My mother, a Republican suffering from cancer, has some interesting thoughts on healthcare reform

[zulchzulu]

I just an update from my mother, who has been fighting cancer for over a year. She's doing well after many ups and downs in the battle and is in good spirits. Mostly all of her coverage has been through Medicare and other coverage has been very affordable. I'll spare the details.

She has been a Republican since the 1968 election although has continued to be a moderate on most issues. She does a lot of volunteer work at prisons and in poor communities teaching women how to arrange flowers and such. She has a heart of gold, frankly.

I try not to talk politics at all with her, but today, she brought up health care reform. She at first was very scared at what Obama was attempting to do with reform. She didn't want anything changed and was happy with her health care.

But after one mis-diagnosis and other problems with her supplemental coverage and seeing so many uninsured people in her cancer treatment sessions, she's realized that it is a good thing getting the prices down and making it affordable for all.

She made a very interesting (and might seem obvious) point about health care reform.

"I've been watching all this happening and I am beginning to think that the Republicans don't care about me. Why don't they want it any more?"

Then she said:

"You can have the best health care in the World, but if you have a lousy doctor, you could be dead much sooner."

Over the past months, she has told me "story after story of mis-diagnosis, hapless treatment... it's the quality of the doctor that either kills you or allows you to survive."

I'll look at the new legislation and see if there is anything that helps get better doctors in hospitals. My mother would want that. She will continue to have the best health care she wants and there will be more people covered in the future.





On edit: what slothy, scum-sucking dirtbag would unrec this?

[NJmaverick]

1. There is a great deal in the bill dealing with helping get better doctors

and more quality assurance

Best vibes to your mother.

[GreenPartyVoter]

2. I am so sorry that your mother is so ill. :^( My MIL's pancreatic cancer was

repeatedly misdiagnosed as Shingles. By the time we knew what it really was, she barely had two months left to live, with the last few weeks leaving her unable to talk after a stroke, and the very last week spent in a coma. I hate, hate, hate that she had to go through that, and not even 50 yo yet. :(

[zulchzulu]

4. OMG!

Wow, that is tragic. All the best to you and yours... especially during this time of year...

Peace.

[GreenPartyVoter]

5. Thanks ZZ :^) Same to you.

[CitizenLeft]

45. I'm so sorry to read this about your Mom.

Wishing you and your family peace and comfort.

[villager]

3. the unreccers brook no discussion, no dissension

it's their new type of "compassionate liberalism," I guess...

[GreenPartyVoter]

6. I cannot fathom how this sort of thread gets an unrec. :^(

[gtar100]

21. I think there are stupid people here who do nothing but unrec threads, regardless of content.

I'm sure if they had to sign their real name behind every unrec, they wouldn't do it.

[kestrel91316]

29. BINGO.

[eagertolearn]

33. I believe there are repugs on here that only are here to unrec.

Their connected to the insurance companies and don't want any changes and don't want anyone to read about people and the real problems dealing with our current health care system. Locally I hear just hear sound bites that people hear from their churches about what will happen if health care changes (the hospital will close down and the elderly will lose medicare benifits and there will be no choice...just a government take over). So the less people read about these real stories the better. So unrec fast to get it off the greatest page.

[lib_wit_it]

47. My thoughts on this as well.

[secondwind]

7. just K&R'd this, in your mom's name.... so she can get wholly better real fast.!

[zulchzulu]

8. U rock n/t

[Phx_Dem]

9. I'm so sorry to hear your mother has cancer and

I hope she gets the treatment she needs to beat it.

[Fire1]

10. So sorry to hear about your mother. I know someone right

now with a story identical to those your mother shared. This woman has been misdiagnosed for the last 6 to 8 months with problems relating to her appendix. Turns out, she has a malignant tumor that has now metastasized.

[Raine]

11. All the best to your mother

she sounds like a wonderful person, sending her and your family positive thoughts. :hug:

[mcablue]

12. Why in the world has your mother been a Republican since 1968?

Wow. Haven't 41 years of wingnut behavior by Republican leaders told her something?

On the other hand I wish her well in her battle against cancer.

[SharonAnn]

15. She knows her "affordable" Medicare and Supplemental came through Democrats, right?

[zulchzulu]

18. It's like belonging to a club

Like many Republicans I know, she is basically a moderate person on issues politically. I've tried to figure out why she wouldn't want to be a Democrat, but you can only go so far.

[okieinpain]

13. sorry about your mom. I will include her in my prayers. n/t.

[Caretha]

14. First I'd like to say that I'm glad your mother is doing well

But isn't it typical that most Republicans don't have a clue or actually care about others having difficulties until they witness it or experience it for themselves. Just sayin'.

[HughMoran]

16. Thanks for sharing - K&R

My liberal family will see reform in much the same way - once I convinced them they wouldn't lose coverage or doctors, they were supportive of the effort.

[rasputin1952]

17. Sorry to hear about your Mom...

FWIW...my mother is a die hard R as well...but after bush, she has said she will never vote R again for president. That is amazing for me to hear. My Mom is an old Lincoln/Eisenhower R, she will have nothing to do with the current crop of absolutely revolting human beings that call themselves Republicans.

An aside: Just before Barry Goldwater died, he was asked on live TV what he thought of the current members of the Republican party in Congress...I sat there waiting for the answer...and Goldwater impressed me and knocked me right out of the chair when he flatly stated..."These are not Republicans, they are shitheads." No matter what one thinks of Goldwater...he called it like he saw it...:D

[harmonicon]

19. Consider it unrecced again!!

I can't imagine anything more tasteless than mentioning something like the unrec feature in the body of a post (esp. one ostensibly about the health of a family member). It is harmful to discussion, and I hope noone else has to read up to that point.

[zulchzulu]

25. Well...

...literally a minute or two after I shared this story, it was Unrec'd by people who made no comment and merely decided to take the time to be an asshole.

You can un'rec this as far as I'm concerned. I now know what kind of person you are.

[Gormy Cuss]

34. It's really tasteless to unrec for that reason and then crow about it.

Your post is far more harmful to the discussion than the Op's addendum commenting on the favorite feature of some passive-aggressive posters.

[noiretextatique]

20. your mother is in my prayers

i am glad she is seeing the republicons clearly. my dad contracted a hospital infection after his leg was amputated and the lousy way the doctors treated the infection most definitely sucked the life out of him. he had lung cancer too, but being constantly ill from the infection took away his will to live. my little sister's misdiagnosis (she was first diagnosed with mastititis, which turned out to be breast cancer) wasted precious time that might have given her a chance to live. albeit, it was a slim chance, but i will never forgive her doctors and the insurance company for taking away ANY chance she might have had to survive.
when i was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2007, my inexperienced surgeon recommended a radiation technique that i later learned most reputable radiologists don't use. thank goodness my cancer was slow-growing, and that i had friends who were looking out for my best interests.
as i am sure your mother has learned, you have to learn as much as you can, and demand the best treatments available. "just listen to the doctor" is advice than can kill you.

[bluescribbler]

22. Misdiagnosis is a killer

Stephanie had a suspicious mole removed in 1989. The path report said that it was "atypical, precancerous". Then, in early 1998, she discovered a lump under her arm, (the same arm). Surgeon removed it, and the path report said it was malignant melanoma, stage 3. When she started wondering about that early path report, her oncologist sent for it, and took another look. "It was melanoma", he said. She fought long and hard, trying everything that made sense to her, but in the end, the disease was too much for her. She stopped fighting, and left this plane this past November 28. I have to wonder if the initial pathologist had made the correct diagnosis, would she have survived? Would early detection have prevented its spread? I miss my wife so much today.:cry:

[abq e streeter]

26. I'm so sorry to hear about your wife's passing

I don't know what else to say. This has to be such a terribly sad time for you, but I hope that the love of your family and friends is providing some happiness and comfort to you.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

23. obviously, the solution is tort reform.

snark.

yeah, if they want to lower malpractice payouts, how about limiting malpractice itself?

[Undercurrent]

24. A huge hug to you, and your mom.

I pray she continues to do well.

My mom lost her battle with cancer 15 years ago, yet I remain grateful she had Medicare to rely on. People get sick. That's just the way it is. How we treat our family -- our immediate family, or our American family -- reveals the nature of our hearts.

I wish you joy and love this season.

[abq e streeter]

27. Glad to see you saying that she's doing well. Best wishes to her and to you...

[mckara]

28. Your Mom is Learning: Reality Bites!

Many Americans live in a dream world, your mother is waking up!

[ClarkUSA]

30. Best wishes for your mom. Thanks for the heartfelt OP.

As the sibling to two specialist physicians, I can tell you that both of them are for HCR.

Have you tried http://www.ratemds.com/ to check out oncologists in your area?

K&R

[mstinamotorcity]

31. Sorry to hear about

your mother. I will send up a special faith based signal for you. You would think this would not be a republican or a democratic issue.This is about a humanitarian issue. When we deny everyone the basic right to quality health care we are keeping them from having a decent quality of life. Growing health care cost effect everybody.My grandfather was a republican and sometimes we did not see eye to eye, but on the fundamentals of human life there was a subject that we agreed on. There is no way that seventy seven percent(depending which polls you look at) of the American people want health care reform and it not be across the board.Politicians repugs,and dems alike know this. But they are not willing to give up that cushy little seat or their corporate perks to help the American people.I wish your mom the best.And we will do our best to make sure that the struggle for quality health care won't stop until every American has it from birth to end of life.

[CatWoman]

32. proud to be your 90th rec

:)

[perdita9]

35. Republicans have no imagination

While a sympathize with a sick woman, this story illustrates a problem I see with the majority of Republicans. They can only understand a problem if it is happening to them. Dick Cheney supports gay rights because he has a gay daughter. Nancy Reagan supports stem cell research because she suffered for years from her husband's Alzheimer's Disease.

It isn't that Republicans don't have a heart; they don't have an imagination.

[PatSeg]

36. Excellent point and says it so succintly

I've known some really good people who were republicans, but they often couldn't understand another person's situation without walking in their shoes.

Of course, there ARE republicans who have neither "heart" or "imagination". Some people are just selfish and cruel by nature.

[I Have A Dream]

38. Yes, they lack empathy. nt

[Dappleganger]

37. Illness has a way of changing how you see

I know it certainly changed me in many ways!

[tblue]

39. Your mom probably became a Repub back when there were some good ones.

There was a time when that party was not all neocon or corporate and included some liberals. Your mom is the kind of Republican I can respect. Tell her also that the US could have the best healthcare in the world, but not if you can't access it. I wish her many years of health and feeling good.

[Greyhound]

40. Apparently at least 14 "scum-sucking dirtbag(s)" are floating around today. n/t

:kick: & R

[Myrina]

41. "Republicans don't care about me" ... well,

.... Nelson, Stupak, Baucus, Lieberman, Reid and Bayh don't care about real people either.

If they did we wouldn't have this flaming shit sandwich on our Christmas Dinner tables.

[MissDeeds]

42. So sorry your mom is ill

I hope all the best for her, and you. :grouphug:

[Cha]

43. Who would unrec this?

The NO party.

Best Healing Wishes for your Mom, zulch:hug:

[newblewtoo]

44. My mother died of ovarian cancer in 1993,

She and I argued politics ever since I was old enough to hold an opinion. I miss those arguments to this day. Some may find the following link an interesting read:

http://trueslant.com/allisonkilkenny/2009/12/17/would-the-senate-healthcare-bill-have-helped-obamas-mother/

I also lost a mother in law to pancreatic cancer.


Both were insured, never smoked, drank, and, were in incredible health before the onset. Cancer is an apolitical, non denominational killer.

May your mom have good doctors and many pain free years to come.

[CitizenLeft]

46. wishing you and your mother the best

May she continue to win the battle. :hug:

Oh yeah... one more thing: whoever would unrec a post like this is truly a slothy, scum-sucking dirtbag. Jesus.

[DailyGrind51]

48. You still have to pay the doctor no matter how good he/she may be.

Without insurance, you can't see any doctor.

[Beacool]

49. I'm terribly sorry about your mother's ordeal.

May she continue the fight and make a full recovery.

;)