So, I have this friend… well, maybe she isn’t exactly a friend, but I grew up with her.  We spent many days while we were growing up in the hospital together.  Both having CF, sharing the trials, tribulations and frustrations of living with this disease. Having wheelchair races, playing chubby bunnies at 1am until the nurses forced us to go to bed, trying our hardest to use our IV poles as skateboards usually hurting ourselves in the process. My old friend has definitely had a rougher time with her health than me.  Ready for a lung transplant, having financial troubles because of astronomical medical bills thanks to a completely screwed up federal disability system, I reached out to help my old friend.  I have tried to contact her because I was hoping that maybe through the fund (www.theaspenfund.org) my friends started at the beginning of the year, maybe I could help her out.  After all that was my dream of the fund.

I have realized that sometimes people aren’t ready to ask for help, even when they really need it… especially when you are ingrained with the personality that living with cystic fibrosis gives someone.  I don’t like to generalize, but it is almost too obvious sometimes that the personality traits of someone who has been fighting daily with CF since they were a toddler are very common to each other.  I have noticed that people with CF are usually very independent, stubborn, determined, intelligent, hard headed, with a lust for life, ringleader, troublemaker…. (I hear my co-RCPM-fans laughing at that last one, shut up guys! lol)  :p   All of these traits make it very hard to ask for help no matter how much you are in need.  Wanting not to seem weak, desperate or lazy, it is a super difficult thing to do.

This morning I listened to a rant from a radio DJ about people on welfare. He bitched about how the money he earned belonged to him and only to him and the government should not take any of it to help his fellow Americans.  He believed that there are charities out there to help those in need and the government should have no part in helping their needy citizens.  People should work for their money and those who work for their money deserve to keep all of it.  As you could guess I wanted to smack the living daylights out of that DJ.  I really wanted to call him up and ask him about his thoughts about people on disability who are being screwed out of a life because of a f-ed up governmental system and the lack of people giving to charities to help these people out. Why are some people so selfish??!  My friend who I mentioned above has been screwed out of a life, not because of something she did, not because she is lazy, but because she was born with a genetic chronic disease.  She worked a little when she was old enough and when she was healthy enough, but it was not much. I actually know a few girls in similar situations (the cystic girls are a little more public with their frustrations). Most of them are currently in their 20’s.  Barely bringing in enough from social security to pay medicaid co-pays, not to mention very high grocery bills and forget living on your own, no money for rent or a mortgage after paying those medical bills, like a child they are forced to live off of their families.  I thought about my friends in need when this DJ was so busy selfishly whining and the calls supporting him pored in.  I figured it would be best for my sanity if I just changed the station, which I did. It is people like this DJ that makes it so difficult to ask for help, and just deal with the suffering.

When I was in need I couldn’t help but notice that the majority of people who donated to my medical bills were people who probably really needed the few bucks for themselves. The people who are rollin in the dough were the ones who turned their backs on me and suggested I contact the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, which yes I did and yes they were unable to help me (not something they are designed to do).  Why is it that the people who have been in need, or are in need, or see they may be in need in the future, are the ones digging in their coin purse? Why are some people so selfish?

I don’t know where I am going with this post.  On this election day, I really hope (but not too optimistic about) that the future president will be able to help out those who can not help themselves.  I hope for better health care, lower deductibles, better coverage. I hope that those on disability aren’t continued to be treated like the scum of the earth.  I hope that this president inspires Americans to love one another, and take care of each other as we should. We are all a part of this world, and in a way we are all family. No matter how you believe we came to live on this earth, I think if you really think about it you can agree. We are all comon humans, in that respect, we are all related, all family. We need to spend less time fighting and disagreeing, and spend more time helping each other out.  Maybe I feel this way because I have been in need.  Maybe I would feel different if I were born to rich parents or if my little hospital job would pay me a million bucks a year. Maybe I would have a different opinion if I were lucky enough to be born healthy.  But I wasn’t, and I am not. I am who I am. I see the need, first hand at times.  I see the lack of caring, the lack of love in our society.

I really hope that will change.  I hope for a promising future.

*hippie steps off her soap box*