Health Care Vote Tonight 3-21-2010

I was a little fired up when I wrote this. Forgive the proselytizing.

I am writing today as an advocate of the health care reform bill that is being voted on in congress today. At this point, it is looking like the Senate bill will be passed by the house and then reconciled once the president has signed it into law. Wow, what a process it has been. I have personally been both inspired and horrified by the legislative process and people on both sides of the debate. I cannot believe how hard it has been to get to this point. I guess I just don’t understand. There seems to be widespread suspicion of the government these days I and I just do not get it. Maybe I am naive, but the government has done right by me during my hour of need. The safety net that we have and are fashioning should catch you on your way down, not restrict you on your way up. I think the health care legislation is another step in strengthening the net so that our most vulnerable are not forgotten. I feel that the character of a society is shown by how it treats its most vulnerable citizens. Do we feed our poor or merely look down on them for not being able to provide for themselves? Do we help our disabled or mock them? Do we detain our convicts humanely or starve them in squalor? How we treat those less fortunate than us, reflects back upon us. Again, I feel that the sacrifice we all will make to extend health coverage to nearly all Americans is miniscule compared to the enormous benefit individuals (and the rest of us) get by being covered and the nation gets by raising its moral standard. Today will, hopefully, be the day that the richest nation on earth finally decided to look after all of its citizens, rich and poor. You personally may not experience a medical bankruptcy, but you could, or someone close to you could. Ask yourself, how much is it worth to you, to have the security of knowing that medical bankruptcy will not happen to you or a loved one. That piece of mind is worth a lot to me. Many times more that whatever small tax increases, if any, I will bear.

Of course, I have a very unique perspective and, like anyone, have my own personal biases. I welcome all comments an criticisms, especially those who disagree with me. Perhaps concerns can be posted and I can make an attempt to alleviate them through the comments section.

Anyways, enough lecturing. A quick update on my health...My leg strength has continued to degenerate and it is pretty tough to get around these days. I spent a week in the hospital to try to figure it out and it looks like chemo initially damaged the nerves and then they were damaged further when I worked out while my creatanine was too high because I was not getting enough dialysis. Solution: dialyze more and wait for the nerves to regenerate (which hopefully they will). It just takes time, lots of time I am told, like months. We are figuring things out slowly but it has been tough. Few of the places I frequent are really wheelchair accessible. It is not that they are accessible or not, but it is more of a spectrum. Some places are easier than others. UCLA is fairly good. My apartment, not so much. My parent’s house, good in some ways, less so in others. For instance, there are only two small steps to get into my parents house, but the bathroom doors are not standard and my wheelchair will not fit through them. My walker will make it if I go sideways, but it is a little tricky. It has also been straining emotionally to be so dependent on Eva and my parents. I feel very dependent and it is also hard to feel so helpless if someone accidentally puts your walker just out of reach. Ok, I could crawl to it, but then how would I get back up on my feet once I was there. I would have to crawl back to the couch or bed, dragging the walker, try to get up onto the bed, and then try to get up on my feet. Everything just becomes that much harder. One victory yesterday, was figuring out how to shower at my apartment. There are no bars to hold onto and the lip for the shower is about 12 inches high. I can barely lift my foot 12 inches, let alone balance on one foot while I step over the lip into the shower. Our solution was to get two folding chairs. We put one into the shower and one just out side. I sit on the outside one, transfer to the inside one, and while sitting on the inside one, lift my legs into the shower. Eva is spotting me the whole time. Then she leaves, I enjoy my shower (sorry earth, once I am in, I love it, so I use a bit more water than I should), and I yell when I am done. She helps as I reverse the entry process and we are done. It was a good thing we figured it out because I was getting a little musty. Those little clean wipes can keep you going for a few days, but there is nothing quite like a nice warm shower. Otherwise, work has been going pretty well. They are pretty awesome people and have been so kind and understanding. I hope I am contributing to the group. Eva is still studying hard. The folks are doing well. Last Sunday, we all went to a Breast Cancer 5K at Dodger Stadium. Eva and my dad ran and then helped my mom push me through the 5K walk in the wheelchair. I may not have been exerting myself, but I think my heart rate was elevated during most of the walk (lots of people, obstacles, and cracks). All in all, it was good to be out.

Take Care and Live Strong,
Tyler