Every politician needs a photo of a Health Care nightmare on his or her desk

I recently posted a video in response to The Honorable Mr. Rogers of Michigan in which I am a little upset with him for not taking care of his own people by playing politics as usual. Our country has become much too divisive and political. Everything is shades of blue or red; socialism or patriotism. There is no middle ground any longer. There is no civil discourse. The result of this divisiveness is a total lack of representation by our elected officials.

If you want to find a story about how our U.S. Healthcare system is failing, you generally do not have to look too far to find one. They are everywhere. The general discussion really comes down to a couple key points.

1. Is Healthcare a right or a privilege? If it is a privilege then there has to be a cut off somewhere and those that do not meet the cutoff do not get healthcare. It is just that simple. If everyone should have healthcare then we figure out how to make that work. We have smart people in this country. We should be able to figure out how to make it work.

2. Healthcare in this country is currently all about profit. Well, I hate to say it, but let us say you have a young man with Leukemia like my friends in Michigan. There is nothing profitable about treating Leukemia. It is a no win situation in many cases. Leukemia has no cure. There is no long-term value in treating an incurable disease unless you feel the person treated has value. If they do not qualify for the privilege then they do not get treatment. If they have a “right” to treatment then it cannot be about profit.

This brings us to the concept of value of life and the right to have access to a system that encourages and promotes wellness; not profit.

The family with the boy with Leukemia is struggling. Not just with the $2.9 million dollars in bills for his medical care alone but for the very survival of their family. Recently the mother was going through the closet finding her favorite shoes; you know those special ones you buy to wear like once or twice a year. She was going through the entire house looking for anything to sell to make the $150 to $200 they needed for rent THIS month. They will let next month take care of itself and face that that when they get there.
No family in United States should have to live like this. This should not happen in the country where we espouse the concepts of “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness”. How can anyone be “free” when they do not know from where the next month’s rent will come? How can anyone have liberty when they are enslaved to a system where medical bills eat up any hope of a “pursuit of happiness”?

We need to find a way to bring a more balanced and equitable life to our citizens. I applaud anyone who has been diligent and successful in his or her life. I celebrate the opportunities in this country to become independently wealthy. However, just because you are not a millionaire does NOT mean you are a failure and a human life with less value then the next guy. Is this the country we have become – Where we value money over people; wealth over humanity?

I am not advocating any radical shift in wealth. Certainly don’t want espouse any of those commie pinko ideas of all things for the greater good. However, we should be capable of finding ways in this country to celebrate the success and still have compassion and understanding for the less fortunate then ourselves.

I will close out my blog with a recent letter I received from this family in Michigan. A proud family with working class roots that has reached the end of their rope and pride. They have decided to swallow what pride they have left and just ask for help. Help from anyone or any resource out there. If you know of a resource to help this family please contact them.

To whom it may concern:
Please allow me to introduce my son to you. His name is TJ, he’s 17 and has Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (Pro-B). TJ was diagnosed with leukemia 3 years ago, at age 14, and has been battling to enter remission ever since. I am Peggy, his mother. I currently suffer from diabetes type one, chronic fibromyalgia, and degenerative joint disease. In May I had a brain tumor removed and some of it remains; inoperable. We are a family of three; my husband, Solomon, works as many hours as the company will provide; lately this has been maybe two days a week. I am personally unable to work due to my many medical conditions. I do my best to help with fund raising for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and other cancer related charities within my physical limitations.
This year our annual income will be less than $10,000. We have availed ourselves of every charity, good will, state and federal program of which we are aware here in Michigan and across the country. We struggle every day to make ends meet and often are scrambling at the last moment to pay our rent or electricity or other necessary bills.
We are a proud family and we do not ask for anything from anyone. However, it is with extreme embarrassment and humility that we must seek help from anyone who is willing to help us. Our financial situation has recently become dire with Solomon only getting a few days work a week. He has been seeking another job but the area in which we live there just isn’t anything open to him.
Through his work he has FMLA (Family Medical Leave Act) days for our son. We need these because many days I am just too ill to drive TJ for his chemo treatments. We need to have our health insurance and if he loses his job and has to collect unemployment we lose that. We do receive $322.00 a month in food stamps.
Let me also mention that we have substantial amounts of outstanding medical debt due to incidentals and treatment not covered for both TJ and myself. If there is any information or point to contact of which you are aware please let me know. We have tried everything of which we are aware. DHS, the housing authority, cancer foundations, etc. – we have talked to them all. In some cases they can help; often they cannot. Local food banks have been low on food and unable to provide food at times. We do not belong to a specific church because with so many medical conditions most times we cannot get involved enough to be considered a member or part of the church family.
We do not have family to support us here because TJ and I are from Pennsylvania. Our family has done everything possible that can be done from 6 hours away. My husband and I come from working class families. We moved here after I met and married my husband. I do not know many people because I have been so busy as my sons advocate, mother, teacher (he is home schooled due to his illness) and main caregiver, along with having the health issues that I have now. I am not complaining for a minute because I would not change a thing as long as TJ is with us. He is my son and I love him more than life itself as I do my other two children. I’m just explaining why we have not been able to find a church family or make friends.
With all that being said, the question is what can you do to help us? We need money, obviously, to pay our rent, electricity and other utilities. We realize these are short-term immediate and constant needs. Each day I think of the possibility of TJ dying. Each day I celebrate another day he is with us; each day he has succeeding in beating this incurable lifelong disease. But in addition to the medical realities, I sit and cry in front of him or behind his back nearly every day. On top of all of our medical issues, I have to worry about the lights getting turned off or us being evicted. I live with the stress of knowing that my child is sick and I can do nothing to make him well and feel the additional mounting pressure from bills unpaid. I live this life every single day. Some days I have to lean very hard on God to get me through the day.
I am going to send, fax and email this letter to everyone and anyone I can think of that might know a place for us to turn to for help or can open a door for us or perhaps even open their heart and HELP US! We are not asking for anything but help for our NEEDS to be met. No frills, nothing extra – just the ability to lie down at night and thank God for his blessings without crying and adding in please help us get that we need to pay rent. Help us to please keep our heads above water. Anything at all that you can do to help would be most appreciated by our family. If you know anyone else that might be able to help please forward this letter on to them on our behalf.
If you are unable to help with the money situation, perhaps you would consider assisting TJ in a project that he has started. TJ is collecting hats to beat the world record of the most number of hats. Once he achieves his goal, it is his desire to distribute those hats to kids with cancer and who are going through chemo and losing their hair. Any kind of hat, just please do not send scarfs, bandannas, or visors. They can be sent to

TJ Bertges
PO Box 88878
Grand Rapids
Michigan 49588-8781

There is more about this on TJs website at www.tjsjourney.com. You must sign up to be a member, its free and then you will be once approved able to see the entire website.
Last and certainly not least, if nothing else, please say a prayer for our family. We are a Christian family that believes God will provide for us. Perhaps you are part of God’s plan. If you have any questions or would like to discuss our needs further please don’t hesitate to respond and ask. I will place our contact information at the bottom of this letter.
Thank you so much for taking the time to read this!
Very sincerely and humbly,

Peggy & Solomon Toppel, TJ Bertges
(Please contact me for further contact information for this family if you can help)

Posted in Cancer Awareness, Politics, health care, wellness