To quote one of my favorite guilty pleasure TV shows, “Sometimes the future changes quickly and completely. And we’re left only with the choice of what to do next. We can choose to be afraid of it, to stand there trembling, not moving, assuming the worst can happen. Or we can step forward into the…
Tag: health
How I Went From a $60,000 Career to Needing Emergency Food Stamps
My career is in public health, where I spend my time advocating for people in order for a reduction in health disparities. The clients we serve are typically low income, with insurance difficulties, health problems or risks, and competing needs in obtaining the necessary resources to survive. I have worked to get people access to…
Aetna Would Rather Have Me Risk My Life Than Approve My Treatment
One of my biggest fears is fainting and falling onto the train platform of the city’s public transportation system while running errands or on the way to work. Lately, this fear is becoming closer and closer to reality as symptoms of my chronic health conditions have gotten worse and my insurance carrier, Aetna, is partly…
The Truth Is…
The truth sometimes hurts and the reality is that chronic illness is not always pretty. While positivity, strength and optimism are usually my forte, especially on this platform, there are times when being chronically ill feels like a prison sentence. I didn’t ask for this life and would not wish chronic illness on anyone. People…
Do What Works
One word to describe my life right now is chaotic. I am 10 weeks away from graduating from my MPH program and currently in the process of looking for a job where I can hopefully work full time. As if that isn’t enough, I am still dealing with my ongoing health problems. I have had…
Forget Me Not
I close my eyes and see the past. Breath heavy, body convulsing, hot skin, cold body begging for mercy Is this a nightmare? Eyes open, nothing has changed This is not a nightmare; this is reality. I close my eyes and see the past. Voices talking but my face is covered. I cannot associate the…
My Hidden Truths 