I am writing this on June 1st, 2011, two years to the day I last saw an oncologist. And a year ago when I last wrote the fir part, my story. You can find that here.. .http://www.dailykos.com/...*
My reason in writing has many aspects but mostly I think to say that I have not forgotten Health Care with all that has happened, especially here in Ohio. It still resonates with me and I will tell you what I have learned. You see, I am still alive, continuing to thrive, still very tired at times, still with the vertigo but I know I am cancer free. One day something will come along to get me, but not cancer..
I thought when I found Protocel, saw what it did for me I was going to save the world from cancer. Everyone would see me and and all my friends with cancer would take it. Well, I could not have been more wrong. I would say hardly anyone did and I could not understand until my Eastern Medicine guy finally got through to me the one thing he had been saying for years. "You have your own path, it is the only one you can change. You can not change others. You can suggest, offer to help but everyone else has there own path too."
Yes, I see that now. So I sit here after having cancer 4 times in two years, having not been back to an oncologist for two years and must simply count my blessings. I have helped a few but most, well, I don't know what they think. I just know it was the right path for me.
I have changed my whole life in the past two years, that's another long story, not one for here but I am a much better person than I was before cancer. That was my gift.
I have left the cancer world behind. No more endless doctors visits, no more waiting hours and hours, no more never ending paperwork and arguing with insurance companies and hospitals (which my husband did), no more visits with doctors who would spend 10 minutes with me then off to the next. No more hospital stays, no more chemo, no more radiation. I am sure I have left something out but you get the idea. It is a horrible world to live in, always waiting for cancer to come back, wondering if every little thing wrong is cancer again. Those days are behind me.
Yet, I have not forgotten Health Care and the knowledge that it is every Americans right, not a privilege. We have made a start but not near enough, it will still be a fight. My Senator, Sherrod Brown knows this, The President knows this, we need a single payer, universal health care. That is why I fought so hard for both of them, and will fight again next year if I am still here. There is no finer Senator in the Senate than Sherrod Brown. Period.
But, I also know that in so many respects we are our own worst enemies where Health Care is concerned. Diabetes and obesity, high blood pressure are things that have gotten out of control and and taking a huge toll on health care costs. That must change or we will never be a strong whole country again. We have to make those changes, not take a pill or hope someone else does.
And finally we must not put ourselves into our doctors hands and do whatever they say. We must question them, say no if we feel something is not right. It is hard when you are diagnosed, you're scared and alone but I found out without knowledge you are lost. I would be dead by now if I had not fought from the beginning until I finally said, "No more".
We have a real mess in this state, all Republicans running everything, SB5 (which my husband got one petition filled and have two more), voter suppression laws, everyday brings some new disaster it seems. I am so tired of fighting but I see we have to,, and I believe people have finally woken up, too late by my guess but we are moving in the right direction.
I know how long diaries can get, so I have tried to make this brief. My story can go on and on...
Over the Rhine sang last weekend..."Only God can save us now." I don't quite believe that, we have to start saving ourselves.