Boy can I relate to this.  In 1999 I was diagnosed with colon cancer (first time) my husband had left me, I had to resign my job and my kids had no idea what was happening behind the senes.

I applied for Social Security in Dec 99, and was denied, it took two yrs before I was granted my Disability.  I was already receiving Disability from the VA (disabled Vet here) and the X was informed by the Marine Corp to pay the morgtage and send an addition 300 a month to assist us.  This was still not enough to provide my children with what they need, the heck with what they wanted.

I started taking in typing jobs for the local college seniors.  I took in two boarders, and I still couldn’t make ends meet, so I had to file bankruptcy.

I was granted the bankruptcy, I hired an attorney to help with the SS Disability and after TWO yrs. that to was granted.

But it didn’t matter, the X stopped paying the house payments and in 2002 I loss my home to forclosure, and I never even knew it was coming, he had taken over all payments and correspondances.  He also signed the house over to me during the divorce and there are people still expecting me to pay them, NOT.  We used my VA loan for the house, and now I’ve lost it, but he still has mine the @@@@@.

All this while fighting colon cancer, treaments, colonocopies, bioposys, all the while trying to ensure my kids were okay. 

I got through it all, and it was demeaning and depressing, but I did what needed to be done to survive and HERE I AM STILL ABLE TO SIT HERE AND TALK TO YALL.

Cancer doesn’t just affect the body, it’s a depressing disease, that robs you of your health, ability to work in most case’s and your self esteem, you lose your hair, gain/lose weight, skin is affected, some of us have lost all their teeth because of chemo.

Cancer SUCKS in to many ways to list here.  My advise to anyone who is able:  GET THE INSURANCE THROUGH YOUR WORK FOR CANCER TREATMENTS AND TO OFF SET YOUR INCOME, i wish I’d had it through work, life would have been so very less stressful.

God Bless anyone out there fighting the fight currently. :)

Judy I’m right there with you, I lost all my teeth, and I can’t get dentures that fit right, It’s so frustrating.  I was worried the cancers I had were genic or from something I did or didn’t due,  Turns out all my cancers go back to my time in the Navy and a radiation leak I was exposed to,I’m not the only one, but because there was weakness in one of my gene’s (not really sure what that means) they told me I was susceptible to the cancers. I did have the Bracka test done so I could put my mind at ease because I have a daughter and because of the breast cancer I was so afraid I’d passed it on to her,but thank God it was negative. Don’t know a person alive who wants to feel responsible for passing something on to their children.  I’m still not over the Uterin cancer, that was 27 yrs ago, I was pregnant when they told me and the (Navy) ordered me to abort my son, I was five months along.  I said no, go ahead and court martial me, didn’t happen, four months in bed and at the end of it a nine lb baby boy who has grown up to me quite the Man. He is organizing a concett in D.C. for the American Cancer Society, and all proceeds go to "Help the Patients".  I didn’t know about this until tonite, and it made cry with pride.  He said "Momma your my inspiration for many things I do."  then I cried even more. So as a survivor - all I can say is, the fight is worth it,and never stop fighting, fight until your last breath. I’m sorry everyone I got off track of the topic.

I wrote on another thread about how my sister got breast cancer in her mid forties and how it destroyed the rest of her life financially. she had no health care through work. even though she’d worked every day of her life since she was 14. the state picked up some costs. but not all. she got buried in huge bills she could never pay. but the worst part of it was that she had complications from treatment for years and years. which made it tough for her to hold down a job. she’s in her sixties now and virtually homeless. barely hanging on. no teeth and no dental care to help.

My best friend also got diagnosed with pancreatic cancer three days before she was supposed to show up for a new job working for the state last year. thank god they had already technically "hired" her as tehy couldn’t legally get "rid" of her for months and months. just long enough that her treatments were covered. they did eventually get rid of her as she couldn’t ever take the job they hired her for. But those were some scary ass times for her financially.

I would be surprised if the second was mental illness. It happened to my friend.

Between the so-called doctors and the insurance companies, health care today is just a business, nothing more.

Today if a person finds themselves in the hospital needing help without insurance finds themselves facing death. Some doctors will not treat you. Others will treat you, but will expect you to pay them and they will ruin your credit if you don’t. The hospital will get it’s money from the government. The doctors have lawyers. If a person dosn’t have the money to pay a doctor to save there life, why would they have the money for a lawyer.

There are very few doctors today. Today we have oath lying doctors who play God and get away with murder! First and formost to them is money. And to many are willing to let you die to save money.

What happened to the doctor who took payment in chickens or well cooked meals. Doctors use to be respected by all the people of the town. But now to many target doctors with low life lawyers making there life harder as well as all mankinds today.

As far as an idea for healthcare in America; I feel if the government made a program to pay for the schooling of a doctor, the doctor could pay it back by spending a given amount of time in a free clinic type of hospital that people without insurance could go to for help. This would not only aid a new doctor in experience, but would also free-up the emergency rooms of the regular hospitals of the non-emergencies that plage them today.

We all need to put the pressure on our congresspersons to pass a healthcare plan that includes a public option. This is a huge fight and the insurance companies are spending big bucks to combat anything that will hurt their profits. We need to counteract this effect, and let our Senators and Reps know we are watching how they vote! Get the information and don’t be fooled by the negative, scary ads the insurance companies are funding.

Oh, I forgot - here is link to Senator Bernie Sanders website, where you can take a poll, and sign a petition if you’re so inclined: http://sanders.senate.gov/

And America is so afraid of socialized medicine, but will sit back and lose everything for cancer.

My sister died 3 years ago from NHL.  She lived in Scotland, the land of the scary socialized medicine, you know the one where you all think you wait years for treatment, God you people are all so naive.  My sister had the best care anyone could get, anywhere in the world.  Millionaires could not have got better care than she did.  Even her family doctor came to her home to do her blood tests so that she would not have to go sit in his waiting room and run the chance of picking up an infection, all for FREE.

My father died on May 28th this year at the age of 82.  He had emphysema, bowel cancer and prostate cancer.  He lived in his own home on his own, had meals on wheels delivered daily lunch and dinner.  Two nurses came in during the day, one to get him out of bed in the morning, help him shower and dress and make his breakfast.  She would tidy up his home and make sure he had everything he needed to hand.  Then one would go back at night and do the same thing, get him into bed etc.  This also was FREE.  Why are you people so afraid of socialized medicine.  My father  and everyone else in the UK pay for this out of their wages every week, if you do not work then it makes no difference, you are still entitled to this level of care.

Healthcare in this country (USA) is the one thing that may make me return to the UK after 20 fabulous years of living here.  I am scared of getting old and sick in this country.  Why do you all feel you have to settle for bankruptcy or horrendous bills just to get decent healthcare.  This is one of the richest countries in the world, yet education and healthcare, two basic human rights are the two things that people cannot afford.  What is wrong with this picture?