To view our videos, you need to
enable JavaScript. Learn how.
install Adobe Flash 9 or above. Install now.

Then come back here and refresh the page.

CHARLOTTE -- A Charlotte mother's battle for health care coverage for her 3-year-old son changed North Carolina's insurance laws, and now she wants to help others across the country.

Heather Ferguson's son was born with lymphedema, a chronic disease that affects an estimated 6 million Americans and is more common among cancer survivors. Because of Ferguson's efforts, on Jan. 1, North Carolina state Medicaid began covering treatment for the disease.

Dylan Ferguson has to wear a compression garment all the time to prevent complications from lymphedema. His private insurance covered bills for complications, but not for preventative measures like that.

“I realized I was going to be appealing and fighting insurance companies for the rest of my life and then the rest of his life if I didn't fix the underlying problem, and that's when I decided that I needed to switch my focus from talking one on one with the insurance companies to changing the laws,” Heather Ferguson said.

Her state representative, Tricia Cotham, listened and introduced legislation that was passed into North Carolina state law. It requires Medicaid to cover lymphedema, which influences North Carolina private insurance plans also.

Now Ferguson wants to change national laws and Medicare, and U.S. Rep Larry Kissell has introduced legislation to help.

“This is a positive thing to enhance people's lives and it will save them money too,” Kissell said. “So we're starting out with Medicare and eventually we feel that the insurance companies will come on board too.”

At the end of May, Ferguson heads to Washington, D.C., to share her story with federal lawmakers in hopes of changing the insurance coverage for the rest of the country, as she did for her son.

Click here to read more about Heather Ferguson's fight for lymphedema coverage.