My Letter to the President
Dear President Obama,
I am a 28-year-old widow and by no means a political person. In all fairness, I wasn’t registered to vote in the 2000 election because I didn’t think my vote mattered. It really did matter then and I believe it matters more now. I supported you as Senator Obama in your campaign to become president of the United States. Yes it was the cool thing to do as a young person, yes your message of change and hope is inspiring, yes you have an adorable family that looks so darn cute in the White House…but it was your vision for universal healthcare in America, education reform, and tax breaks for us poor folks under $250,000 that gives you my support.
In June of 2007, my husband Shane died from cancer treatment related issues at the age of 30. He was one of the many uninsured Americans during his entire battle. In the years previous to the actual diagnosis of Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, Shane had exhibited many symptoms that were lymphoma like but due to a previous diagnosis of a rare lung disease (that primarily effects African Americans like the late Bernie Mac) sarcoidosis, these symptoms were masked by prescribed steroids for years. He saw doctors in free clinics most of the time including when we moved out here to Portland from rural Missouri. He always had to weigh the option of how sick he was versus how financially feasible it would be to see a doctor. In November of 2006, Shane had an adverse reaction to an anti-nausea medication Zofran while taking chemotherapy treatments. He became extremely short of breath and lay down in the lawn and thought he was going to die. He contemplated calling an ambulance but did not want to pay the hundreds of dollars it would cost. He should never of had to debate his health with our financial situation.
Why is healthcare in America a privilege? I had healthcare but couldn’t afford the $350 a month to insure my husband. We had to beg, have our financial information invaded, and face the possibility of bankruptcy to get his cancer treated. And ultimately, we did the best we could and made the best decisions we could at the time, but the system failed us.
I can’t help but think of the what-ifs. What if America did have a health system that covered Shane? Would they have caught the Hodgkin’s in Stage 1 instead of Stage 4? Would he have died? Even if the outcome would ultimately be the same, Shane should have never had to choose or even think about which was more important——money or health. If he made a wrong choice, we could have been set back for weeks or months and that was something we couldn’t afford. But we couldn’t afford to let his health go. I couldn’t afford to watch a good person suffer. Why is life in “the greatest country in the world” like this in the 21st century?
You understand because you watched your mother fight on the phone with her insurance company while she was dying of cancer. You watched a person you loved die of a terrible disease and can relate to loss first hand. You understand that health care is a basic human right not a luxury. You understand that Shane should’ve never had to think about the financial burdens of being sick. You understand that we all need medical insurance.
When you rally your administration for universal health care, think of the Shane’s of our country and helping others like him to never have to choose anything over their health again.
Thank you sir for everything you have done thus far and will do. Give my best to Michelle and the girls. And Bo :)
