Not going to lie.
Like most healthcare professionals I'm not a good patient.
When I started with blurred vision in my left eye about a week ago, I tried to ignore it. When I went to the doctor on Tuesday I was told I had a tear in my left retina and that fluid had seeped in and it was separating the retina from the back of the eyeball. Had I waited much longer that separation could have spread and I could've lost my vision completely. Surgery was performed on Wednesday and at my follow up appointment on Thursday the doctor said everything looks good.
This is a tribute to the wonderful advances in medicine and dedicated and professional talents of the doctors nurses and other healthcare professionals who cared for me. It is also a testimony on the nature of the American people, prioritizing healthcare so that these advancements are possible.
That is why the repeal of the ACA, just one day after my surgery is so sad. In a country where we except the right of free speech and the right to bear arms, we do not yet except that healthcare, a living wage, adequate housing and nutrition are a right of every citizen.
My delay of a few days in seeing the doctor had to do with my fear of what I would find out, but I had no fear over the cost of the care, because I am lucky enough to have adequate insurance. Repeal of the a ACA will remove that certainty from 24 million Americans. What will be the result if they delay their care?
It is time we answered these questions;
When I was hungry did you feed me?
When I was sick did you care for me?
When I was naked did you cloth me?
In this, the richest country in the world, healthcare , a living wage, adequate housing and nutrition are a right of every citizen.
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