So when Matthew (my son) had a stroke as a result of a major brain bleed in 2009 I dropped everything to be by his side. Most of my friends know the whole story, how I was there for 14 weeks,(I live in Maine, Matt in Seattle) how after a certain point he had to be discharged from the hospital and not have the intense rehab he so needed. Yes, he had rehab until his insurance ran out but what then? His brother took him in so he could be where it was warm, socially active and not isolated in Maine until he was able to live on his own again. Rehab without Walls was there for a time but when all the insurance runs out you are left to ask for assistance.
When Matt returned to Seattle still unable to articulate his needs he had to find his own therapy at a bargain because his Cobra was now over and his income reduced to just Social Security. Let me clarify that he had an amazing network of friends and I did what I could from 2800 miles away but let me tell you that first year almost drove me to madness. The frustration of seeing my child spend almost his entire Social Security check for rent leaving little for anything extra.
If you believe that he was eligible for rent assistance, food stamps and medicaid think again. You see they don't look at your expenses when you apply for assistance, they look at income alone.
So what does he qualify for food stamps? A whopping $12. What about rent assistance you ask?
He has at least a 2 year wait because of the enormous waiting list. Medicaid? You have to reach a threshold of crazy proportion and calculation that would make your head explode. Then only then will they pay over and above what you have accumulated out of pocket. I will say if you are disabled you do qualify for Medicare. When you ask? Two years after your date of injury.
What makes me mad? All the people out there who think Obama was over the top with his healthcare reform. I ask you this. What if Matthew had been able to receive consistent therapy as Gabrielle Giffords receives? He had to wait two years to resume physical therapy until Medicare kicked in. Now he is back in therapy and gaining function again. Thank you University of Washington (where he was a student when this all happened, studying for his degree in Landscape Architecture) for helping him with his speech therapy, giving him a volunteer opportunity in the greenhouse and caring.
Would he be further ahead to regain his "normal" life if he had consistent therapy? Would he be able to get off his Social Security disability and Medicare? Who knows? Who also knows how many Matthews are out there frustrated by the system and willing to get off these welfare programs but are blocked at every turn.
I ask you to consider in this Presidential election year to think of all of the factors when making your decision on who to support. If you are a Republican, don't vote your party for the party's sake. Think about how all of the factors would play if this was your story. If you are Independent I beg you to do the same and Democrats please support your party through another election cycle. If at the end of the next Presidential term I feel the same frustration maybe then I will vote differently but for now I will support President Obama.
I wish I could tell my story and ask questions to the people who are running for office but on second thought you are my friends and family and are way more important to me then they are. I wish for this to have never happened to a beautiful, intelligent, charming man but wishing will not make it so.
I have tried and failed to get myself in a position to obtain a job on the West coast to be closer to my son. I am now going to take a different approach. I am going to stay here and fight for MY life. Matthew will be fine without me as will all my children because they know I love them more than life itself and I would do anything for them.
Thanks for reading. :-)
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