LETTER TO EDITOR: Thank you

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I am writing to express my family's heartfelt appreciation to The Washington Times, and particularly to reporter William Ehart, for the exceptional coverage of my family's insurance crisis ("Insurer ends health program rather than pay out big," Business, Oct. 14; "Uproar spurs firm to restore pricey insurance," Business, Friday).

On Oct. 14, Mr. Ehart reported the catastrophic circumstances of my son, Ian Pearl, who is completely disabled from spinal muscular atrophy and was about to lose his life-sustaining nursing care through the termination of his Guardian insurance plan.

Mr. Ehart's report spread like wildfire throughout the country and the media. By the following day, Mr. Ehart's report had captured the attention of MSNBC's Keith Olbermann and CNN's Jim Acosta. Exactly one week later, on Oct. 21, Ian's story was featured on CNN's "American Morning" and rebroadcast throughout the day on CNN and HLN.

The media blitz and public outrage produced a stunningly swift response. On Oct. 22, Guardian Chief Executive Dennis Manning issued a press release apologizing for the company's mistake and reinstating home nursing care to Ian. In the astonishingly brief period of one week, Mr. Ehart and The Washington Times helped change the course of my family's life forever.

But that is not the end of this story. As a result of Mr. Ehart's report and the resultant explosion of media coverage, the New York State Legislature is drafting new legislation, tentatively called Ian's Law, that will protect against the discontinuance of a health plan because of the high claims of specific covered members.

On a personal note, it is interesting to point out that more than one Washington insider asked me (pointedly) why it was The Washington Times that broke Ian's story on Oct. 14. My answer is that The Washington Times was the first and only national newspaper to express an interest in this story - despite the fact that I had simultaneously contacted several other highly regarded publications in New York and Washington.

My family and I will be forever grateful to David Jones for recognizing the compelling nature of the story, to Mr. Ehart for his outstanding journalism and personal compassion and to the multitudes of readers who offered their support, good wishes and prayers. Because there are no words to adequately express my family's respect and gratitude, I will end this letter simply by saying thank you on behalf of myself, Ian and the entire family.

SUSAN PEARL

Fort Lauderdale, Fla.