READ REAL-LIFE STORIES ABOUT THE
NEED FOR HEALTH CARE REFORM NOW
The following are stories submitted by real people about their own personal experiences with health care and insurance problems. By sharing these stories, along with the signatures on our petition, with lawmakers in Congress, we are demanding the passage meaningful health care reform legislation that prohibits discrimination based on preexisting conditions and ensures affordable coverage is available to everyone in the U.S. You can submit your own story here.
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Veronica,
I wanted to write to you and say what an amazing thing you are doing in your brother's honor. I am a 30 year old heart patient, who was lucky to have heart surgery under my husband's insurance. However, if I ever want to get a secondary, no one will take me. Too much of a risk, even though I am 4 years post-op. I would love to support you and your family in this. Thank you so much for bringing this to my attention and the attention of so many people.
Thank you,
Liz
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It's more than easy to be ignored by society's "elite". It's just shocking that society's "middle-class" are often as selfish and heartless and the rich. The "haves" never realize how the "have nots" struggle through educational and career glass ceilings forever - from the day they are born.
Being raised by a single father who had four children, I did not even know what health insurance was. As a young minority woman, I struggled through states and countries pursuing my desired degrees of journalism/gerontology as so I could work for the federal government or Hospice Care. At age 26, I was diagnosed incorrectly with HIV (I was married). At age 2,7 I was diagnosed correctly with SLE. I then pursued basic medical help which no one would provide. I pursued educational sources; but nothing is offered without insurance or payment. By age 29, with no medical treatment - because of no insurance - the illness had caught up with me.
On my birthday in Texas in an ICU unit for four months because of complications of the illness, I had a feeding tube in my throat, my toes and left limb had been amuputated. One month later, the federal govmernment decides that I have waitied a substantional enough period of time and I would now finally be allowed to join Medicare. This coverage allows me to return to my meal delivery volunteer service, see a specialist once a month, receive prosthetics, and possibly continue on with my graduate school classes once I find financial backing. But I'll probably never be able to return to the DPS-Emergency Mass Care which I loved so deeply (it is not only an amazing service to those in series trouble, but it's a great administrative launching pad for minorities who rarely qualify to get into these positions). I can't blame anyone for being born poor (or ignorant). I can not blame anyone for the past three years of my life - the destruction of my marriage, career, and educational pursuits. I can only hope someone reads my story and is frightened by the fact that it could be your own child or spouse next. Wouldn't that really mess up your week.
Thanks for reading,
Natasha
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My son is going through the same challenges that Eric faced. Cardiomyopathy, no insurance that would cover a transplant, trying to find someone out there that can steer us in the right direction. His name is Sean. He did an interview with Channel 13 Action News in Las Vegas, NV and he has posted that interview, along with a follow-up story, on YouTube. Any help you could give us would be so very helpful. I know that your biggest wish for Christmas this year is that no one suffer as you are now. Sean has been given less than a year to live without a transplant. Any help that you can give us would be so greatly appreciated. I wish you a fulfilling Christmas filled with the love and compassion of all those who cared about you and Eric and your family, and you can add my name to that list. I have lost a sister in her battle with kidney failure, and do not want to lose my son. Take care my friend in the battle for families.
Thank you for caring.
Rosemary
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All stories will be posted as they are submitted.
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The views expressed are solely those of the post's author and should not be attributed to anyone else, meaning they do not necessarily represent the views of any organization that the post author is affiliated with or with the views of any other author who publishes on this blog.