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J U L Y 2 0 1 6 • O U T PA T I E N TS U R G E R Y. N E T • 1 4 9 Traci Maccoux has always been an athlete and a fighter. At 11, she was a nationally ranked swimmer who excelled in the freestyle sprint events. Diagnosed at 12 with reflex sympathetic dystrophy (RSD), she fought through the intermittent searing pain, got help controlling it and continued to swim competitively. Now 25, with the pain unable to be controlled, Traci and her parents, who live in Brooklyn Park, Minn., are dealing with a life of uncertainty. It's been nearly 4 years since she got a tainted steroid injection at Medical Advanced Pain Specialists in neighboring Maple Grove. When the meningitis diagnosis was con- firmed, doctors told her they'd have to remove the spacer for an implanted spinal cord stimulator that helped block the RSD-associated pain, or the infection could never be controlled. "We begged them not to take it out, and I understand why they did," says Cathy Maccoux, her mother, "but we knew it was going to make a big impact on her life." A year of misery followed. Traci was treated with Vfend (voriconazole), a powerful antifungal with debili- "All these people had to suffer and die for somebody's greed." "All these people had to suffer and die for somebody's greed." • TRACI MACCOUX, 25, is in nearly constant pain because of the tainted steroid injection she was given. Cathy Maccoux tating side effects. "It was horri- ble for a 21-year-old to have to take it, and horrible for us to make her take it," says Cathy. She required constant care. And Cathy and her husband, Dan, are still struggling to pay a mountain of medical bills. They suspect that the ongoing NECC bankruptcy proceedings will net little for most of the victims. In a big step forward, Traci is now able to help coach kids part-time for a local swimming club. But there's still much uncertainty. "That's the most frustrating thing," says Cathy. "No one can tell us how the medication she took will affect her in the long run. We don't know how it will affect her chil- dren, if she has them. "All these people had to suf- fer and die for somebody's greed. But you can't let it get to you, because it would eat you up," she adds, before pausing to end on a bright note: "Besides, we're one of the lucky ones. Traci's alive." — Jim Burger