Gleaning Facebook: When The Political Gets Personal...

 From Sarah Fedchak...

I try to avoid getting political on here, as I believe the best conversations happen in person. But right now, the personal is political. I understand, as our current Congresswoman Elise Stefanik Representative (who voted for the bill) has repeatedly said, there is still a long legislative process ahead. I also understand that there are things in the current health care system that need to be fixed. But I honestly cannot understand the idea that "health care is a privilege, not a right," as I have been hearing over and over again in interviews with members of the House and Senate. Our own Declaration of Independence states that we have the "right to LIFE, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." Is it just the right to life if you are born healthy and have no mishaps along the way?

Friends, my husband almost died because he couldn't get the care and insurance he needed to manage a chronic illness. Not just once, but several times. I watched him starve himself in attempts to reduce his debilitating symptoms so he could continue to work. I saw him go to the hospital every four to six months because of severe anemia due to internal bleeding. We joke that we started dating because I saved his life, but it isn't actually funny. It's true. I've sat the hospital waiting room countless times while he endured hours of surgery, only for there to be complications and the need for another surgery days later. Yes, this happened multiple times.

Want to know a confession? My oldest daughter's middle name is Dare, after her daddy. While it's not unusual for children to carry some part of their parent's name, the reason she does is. When Darrell and I were first talking about our dreams for a family, I had this fear that we would have a child and that Darrell would not live long to watch her grow up. So in my head, I decided that she would be named after him, so he would be a constant presence in her life. Sounds macabre, but on the day we said our wedding vows, Darrell was bleeding internally so much he could hardly stand, In our wedding pictures, he is as white as a ghost. I honestly thought my future would be that of a widow.

It is only by the grace of God, and His provision of hardworking physicians, the compassion of many people who helped us afford to go through this ordeal, and eventually Darrell's ability to get government sponsored health care that he is alive today. But all of this could have been avoided if he had been able to get insurance and afford the medicine that would have kept his symptoms in check. The ACA's provisions protecting pre-existing conditions literally changed everything for us.

Darrell's version of the story is below. I couldn't share his original post, but here it is shared (with some extra notes) by our good friend Mr. Shaw. I am sorry for being overly emotional and writing a book, but this issue is close to my heart. Thanks for reading.

Click the picture to read Darrell's story...