At last check, I was the one diagnosed with Multiple
Sclerosis, not my husband, not our daughters, not my mother, my father, my best
friends, my cousins, my aunts, uncles or any of my friends and family. Yet for
some reason, that for the life of me I cannot wrap my head around, the powers
that be are bound and determined to make those around me suffer. Guilty by association.
It isn't as if they have not made it difficult enough for us to live and treat
this MonSter. They made it difficult enough for us to obtain health care (some
who shall remain nameless, would like to see us without)…astronomical premiums,
waiting periods of disease modifying therapies, loop holes, red tape, pre-qualifications…it is really enough to make a big girl cry. And now to add
some high-calorie icing to the proverbial cake they deny you the right to purchase short-term
disability and life insurance? So if I understand correctly, after you have
attempted to make my life even more difficult to navigate as a person living
with this unpredictable disease you thought it would be a swell idea to keep
the party going by impacting the quality of life of all those around me…just
for kicks and giggles? Well, let me be clear on what I would like to kick and
how much it would truly make me giggle!
Are we not deserving of the same benefits that the rest of
the population is entitled to? At what point did I become less of a human, less
of a mother, less of a provider? The day I was diagnosed? Did you not think
that I too might want to spare my friends and family any further financial
burdens on the off chance that this disease gets the better of me? There is also
the off chance that I could get hit by a bus but prior to 2009 that whole bus
smashing scenario didn't bother you so much. One of the biggest issues those
with MS face is the guilt associated with the possibility of becoming a burden
to their family, both physically and financially. Please believe, we do not
need anything else to feel guilty about. I thought we were all endowed with
certain unalienable rights? I suppose MS stripped me of my myelin and my rights
in one fail swoop…the MRI didn't pick up on that. Are we not entitled to “due process”?
PUBLIC SERVICE
ANNOUNCEMENT: Unfortunately, due to the “process” if you love me, you are now
guilty by association.
