JUST ONE OF MY PRE-EXISTING CONDITION AND LACK OF INSURANCE STORIES

I had a beautiful Catholic wedding planned when my ex and I got married. It was to be held at St. Nicholas Church, in Evanston - where my grandparents got married and settled after my Grandma arrived in the US, a few years after Grandpa, who was building a foundation for them to unite and grow their love and family in America. We went through the meetings with the priest and were on our way....then....something happened, I got ill. 

One day, when I coughed, a huge bubble popped out of my chest - scared me beyond belief. At the time I had just switched jobs and was without health insurance. I went to the doctor, paying out of pocket, and when he found out I had no  health insurance he told me I needed to get some asap and he would wait to officially diagnose me - I had deep incisional hernias from having my spleen removed just a few years earlier - they were in three spots. 

There went the wedding plans - we hurried up and got married, nothing elaborate, all so in two months his insurance through the Sheet Metal Worker's Union would kick in. 

I had pain and was told not to do too much, they feared it would turn to a strangulated hernia, where the tissue that bulges out is being starved of blood supply. 

Because of my health and all the issues with having or not having insurance, his abusive father called me a burden,- and asked him if he really wanted to marry me. 

Looking back, I think I put up with emotional abuse at the start of our marriage which turned into more than just emotional BECAUSE of all of that, and feeling like the burden my lovely father-in-law called me. 

I was extremely lucky that the doctor I went to understood the situation and decided to wait for the "official" diagnosis until I could get on his insurance. 

I had to risk my life waiting...

Lost the dream of marrying at St. Nick's because after all of that, and all the time off waiting to get insurance, we went through our funds. 

Lack of insurance has caused many issues in my life - in the past issues were also caused by basically being born as a pre-existing condition. 

This is personal to me - 

I worry that my children will have to deal with some of the very health issues I have and this mother's heart cannot take the thought that their lives may be at risk and all because our country doesn't have access to medical insurance for all - and may lose the protections for pre-existing conditions granted to us through Obama-care

Right now I am writing this with a sternoclavicular joint sticking out, most likely autoimmune arthritis destroyed it and it is hurting...

New autoimmune symptoms...

No health insurance because Tennessee fibbed to me before moving down and I am without real income, waiting for SSDI to send me to their doctor - and me getting approved. 

I am one of many.

Soon there will be many people like me, some Covid survivors are learning they are walking away with new long-term and significant health conditions. 

Will we turn our backs on them, again? - We should have done better and....

WE DESERVE BETTER! 

I DESERVED BETTER!