OPINION: Our young son with cancer needs the legislature to pass the medical compact

In October 2021, when he was just 2 years old, our beautiful son Sebastián was diagnosed with Stage IV Myoepithelial Carcinoma (MEC), an ultra-rare and aggressive cancer that has no proven treatment.

On admission to University of New Mexico Hospital, we were told that his prognosis was poor and that he would need to start chemotherapy immediately. Nobody at UNMH had ever seen a patient with MEC, much less treated this rare disease. We were being asked to make what felt like impossible medical decisions: What chemo drugs should be used? Should we amputate his hand? Should we try an experimental drug that hasn’t been used on children?

Desperate to talk to someone who had experience with this cancer, we did what any parent would do: We frantically contacted doctors who could provide second opinions from the leading cancer centers and hospitals across the country. Then, we ran into a roadblock that seemed unfathomable.

Many out-of-state physicians were willing to give us their expert opinions — but only if we traveled to their facility.

Because our son was on chemo and severely immunocompromised, travel wasn’t an option. Many were also willing to speak with us via video conference but when they learned we were in New Mexico, they told us they would not be able to do so. Why? Because New Mexico was not a member of the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact, an agreement among participating states to make it easier for physicians licensed in one state to practice in the other compact states, including via telemedicine.

One oncologist in Pennsylvania, who also had a medical license in Texas, would speak with us if we were in Texas. So we drove four hours, one-way, to Texas on two occasions just to speak with him over Zoom.

This year, we have an opportunity to solve this solvable problem by enacting House Bill 243 or Senate Bill 46, which would allow New Mexico to finally join 40 other states and D.C. as members of the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact. HB243 has passed every committee and the full House unanimously. It deserves a vote in the Senate Judiciary Committee.

These bipartisan bills have drawn the support of a powerful coalition, including the Conference of Catholic Bishops, Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains, AARP, New Mexico Medical Society, Think New Mexico, chambers of commerce and the Department of Defense, among many others.

HB243 and SB46 have the potential to improve access to medical care for so many New Mexican families who need specialized care or expert advice that may not be available where they live and do not have the means or ability to travel to see a provider.

Three and a half years after his cancer diagnosis, 10 rounds of grueling chemotherapy, three recurrences and six surgeries, Sebastián is still fighting. We are beside him fighting, too. And we still need access to those invaluable virtual second opinions. Just last year, we had to drive to Texas for a third time for a simple Zoom meeting. If lawmakers had passed this bill two years ago, we would not have been forced to take that trip.

No parent should have to hear the words, “Your child has cancer.” And no parent should be denied the expert advice needed to make informed medical decisions about their child’s health. We urge lawmakers to pass HB243 and SB46 and remove this unnecessary barrier preventing health care providers in other states from caring for New Mexico patients.