Medicare-basher feared he would die

The big, tough professional fighter accused of bashing Canada's health-care system was really just scared he was going to die, say family members in Manitoba who also feared for his life.

"He thought he was actually dying -- we all did," said Chad Lesnar, who has lived in Manitoba since 1994.

Chad said he wanted to drive his brother to Winnipeg for a CT scan since the Brandon hospital's scanner was out of order for days.

Instead, the wife of UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar drove him to a hospital in Bismarck, N.D.

"I think he made the right decision. It was do or die," said Chad Lesnar.

Manitoba's Health Minister Theresa Oswald refused to be pinned down Thursday by Brock Lesnar's criticism he got "Third World" medical care for a severe abdominal ailment in Brandon last November.

The controversy began when the American mixed martial arts fighter slammed the Canadian health-care system during a media conference call Wednesday while detailing health problems that have kept him out of action since last summer.

Lesnar, a conservative Republican, has said he made the comments in an effort to influence opinion about U.S. President Barack Obama's plans to reform the American health-care system.

The six-foot-four, 275-pounder said he had been ailing for some time last year before falling seriously ill during a bow-hunting trip in Manitoba. What had started as flu-like symptoms was upgraded to mononucleosis and then diverticulitis, an intestinal ailment.

The UFC champ's brother lives near Cromer, Man., close to the North Dakota border, with his young family and Canadian-born wife, Jennifer.

"If anyone knows Brock and listens to what he's saying -- he's not used to feeling helpless," said Jennifer Lesnar. "No one can figure out what's wrong -- they can't get the equipment working, that's where the Third World comment came from."

"I think all of us would've been upset, and it was down for four or five days," said Jennifer. "Had he had that scan in Brandon, they would've seen that rupture."

The Manitoba health minister said while it's vital the health-care system learn from its mistakes, she wasn't about to step into the debating ring to counter Lesnar's "partisan" comments about the treatment he received.

"Engaging in a broader political debate is another thing," she said. "I believe in health care for everybody."

In Lesnar's case, she said, it appears his shots are aimed at American health-care reform.

"This is more about partisan American politics and bashing, and I'm not particularly interested in getting engaged in that," she added. "Canada has lots to be proud of in terms of providing health care for everyone."

Carmel Olson, CEO of the Brandon Regional Health Authority, said she can't comment on Lesnar's specific case, citing patient confidentiality. But she said the southern Manitoba hospital is well-equipped and modern with skilled, trained staff.

"We don't consider our system in Brandon or in Manitoba or Canada equivalent to a Third World country," she said. "I do take exception to that statement."

The Fox TV news station in Minneapolis, Lesnar's hometown, reported that the Medcenter One Hospital in Bismarck, N.D., diagnosed him with diverticulosis -- an intestinal disorder. His doctor warned he would need surgery, and have to live with a colostomy bag until additional procedures could be done, sidelining his fighting career.

He then went to the Mayo Clinic for a second opinion. The clinic also recommended surgery to repair the intestine. On Jan. 5, the TV news channel reported, he went for a colonoscopy and CT Scan at Mayo, and "miraculously" doctors found the intestine had healed itself, and surgery was no longer required.

Lesnar blamed his "total protein" diet for his illness and has changed his eating habits, incorporating more fibre.

-- With files from The Canadian Press

carol.sanders@freepress.mb.ca bruce.owen@freepress.mb.caw

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition January 22, 2010 A3