Chattanooga: Cancer groups review aid to woman

In early November, breast cancer survivor Jackie Stephenson sat and talked with Keele Maynor about her struggles with with disease.

“She told me she was back on hospice,” Mrs. Stephenson said. “It had spread into her kidneys, and she acted like she took pain medicine throughout the day. She would stand up and get dizzy.”

But on Friday, little more than a month later, Ms. Maynor resigned from her position as an administrative assistant in the Department of Land Use Development with the city, according to city spokesman Richard Beeland.

In Ms. Maynor’s resignation letter, she stated that she had been “untruthful with the employees of the city of Chattanooga.” The letter didn’t specify exactly what Ms. Maynor had been untruthful about, and she could not be reached for comment late Monday or Tuesday.

But authorities with several local breast cancer support organizations confirmed they are reviewing their records to see what, if any, services or funds Ms. Maynor received from them.

Rachel Houghton, executive director of the Helen DiStefano Fund, a nonprofit agency that assists about 60 cancer patients and their families a year, said that organization had helped Ms. Maynor.

But Ms. Houghton said the fund cut off its aid upon learning that Ms. Maynor, who had been helped as a cancer patient for about seven years, was not and never had been a cancer patient.

To qualify for assistance from the DiStefano Fund, Ms. Maynor submitted the required documentation of eligibility, including a signed letter from an oncologist, tax records and proof of dependent children in the home, Ms. Houghton said.

“There was no falling through the cracks; she met all the guidelines,” she said.

Ms. Houghton would not say whether the signed letter was thought to be authentic.

Though the organization did not give Ms. Maynor any money, Ms. Houghton said it helped pay for her utilities. She declined to disclose the dollar amount of that assistance.

The Breast Cancer Network of Strength, an organization with which Ms. Maynor was affiliated, was notified by Memorial Hospital that someone was participating in programs and activities who was not being treated for breast cancer at the hospital, said Lynda LeVan, organization director.

She would not say if that person was Ms. Maynor.

“This news came as a surprise to our organization, whose mission is to ensure, through information, empowerment and peer support that no one faces breast cancer alone,” she said in a statement.

Citing patient privacy laws, Memorial spokeswoman Karen Sloan declined to say how the situation came to light.

“Whenever there are compassionate efforts from the heart of an organization to assist people in need, it is unfortunate that there seem to be a few who will want to take advantage of that support,” according to a hospital statement.

A spokeswoman for the American Cancer Society also cited privacy laws and declined to comment on whether Ms. Maynor received support from that organization.

“We must respect the privacy of the cancer patients who use our services,” Amy Fields said.

The city, which hired Ms. Maynor in 2002, is evaluating any losses it or other employees may have incurred while Ms. Maynor was employed, Mr. Beeland said in a statement. He said the city would cooperate with any investigation.

As of Tuesday afternoon, Ms. Maynor had not been arrested or charged with any crime, Chattanooga Police Department spokeswoman Sgt. Jerri Weary said.

Staff writer Elizabeth Ryan contributed to this story.