Stories

Our journey all started when our youngest daughter was born 19 years ago. She came into this world three months early and because of that had some serious health issues. Her first few months were spent in the NICU with the medical care team trying to keep her alive.

I suffered a stroke in 2001. At the time I was working and I had insurance. My son was forced to give up his career in order to care for me, which he still does today. He has no income for doing this and cannot afford insurance for himself.

I am currently on Medicaid. There is no nephrologist in my county that accepts my Medicaid. I have to travel 60 miles to see my doctor. It doesn't sound like a big deal but I suffer from low vision. I have to arrange a shuttle service for my Dr visits.

In 1986, I was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. I was lucky. My mom poured her heart into taking care of me. She let me be a kid at the same time. Then 2006 hit. My father had battled Stage five chronic kidney disease for a few years, he was on dialysis. He died that year on a terrible March day. My world was crashing down, and I didn’t even know. Financial issues started to hit.

I am a 59-year old African American wife and mother. On October 31, 2012, I was diagnosed with stage II breast cancer. I underwent several months of chemotherapy, a mastectomy, and radiation. I was in constant pain and missed a significant number of days from work. Nearly two years later, I was laid off from my job.