, so that we could also update donors with our story.
TV 2 has previously talked about Torger Sætre, who lives in the same municipality as Ulrik. He has the same diagnosis and should be operated as soon as possible to avoid going blind. Here, the splice that was started has exceeded 3.5 million crowns.
COMMON FATE: Ulrik Fure and Torger Sætre (right) have the eye disease Retinitis pigmentosa in a mutated form. This causes both of them to go blind if they don’t receive treatment. Photo: Arne Rovick / TV 2
– I am completely overwhelmed by the joy of giving, says Torger to TV 2.
It hurts to say no
On Wednesday, Storting representative Sylvi Listhaug asked Prime Minister Erna Solberg on Storting Question Time why Health Norway cannot accept the bill for Torger, Ulrik and the other six patients who have the mutated variant of the retinitis pigmentosa.
– We have chosen a prioritization model and it hurts every time there are none, it hurts every time we see individual destinations. But I support the system that the Storting has decided we will follow in these cases and I will not override it, replied the Prime Minister.
But he keeps the door a little ajar.
– That does not mean that we do not have the experience that this is a difficult case and that perhaps we have to analyze whether some of the principles should have been followed in a better way, says Erna Solberg.
Gift splicing
Mamma Isabell intends to continue the fight for the treatment to be covered by the public sector.
– We never give up. I cannot give myself as a father. I can’t live with the fact that I haven’t done everything I can for my son. I can’t sit back and accept what Erna says, Isabell Hagen tells TV 2.
If she and the family are successful, the splice leads to good causes.
– So we want the money to go back to the people through charitable purposes and eye disease research, says Isabell Hagen and her husband Widar Fure.
