GREENSBORO, N.C. — Ann McIntyre does almost everything with a smile on her face. It may seem simple, but her life has been anything but.
“I’ve been blessed, I live a wonderful life but it’s a hard life,” McIntyre said.
When she was just three months old, McIntyre was diagnosed with polio. She wore leg braces for much of her childhood. While it did limit her physically, it did not hinder her outlook on life.
Whatever it is McIntyre charged full speed ahead even though it was a bit slower than most. McIntyre has had other health issues, but she rarely complains. About seven years ago she started having some breathing issues at night and would often wake with headaches.
“It was frustrating, I was beginning to feel really bad,” McIntyre said.
It was eventually diagnosed as sleep apnea and McIntyre was told to start using a CPAP device when she slept.
“I knew something going on because I would aspirate (at night), that was a scary feeling to wake up,” McIntyre said.
The CPAP was the medicine McIntyre needed, and everything was going well for the next seven years. Then earlier this year McIntyre received an urgent notice in the mail from the company that supplied the device to stop using it.
“Poly urethane was breaking down inside the machine. We were breathing toxic gases,” McIntyre said.
The company told patients to contact their doctor. McIntyre reached out to her doctor and the company. Her doctor advised McIntyre to use a CPAP device but could not provide much more information.
McIntyre then reached out to her insurance provider about getting a different CPAP. Her insurance company denied the claim and told McIntyre she would have to wait for a fix or pay out of pocket for a new device.
McIntyre spent the next six to eight months using the old CPAP occasionally. She would often struggle to breathe at night when she didn’t use it. She would wake up with headaches when she did use the CPAP.
McIntyre would reach out to News 2 after several calls and emails provided little information as to when a new device would arrive from the company.
“I had seen stories you had done, my family said call news 2 so I did,” McIntyre said.
We immediately reached out to the company for answers and an update on when McIntyre would get a new unit. The company was quick to respond but could not provide a clear answer as to when McIntyre would get a new unit.
We were told 1,000 employees were working to resolve the issue for McIntyre and hundreds of thousands of other customers. The recall impacted 5 million customers worldwide.
We continued to stay in communication with a representative of the company and get updates on progress. This case certainly took some time because of the demand but McIntyre was sent a device in October.
“I never thought I would call News 2 for anything, but I am thankful for what you’ve done for me,” McIntyre said.
The new CPAP is working well and most importantly it is safe and allows McIntyre to use it without worrying or getting headaches.