By Danielle Lerner
KVOA
TUCSON, Ariz. — A Tucson man and former Marine says his life is in limbo, caught between the need for life-saving surgery and a Medicare Advantage plan that will not cover the procedure.
Robert Zurheide went on disability after he was injured in 2002 while working as a corrections officer in Florence. He has been battling chronic pancreatitis for nearly three years and says doctors at UAMC recommended a pancreas transplant as soon as possible. That was more than eight months ago.
“I love my country to the core, it’s in the core of me,” said Zurheide.
Military service is more than a passion for the Zurheide family, it is a way of life. Robert’s son Graham is a 1st Lieutenant in the Marines and his younger son has plans to join. However it is a tradition that claimed the life of Zurheide’s oldest son, 20-year-old Robert Zurheide Jr., who was killed while serving in Iraq in 2004.
Full story: Former Marine now battling Medicare for life-saving surgery