A fair trade
I’ve tried to find an opening, some way to approach this topic, a dozen times already but the words just aren’t arriving tonight, so I’ll cut the preamble short and just say what’s been...
Category: Thoughts
Remission isn’t what you might think
Along with relapse, remission is one of the few technical terms that most people are familiar with regarding cancer, but it’s also the most commonly misunderstood at least as far as acute lymphocytic leukemia...
The administrative outrages of poor health
I’d like to think I’m of at least average intelligence, have a reasonable capacity with numbers, and I’ve dealt with more than my share of contracts and financial documents before. I read every thick...
Fatherhood and masculinity and therapy
As soon as I had my first panic attack a few weeks ago I began looking in earnest for a local therapist to talk to, something that’d been on my mind for months. Since...
Crying
I was never much of a crier until we had Wes. It was never a macho thing with me, but I wasn’t well connected to my feelings and struggled with understanding them, let alone...
Grateful for society
I’m grateful today that as we enter a new year I received approval for Pennsylvania Medical Assistance, a Medicaid program that provides backup coverage for families with seriously ill children, filling in the gaps...
On being loud for Wes
Everything about this experience is new to me. I’ve never had serious health problems and haven’t had to deal with the health care system in any significant way in my life – even Wesley’s...
Long Beach loves Wes
When we left Long Beach almost a year ago we knew we were moving away from a huge extended family – Stephanie, in particular, had built so many enduring friendships across the city thanks...
Jerk or cancer patient? Maybe both.
The truth is that in between chemo, when he’s not being poked and prodded by someone, Wes is just a kid like most. He lacks that sense of existential dread that haunts us as...
A lifetime of care exhausted as a toddler?
One of the pernicious terms we get to learn about when faced with major health care costs is “lifetime maximum benefits”. This phrase used to mean serious financial jeopardy – if not an actual...