Here is one advocate's thoughts on Healthcare in America and his family's struggles..
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"I have worked extremely hard my whole life, and as a young family, no one ever told us to budget for getting sick. Like many other Americans our medical expenses are through the roof."
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There are a multitude of ugly diseases that blanket our Earth. Every hour, each one of them attempts to claim unsuspecting new victims straight from the day of our birth and constantly throughout our lives. I was taught that this is what God had intended for us in exchange for Adam & Eve’s disobedience and sin. We all grimace when the young are afflicted yet almost expect it to consume us too, as we steadily grow older. Lucky are those who can skate through their entire lives, personally unaffected by disease and all of its negative consequences.
In my family, our youngest daughter, Amber, was born so premature that at only 27 weeks, her lungs were not developed, and her weight dropped below two pounds.
She was hospitalized for six months and on Oxygen 24/7 for years later. Today she is a beautiful 21 year-old woman, who suffers only with Asthma. My oldest daughter Amanda has recently had spots of skin cancer removed. My wife Cindy suffers with terrible Spinal Pain, and feels that she can’t afford to take the time off work to have the necessary surgery. Her brother Todd died suddenly at the age of 32, from complications in medicines while treating his Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. My sister Suzanne now deals with both Cervical and Skin Cancer. Together we both lost our parents, to Heart-Related Diseases.
You see I always thought that I was the healthy one. In over 50 years I never even broke a bone in my body. However that thought changed a few years back when an Aortic Anurysium amplified my Heart Attack and Cardiac Arrest. I had 1/3 of my heart removed and what remains is now held together with Dacron and Teflon patching and super glue. My health began failing me earlier than I had ever expected. I am also taking numerous medicines for Type 2 Diabetes. A back injury now has me side-lined and I have been recently diagnosed with Sleep Apnea.
However, you won’t ever hear me complaining about being ill, for I now know that this is what God had intended for me. I have learned that when you are “Sick” you call in sick to work, take some pills, stay at home a few days, then return, when you feel better. When you are “Diseased” you are most likely never to get any better. Plenty of Americans suffer way much more than I do. Many are dealing with their illness without having health benefits at all. Many more have debilitating diseases far greater than my family has ever experienced.
What I do complain about is not the fact that I am ill, but I am getting sick over the rising cost of our medications. The current national push is for affordable Health Care for all Americans. Sickened people, who already have affordable health care, have a difficult time just being able to afford the prescription medicines. How about some Affordable Medicinal Care for all Americans!
I have worked extremely hard my whole life, and as a young family, no one ever told us to budget for getting sick. Like many other Americans our medical expenses are through the roof.
Between my wife and myself we now have at least 15 prescriptions that need to be refilled monthly, and as my doctor has once told me “If you don’t take your meds, you will die.”
I am slowing discovering that living diseased means: Spending your very last dollar, found under sofa cushions, on food for your family. Having your teeth pulled out one at a time, because you can’t afford to get them fixed. Avoiding the police cars because your automobile is now 6 months overdue for an expensive inspection. Having to pay for “Out of Pocket” expenses to 7-10 different types of “Specialists Doctors” for your constant care and testing. There have been many weeks we had to decide what medicines we can’t purchase today, just to have cash for food for the following week. The first thing you eliminate is the Cable TV and cell/phones. No money for parking at work, only means you now have a collection of un-paid tickets, just waiting for the collection day. We are always looking over our shoulder waiting to get caught from numerous angles. The collection agencies have your house phone constantly ringing off the hooks while you are forced to borrow cash from your children and friends, while not knowing when you’ll ever get to pay them back. This type of (Living?) is all so very new to us. We have worked hard all our lives and we still do, but our paychecks go to the Pharmaceutical Companies.
I estimate, since my Heart Attack, that I have taken over 25,000 individual doses of medicine.
I do believe, like millions of other Americans that Health Care has to be re-invented. Something does need to be changed. Our medical expenses are increasing at an alarming rate. Who can afford that? It is not our fault that we have been stricken with illness and now many Americans are becoming financially stricken as well.
I have tried to turn a bad thing into a good thing by helping other people who are living with Heart Disease. I am an Advocate of The American Heart Association and recently became a State Field Representative. As an Advocate I have spent time in Washington DC doing whatever it takes to get Congress and the Senate to increase funding for Heart and Stroke Research. In my home state of Pennsylvania I have joined other active Advocates of the A.H.A. in petitioning our State politicians for those very same ideals, as well as pushing for clean indoor air for everyone. This was highlighted for me by witnessing our Governor, Ed Rendell, as he signed the new “Clean Indoor Air Act.” into law.
I have spent the last 3 summers, lecturing about “A Patients Perspective on living with Heart Disease” to students attending The National Youth Leadership Forum on Medicine at Villanova University. I believe that working together as Americans we can accomplish any goal. I also believe that working together with the American Heart Association we can help re-invent health care.
Gene Juillet
Schwenksville, Pennsylvania
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"I have worked extremely hard my whole life, and as a young family, no one ever told us to budget for getting sick. Like many other Americans our medical expenses are through the roof."
-----------------------------------------
There are a multitude of ugly diseases that blanket our Earth. Every hour, each one of them attempts to claim unsuspecting new victims straight from the day of our birth and constantly throughout our lives. I was taught that this is what God had intended for us in exchange for Adam & Eve’s disobedience and sin. We all grimace when the young are afflicted yet almost expect it to consume us too, as we steadily grow older. Lucky are those who can skate through their entire lives, personally unaffected by disease and all of its negative consequences.
In my family, our youngest daughter, Amber, was born so premature that at only 27 weeks, her lungs were not developed, and her weight dropped below two pounds.
She was hospitalized for six months and on Oxygen 24/7 for years later. Today she is a beautiful 21 year-old woman, who suffers only with Asthma. My oldest daughter Amanda has recently had spots of skin cancer removed. My wife Cindy suffers with terrible Spinal Pain, and feels that she can’t afford to take the time off work to have the necessary surgery. Her brother Todd died suddenly at the age of 32, from complications in medicines while treating his Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. My sister Suzanne now deals with both Cervical and Skin Cancer. Together we both lost our parents, to Heart-Related Diseases.
You see I always thought that I was the healthy one. In over 50 years I never even broke a bone in my body. However that thought changed a few years back when an Aortic Anurysium amplified my Heart Attack and Cardiac Arrest. I had 1/3 of my heart removed and what remains is now held together with Dacron and Teflon patching and super glue. My health began failing me earlier than I had ever expected. I am also taking numerous medicines for Type 2 Diabetes. A back injury now has me side-lined and I have been recently diagnosed with Sleep Apnea.
However, you won’t ever hear me complaining about being ill, for I now know that this is what God had intended for me. I have learned that when you are “Sick” you call in sick to work, take some pills, stay at home a few days, then return, when you feel better. When you are “Diseased” you are most likely never to get any better. Plenty of Americans suffer way much more than I do. Many are dealing with their illness without having health benefits at all. Many more have debilitating diseases far greater than my family has ever experienced.
What I do complain about is not the fact that I am ill, but I am getting sick over the rising cost of our medications. The current national push is for affordable Health Care for all Americans. Sickened people, who already have affordable health care, have a difficult time just being able to afford the prescription medicines. How about some Affordable Medicinal Care for all Americans!
I have worked extremely hard my whole life, and as a young family, no one ever told us to budget for getting sick. Like many other Americans our medical expenses are through the roof.
Between my wife and myself we now have at least 15 prescriptions that need to be refilled monthly, and as my doctor has once told me “If you don’t take your meds, you will die.”
I am slowing discovering that living diseased means: Spending your very last dollar, found under sofa cushions, on food for your family. Having your teeth pulled out one at a time, because you can’t afford to get them fixed. Avoiding the police cars because your automobile is now 6 months overdue for an expensive inspection. Having to pay for “Out of Pocket” expenses to 7-10 different types of “Specialists Doctors” for your constant care and testing. There have been many weeks we had to decide what medicines we can’t purchase today, just to have cash for food for the following week. The first thing you eliminate is the Cable TV and cell/phones. No money for parking at work, only means you now have a collection of un-paid tickets, just waiting for the collection day. We are always looking over our shoulder waiting to get caught from numerous angles. The collection agencies have your house phone constantly ringing off the hooks while you are forced to borrow cash from your children and friends, while not knowing when you’ll ever get to pay them back. This type of (Living?) is all so very new to us. We have worked hard all our lives and we still do, but our paychecks go to the Pharmaceutical Companies.
I estimate, since my Heart Attack, that I have taken over 25,000 individual doses of medicine.
I do believe, like millions of other Americans that Health Care has to be re-invented. Something does need to be changed. Our medical expenses are increasing at an alarming rate. Who can afford that? It is not our fault that we have been stricken with illness and now many Americans are becoming financially stricken as well.
I have tried to turn a bad thing into a good thing by helping other people who are living with Heart Disease. I am an Advocate of The American Heart Association and recently became a State Field Representative. As an Advocate I have spent time in Washington DC doing whatever it takes to get Congress and the Senate to increase funding for Heart and Stroke Research. In my home state of Pennsylvania I have joined other active Advocates of the A.H.A. in petitioning our State politicians for those very same ideals, as well as pushing for clean indoor air for everyone. This was highlighted for me by witnessing our Governor, Ed Rendell, as he signed the new “Clean Indoor Air Act.” into law.
I have spent the last 3 summers, lecturing about “A Patients Perspective on living with Heart Disease” to students attending The National Youth Leadership Forum on Medicine at Villanova University. I believe that working together as Americans we can accomplish any goal. I also believe that working together with the American Heart Association we can help re-invent health care.
Gene Juillet
Schwenksville, Pennsylvania
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