Fight! Finish! Faith!

If you and yours are healthy, count yourself blessed!

Every day - so it seems - I hear about someone struggling with illness: heart problems, a baby with possible birth defects, or leukemia...

It breaks my heart.

And then I think about how stinkin, undeservedly, blessed I am that the the most trying medical issue that seems to repeatedly pop up in our household is the sinus/ear infection combo. 

We can't complain. And we shouldn't.  Not in comparison to what some have to deal with...

From the article, "Banding together for a fellow teacher."
Gina Cook, a preschool teacher for Child’s Play Early Learning Center, was diagnosed with acute lymphocytic leukemia last September. In addition to her profession in education, Cook is a wife and a mother of three children. One of her sons, Josh, 18, decided to organize a 5K run/walk to raise money to support his mom’s battle against leukemia.

A friend of mine - Hey, Kenyon (insert me waving wildly) - brought the above mentioned 5k to my attention, and I said I would run it if she would (it being a very worthy cause). And guess what, she registered! 

So we ran for Gina Cook! And we finished strong!!

It was her first 5k! She did great!!

I was very proud of my race time on this one - an estimated 32:15.

However, I was more proud that I got to support Gina. I don't personally know her, but I can only imagine the personally hell she must be going through right now. So, I was happy to help out in a small way with my race entry. 

Running isn't always about the t-shirt, but...

 

... it is a pretty cool shirt.  And the message of the verse referenced on it should not go unnoticed to those of you who are struggling with illness or with supporting those going through an illness...

2 Timothy 4:7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.

It's all we can do in this life.  Fight! Finish! And always, keep the Faith!

Today's forget-me-not: Fight! Finish! Faith!

Speech! Speech!

Today, I spoke at a rally on the Georgia state capitol's steps to advocate for affordable healthcare options for state employees. I was one of several speakers who were there on behalf of TRAGIC (Teachers Rally to Advocate for Georgia Insurance Choices).

You see, our Governor and the board at our Department of Community Health decided to offer only ONE healthcare plan to all state employees and state retirees - and an AWFUL plan at that.  The consequences my family has suffered as a result of this are illustrated in my speech, and I want to share that with you.

Thank you for reading!

Jamie

Speech

Hello, fellow state employees.

My name is Jamie, and I’ve worked for the state of Georgia as a teacher for over 10 years.

Today, you are hearing from those who are struggling to manage their health care as a direct consequence of the actions of the board at the Department of Community Health – a board appointed by Gov. Deal. 

The consequences I have suffered as a result of having my healthcare choices made for me have extended to my children.  Their doctor – our pediatrician for over seven years – has been taken from them.  Their doctor – who was there when my oldest was born.  Their doctor – who helped to heal every fever, sickness, and broken bone.  Their doctor – with whom I had forged a trust – the trust of my children’s lives – will not take a Blue Cross Blue Shield plan. As the billing attendant at the office said, “Blue Cross Blue Shield plans only benefit the provider and not the doctor of the member.” And so, we have been stripped of what I have always believed to be an essential human right – the right to form and keep a relationship with a physician so as to ensure continuity of care. 

And why?!  Why were we all given this plan with an obviously limited physician network? I’ll tell you why. It was so the state could save a few bucks and balance the state budget on our backs – during this ELECTION year.

I know I am not alone in this.  In January, many of you also suffered this travesty.  And the hits just keep on coming, don’t they?  We have been threatened with high deductibles and financial ruin. We have been made to jump through hoops such as tracking our footsteps or our feelings online – OR we have been made to endure intrusive “coaching” calls.  And why?  All to earn a few measly HRA dollars that will barely cover two doctor’s visits!

Oh, yes, the Governor has worked with the board at the Department of Community Health to bring back our co-pays.  But what exactly does that mean?  How will that affect our HRA dollars or our deductibles? What exactly does it mean that this change will be retroactive to January first?  You see, no one really knows yet.  And this brings me to one of the most frustrating consequences of having been shoved into this healthcare plan – we’re left more questions than answers.  Here we are – February 18^th – and I still am not sure how to prepare my family financially for health care costs in 2014!  You call the department of state health and ask a few questions – but they have no answers.  You call Blue Cross Blue Shield, and depending on who you talk to, you can get a different answer to the same question every hour on the hour. 

You go to their website, watch an informational video designed to educate us about our new healthcare plan, and via a fictional character named “Larry”, we learn our Health Reimbursement Account (or HRA) dollars used for prescriptions will go toward our deductible – which is WRONG.  This is just one example of misinformation from Blue Cross Blue Shield.   My – OUR – stress levels have gone through the roof wondering if we will survive the State Health Benefit Plan of 2014.

And folks – That! Is! WRONG!

It’s wrong that this past month I had to take my youngest daughter to two different physicians – doctors unfamiliar with her history – to finally get the medicine she needed to heal from her latest illness when I KNOW if I had taken her to her regular doctor, she would have gotten exactly what she needed on the first visit.

It’s wrong that our families are suffering because of the poor decisions of Governor Deal and HIS leadership at the Department of Community Health. We are suffering from their poor healthcare choices. Suffering from financial hardship. Suffering from the fear of the unknown that occurs every time we walk into a doctor’s office these days. 

This is TRAGIC!

State employees – and those that love their state employees – Please, speak up!  Let Governor Deal know that we will not be silenced!  We will not go away until we have the quality, affordable health care choices we deserve!

Together, we can effect change! 

For more information about this cause, please go to the TRAGIC (Teachers Rally to Advocate for Georgia Insurance Choices) website.

 

when it rains, it snows, and then there's an earthquake

Lately, the planet Earth has been showing signs of bipolar disorder.  Well, at least in my neck of the woods it has.

We've gone from sun shinny days in the 60s TO crippling snow and ice storms that shut down schools for weeks TO an earthquake.

Only in Georgia people.

Here's the thing though... The weather we've experienced in the last month is a perfect metaphor for my life right now. 

One minute, things are good - family is well, in a groove at my job, and all things in life falling nicely into place. It's 60 degrees, and the sun is shinning. 

Then, a cold front moves in, and the snow and ice falls from the sky freezing everything bitterly... Hannah gets the croup, days off from work put me terribly behind in my instruction, and anxiety about the upcoming state healthcare rally at the Georgia capitol I've committed to speak at creeps in and takes hold of my being.

Then, an earthquake?! Unexpected. It leaves you going, "What just happened?"  Kinda like when you get a telephone call that your step-father is in the hospital and in heart failure. 

Yes.  This was my reality this past week.  And like schizo weather that can devastate an area, when life happens like this, it can leave you debilitated.

It's your choice.  And I've chosen to dig myself out of the blinding blizzard and wait for the sun to shine it's warmth on me again.  Because it will.  It always does.  Our God, He is faithful like that.

And the sun has started to shine again...  It started today with a morning run. 

#iloverunning  But you all know that. What you don't know is that I use running like a drug.  It gets my heart pumping and blood flowing fast.  This, in turn, has a great affect on my attitude, and after a good run, it's like the weather forecast just changed for the better!

My current reality...

Hannah is about over her croup - follow-up doctor's appointment is Monday. 

My step-dad - despite being told he cannot have the by-pass surgery his heart needs because his lungs are shot and he wouldn't survive it - has been given other options to extend his life (angioplasty).

Me and my step-dad at my sister's wedding. Prayers still needed for his full recovery, please!

And as for the rally that stresses me out when I let it, I'm prepared to rock it!  Well, me and my daughter - together - are going to rock it!

Signs prepared and my speech is written. Prayers for a good outcome needed, please!
 

Hey, you can only do what you can do in this life. Right? As I tell Beth, just try your best.  No one can fault you for that!

So when the storms of life come, there's something to remember!

Today's forget-me-not: Just try your best, and let the chips fall where they may.  #life