Family says insurance denial will not stop boy's trip for heart procedure

A North Carolina family plans to travel to Boston for their 12-year-old son's heart procedure despite an insurance denial received days before the trip. Rowan Lowry is scheduled for a stent procedure at Boston Children's Hospital on Monday, October 19.

His mother, Cheryl Presnall, said the insurer's letter described the procedure as medically unnecessary and experimental. The family says it did not have time to appeal before the procedure date and will make the trip anyway.

Rowan was diagnosed with Kawasaki disease at age 7. The disease can damage the heart and blood vessels, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. His family says his diagnosis came late and he has already undergone open-heart surgery.

His father, Joshua Lowry, said on a fundraising page that the planned stent would be placed in his left anterior descending artery in hopes of improving blood flow and easing his tiredness. His mother said further narrowing could require another open-heart operation if a stent could no longer be placed.