Looking for a lift

From the time she was a baby, Charlotte Young has had one leg slightly larger than the other. As she became an adult, she developed a marble-sized lump on her left leg, caused by a cluster of extra veins called a venous angioma.

Young, 28, a soft-spoken and friendly woman with a ready smile, has always worked what she calls her "varicose vein." A graduate of East High School and the Alternative Career Education program for students with developmental disabilities, she's worked six years as a file clerk in the medical records office of Alaska Regional Hospital.

The part-time work helps support her and her mother, and Young enjoys it. "At first it was confusing," she says. "I got lost." But in time, she found satisfaction in it. "I like running around and delivering the stuff, because they say thank you."

In her spare time, Young enjoys playing church hymns on an electric keyboard.

In the past, Young's physical problem didn't cause her much pain, she says. But recently, it has. Blood clots in the malformation cause it to grow and bulge, and that can be painful. She has lost as much as a week of work because of it, she says.

Her doctor has prescribed a special kind of stocking to keep pressure on the veins and prevent the pooling of blood. Young used to have one like it, but after years of wear it is torn and useless. The new stocking, made of extra-strong materials, is expensive, and according to independent living specialist Donica Mann-Banke of Access Alaska, who nominated her for the Book of Dreams, Young is not currently covered by any medical insurance plan that would pay for it. A single stocking costs $250.

Though long reluctant to seek outside help, Charlotte's mother, Leah Young, says she is asking now because she's concerned about her daughter's job. Charlotte simply must get those stockings, she says. And she may also need a different way to get to work.

Leah, who is in her 70s, drives her daughter to work now, but says her own health problems are jeopardizing that commitment, especially in the mornings. Even housework, once simple for her, has become an impossible task, she says. Now Young is worried for her daughter. "I'd hate to see her lose her job because of me."

Leah says she can pick her daughter up after work if Charlotte can get rides in the morning; her shift starts at 9 a.m. Mann-Banke says Access also is looking into transportation help through Alaska Cab. n

Charlotte Young

I-1 Support hose, $500

I-2 Vouchers for Alaska Cab, $100