Archive for May, 2008
Dying for coverage
Wonder how many people are dying because they don’t have insurance? Check out Families USA’s study on state-by-state numbers f0r the years 2000 to 2006. http://familiesusa.org/issues/uninsured/publications/dying-for-coverage.html The total is a little shy of the study by the Institute of Medicine and the Urban League, but it’s chilling nevertheless. Statistics always lag two to three years [...]
Good, but not good enough
This wouldn’t give affordable healthcare to everyone, but it’s a start. According to the newspaper, The Hill, Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D.-Ill.) and Sen. Olympia Snowe (R.-Maine) are working on a bill that would allow business associations such as the National Association of Realtors to offer group insurance plans that would put the cost [...]
Go Duke!
I don’t really care about sports, but I am a huge Duke fan. Almost irrationally so. My blue runs Duke Blue. When there was the controversy with their lacrosse team, I couldn’t believe they had done anything wrong. If it had been any other school, I would have thought something was suspicious with the whole [...]
More about Mike
I’ve had people tell me that Mike didn’t have insurance because he made bad choices. They’ve said if he had done everything right as a teenager he would have had a job that offered insurance. I have to admit, Mike made some bad choices as a teenager. He became addicted to drugs and alcohol. But [...]
hello lifeomike
A wonderful tribute to Michael, and to all who have died at the hands of our greedy, for-profit health care system. It is unconscionable that anyone in this land of obscene wealth should die because they lack access to health care. Even though I’m Mike’s aunt, I didn’t know him well. I’ve gotten to know [...]
Healthcare Crisis
Since the federal government hasn’t moved in providing healthcare to all its citizens, states are starting to make moves to do it. The problem here is that not every American citizen gets equal care. Check out this information on what some states are doing: http://www.kff.org/uninsured/kcmu_statehealthreform.cfm Be sure to look at the PDF to see individual [...]
Welcome to Life o’ Mike
We are on a mission: Tell the stories of people who have died because they didn’t have health insurance. Mike was one of those people, and I was fortunate enough to be his mom for 33 years. Mike was born Nov. 3, 1974 — my 22nd birthday. He had some medical problems that we later [...]
Thank you
Thank you for sharing your story with us!
Second annual Eat at Mike’s
Reserve now
Life o' Mike sponsors its second annual Eat at Mike's, an evening of good food prepared by local chefs, at Tingles Cafe in downtown Asheville. The event also features silent and live auctions with items from Highlands Brewing, artist Angela C. Alexander and more.
Tickets to the dinner are $25; $20 for children 3-12 and free for children under 3.
To reserve, e-mail lifeomike@gmail.com. For more information, call 828-243-6712.
Patient Pals & Family Friends
Life o' Mike has a new peer support program for people newly diagnosed with chronic or serious illness or with a new disability and their caregivers.
Patient Pals are people who have experience with various illnesses and disabilities, who can help someone newly diagnosed or with a new disability work through the fear, frustration, confusion and grief often experienced in the first few months.
Family Friends are there to help caregivers and other family members grow into their new role.
People with new illness or disability fare better when they have a role model -- someone who can help them negotiate their new path in life.
We need volunteers, who are asked to donate a minimum of one hour a week. Training is free and includes information on active listening, ways to help and when to know more help is needed.
And of course, we need funding.
To learn more, call Leslie Boyd at 828-243-6712 or e-mail lifeomike@gmail.com.