| Today my wife and I spent the day at Emory's | | | | the care that you or your family needs. With the |
| Crawford Long Hospital in Atlanta. This is the third | | | | internet this is a doable task. Neither best doctors |
| time in the past six years that we have sat and | | | | nor best care would have been available if we had |
| waited for doctors to remove cancer from our | | | | not had good health insurance. I read that 40% of |
| daughter's body. The first time in 2002 resulted in | | | | Americans are without health insurance. I know in |
| the amputation of her left foot. The last two | | | | my heart if we had not had health insurance our |
| times it's been to remove cancer cells from her | | | | daughter would be dead today, we wouldn't know |
| left lung. We have come to accept that we will be | | | | our grandson and we wouldn't have had the past |
| back in Crawford Long again, we just don't know | | | | six years with them. |
| how soon and how often. | | | | I don't think that what my family has experienced |
| On one hand we feel lucky that she is getting | | | | is all that uncommon. The hospital is so crowded |
| such quality care that the cancer is being | | | | that our daughter will be spending the night in the |
| extracted before it has an opportunity to take a | | | | ICU even though she is recovering well and should |
| strong hold and take her life. I tell her that she's | | | | be moved onto the main floor, but there are no |
| lucky that she knows what's going on in her body; | | | | rooms available on the main floor. But only 60% |
| most of us don't. On the other hand we question | | | | of us have medical insurance, what are the other |
| how often and for how long can she endure | | | | 40% doing or are they here at Crawford Long |
| major surgery and recovery. | | | | and not paying? Are they getting the preventive |
| I hear of people who say "stop with the | | | | care that we are getting or are they merely |
| treatment and let what is to happen to happen." I | | | | fending off disasters? |
| can't imagine they have much to live for making | | | | Yet there are those among us that feel that to |
| such a decision, but I'm not in their shoes. I ask | | | | have a national insurance program would be |
| myself, how much pain and suffering would I be | | | | wrong because it would result in a reduction in the |
| willing to endure to keep living? | | | | quality of our medical care. Are we Ok with |
| This ordeal has taught us a lot of lessons and | | | | treating them for heart attaches, gun shoot |
| opened our eyes to many inequities. The main | | | | wounds, and injuries; but not the progression of |
| lesson that we've learned over the past six years | | | | cancer or diabetes? |
| is to be proactive and to seek out and find the | | | | Is that to say that they are Ok with 40% of |
| best of doctors and the best care. This doesn't | | | | American families having to allow their daughters |
| mean just going to any doctor, it means doing | | | | bodies be overrun with cancer? Can we be so |
| research and finding the best doctor available for | | | | selfish? |