Mother of 4, Progressing MS, Son with Type 2 Diabetes...

[Powdered Toast Man]

She Can NOT Work.

And gets denied Social Security.

She has infusions every month to TRY to SLOW the progress of her MS... Each time she has treatment there is a 1/1000 chance it will killer.

Her 15 year old son's kidneys and liver are beginning to fail. He has been in the hospital more than 20 times in a coma due to his sugar dropping because he will NOT take care of himself, and REFUSES to try.

She had a mental breakdown; and was admitted into the psychiatric ward twice this month because the stress is so overwhelming.

What country do we live in where SHE would not qualify for assistance?

I. Don't. Fucking. Get. It.

...sorry for my mood tonight. We're very close and I had to find out about this about 30 minutes ago because when you move away from you home town, nobody tells you anything.

[Donnachaidh]

1. my neighbor had a broken neck and was a quadroplegic

he could NOT take care of himself (which included insulin shots for his diabetes). Did HE get coverage first time around -- F*CK no. His mother literally parked outside her Senator's door and nagged until his case was reviewed (she also had personal connections to others in Washington).

If you don't want to contact your reps, find the nearest law firm that takes ONLY Social Security cases. The lawyers can only take a small percentage of the lump sum she'll eventually get once she is on SS. It's the only way to really push the case through. And a good attorney will also know who to send her to to get help in the meantime.

The system sucks. But hang tough. She WILL prevail.

[Thickasabrick]

2. Agree....I've heard sometimes it takes 5 or 6 times. We have an

awful system.

[Donnachaidh]

5. I had to get a lawyer and it took 18 months

I was quite frankly STUNNED rigid when John was turned down. The man could not use his HANDS. He was essentially lifeless from the chest down. And he was TURNED DOWN.

The system really does suck.

[laughingliberal]

3. It is unforgiveable that our system is set up so everyone who does not meet some automatic qualifier

is denied on first try across the board. I'm sure there are exceptions but I never saw one in all my years of working with vulnerable populations. Once they get SSI the wait for Medicare is 2 years. We hate the private insurance companies for shit like this but our government programs are not much nicer to anyone til they hit 65. That's why an expansion of Medicare would have moved us way further down the road than we're going to get now.

[NMMNG]

4. Can they be re-designated as fetuses?

If so the RRRW will be all about protecting their "right to life" no matter what it takes. Strangely those "pro-life" people don't seem to give a shit about anybody who is born and can't fend for themselves. Apparently infants, children and the severely ill are all supposed to slave in the factories or they should die in the streets, for the RRRWers wouldn't dare part with their precious tax dollars to help them.


And no, I'm not making light of your story in any way. Change a few details and it you could be talking about of one of my relatives. It's a travesty that we treat our own this way yet always have enough to bomb brown people and bail out the mega-corporations.