November 21, 2001 ~ Multiple Sclerosis
Li was kind enough to drive us down to the Piedmont so that we could visit Morgan's family for Thanksgiving (we figured the long trip--about three hours--was something Pokey could do without). So now here we are in Mt. Pleasant, North Carolina, staying at my Mother-in-law's house for the next few days. I can write my entries on the laptop, but uploading may be a little sporadic until Friday.
A while back, Morgan's younger brother, Stephen, was having problems with his legs. He would be going about his normal business, and, suddenly, one of his legs would stop working. He'd lose all feeling in one leg or the other, and it would pass after a time. On top of all that, he was feeling pretty tired all the time.
He didn't have any health insurance. Everyone was pretty worried. He went to see a doctor.
The doctor decided to give him several tests. After the MRI, they discovered that he had cellular decay in his spine. They decided to do an intensive brain scan and several more tests. The hospital bills started climbing. Morgan's parents became more and more grim every time we called them on the phone, and Stephen sounded more and more worried.
Now, after thousands of dollars of tests, the doctors have decided that he has Multiple Sclerosis. MS attacks the central nervous system, and there is no cure. Nobody is sure what causes it. It can be mild, causing very little inconvenience, but in many cases it can be disabling. In severe cases, it causes blindness and paralysis.
We saw Stephen tonight. He's got an IV in his arm, and they are giving him steroid treatments to reduce the symptoms and to put the MS into remission. They can't cure it, but they can make it livable.
It was great to talk with him. He's very open about it, and seemed to take comfort in talking to Morgan and me about what it's been like. He's able to joke about it. But the worry is there.
Stephen works 60 hours a week, as a manager at an IHOP. He has to earn enough to support himself, to pay for his car, to pay rent, to eat. He was doing really well this year, was able to save a little, but now... His health insurance wasn't going to kick in until later this year. He's now thousands of dollars in debt for hospital bills. I can only imagine how suffocating that must feel. Stephen is very young (18? 19?), and he had just gotten on his feet. He was proud and had every right to be proud. We were proud of him. But now, he's got some hellish bills to pay. He's trying to get on a government plan to help him out with the hospital bills.
And the doctors are telling him he has to work less or his condition will get worse.
As I've mentioned before, Morgan and I don't have health insurance. We simply cannot afford it. We've tried to find a way to scrimp and save, but it is impossible any way we look at it. We've been lucky so far. Nothing has happened. But what if...
I have said it before, and I will say it again. We really really need a socialized health care system in this country. Canada has one. The UK has one. But America... Sigh. Capitalism works to a certain line. But anyone who is under that poverty line is allowed to fall through the cracks and screw 'em if they can't pull themselves out of that sinkhole. And God fobid the doctors get a cut in pay.
The people who are against socialized heath care in this country don't know what it's like to have a chronic, disabling illness and no money in the bank. They don't know what it's like to think you have cancer and not even be able to afford the doctor's appointment to find out. They don't know what it's like to be unable to put food on the table, let alone even think about paying a doctor's bill. Their answer to everything is "We don't need socialized health care, because we have health insurance companies." They don't know that, when you can't even afford pay the rent, health insurance is just too damn expensive.
But I fear the US would never even consider socialized health care, because the policy makers are too addicted to the idea of the American Dream. Everybody is able to make a name for himself or herself. It's your own fault if you can't pay the rent. Poor people are poor because they are lazy. If they can't afford health insurance, it's their own fault.
Yeah, tell that to my brother-in-law, who works 60 hours a week, and is now facing MS without any insurance. Screw you.
Sorry.
In other news, I had a good birthday today, saw the Harry Potter movie, went to lunch at the Dragon, and spent the evening with Morgan's family. Thank you to all of you who sent me Birthday greetings!
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