Stephanie Milika’a isn’t sure when she’ll get chemotherapy again.
Milika’a has breast cancer and was only two weeks into treatment when the blizzard hit her Running Springs home. While Milika’a is due for treatment Thursday, like many others in the San Bernardino Mountains, she’s snowed in and unable to leave except on foot.
She contacted the Sheriff’s Department who suggested she take a shuttle from a local shelter — which she’d have to walk to — but said it’s not feasible as a cancer patient.
“I can’t do that because my white blood count is so low that I was told to stay away from people,” Milika’a explained. “That’s not really an option.”
Milika’a said she has already had delays accessing other cancer medications, but with the date for chemo nearing, she’s growing increasingly uneasy — with few options left to access her care. And if she leaves home to take the treacherous journey down the mountain, there’s no guarantee she’ll be reunited with her husband.
“I don’t want to be at some stranger’s house after my next round (of chemotherapy) going through whatever it is I’m going to go through,” Milika’a said. “I just want to be home in my own bed with my husband who takes care of me.”
In nearby Lake Arrowhead, Rebecca Arrowood’s diabetes supplies were due for delivery Saturday. But they never arrived.
She needs glucose sensors to keep track of her blood sugars, but roads piled high with snow mean no trucks can come through — and she can’t get out.
Following the county’s guidance, Arrowood called the local emergency hotline but described a cumbersome system that didn’t leave her feeling clear about whether she’d receive help.
“I just kind of gave up on the county like it wasn’t going to happen,” she said.
After Saturday’s missed delivery, Arrowood called again but still hadn’t heard back — though the second go-around left her slightly more optimistic, she said.
San…
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