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Friday, September 11, 2009 - 3:16 PM
Call me eclectic. Almost half a lifetime ago in high school, I envisioned myself growing up to be a German-speaking music education teacher. Music was my passion; I took piano lessons from age 11-18; classical voice lessons from age 9 and stopped in my early 20s, and did the whole gamut with choir, show choir, and band.
By this time you are thinking, what in the heck does this have to do with public health?
We are the product of our past experiences; the time spent out of school from 1996 to 2001 while I figured out what I wanted to do with life coupled with personal and volunteer experiences took me down a path that has meandered to this point in time...
My birth mother died in December of 2000 from congestive heart failure at the age of 43. She had no health insurance, and when she went into the hospital a few days prior; she was patched up and sent home. A week and a half later her ashes were on my door step. Indigent, she was cremated at no cost to the family. Her ashes remain with me as a silent reminder of how difficult life was for her, even at the very end.
My adopted mother died in December of 2002 from dilated cardiomyopathy- the doctors said it's when the heart and blood pressure basically doesn't agree; at some freck mathematical chance it happens at the same time- the heart just stops; they couldn't get a pulse back- she was 42. She had Medicaid, and was on a waiting list to see a cardiologist- her appointment was scheduled for December 13. We buried her on December 14.
Having Medicaid as a child and through my teenage years, I remember the unpleasant ambience whenever I went to the dentist or doctor. Having great health insurance today, everyone's always smiling, just sign here, and I sense a big difference because walking in the door, the docs know I have an ability to pay (or someone is paying for me).
I had some health scares of my own in the mid-s. With insurance; I call my doctor- I am not put on a waiting list- they get right to the bottom of things and take care of it- today my health is where it should be, and I am no longer worried about if things are out of order. In fact, my specialist told me after my two surgeries if anything came back, they would treat me right away and not take any chances.
My mothers didn't fair so well...through them, I keep a humble outlook on life, and a personal relevance as to why it is I became involved in public health- I always felt that 1) a person should be able to make informed and voluntary decisions regarding their health irrespective of what others thought and 2) everyone should have equal access to health care.
The health care reform debate is something I only dreamed of in my lifetime. I hope all entities involved are able to come together and draft a solution that benefits the group that matters most in the end- the people.
Respectfully,
Duane
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