Archive for March, 2010
Mike Day
Two years ago tonight, I spent my last evening with Mike. The 16 people who had come for the weekend to say goodbye had left and Janet and James had gone back to Raleigh for a couple of days. Mike and I watched some “Star Trek” and nibbled on dark chocolate. “You know, Mom, I’m [...]
Big insurance backs down
Just a day after saying they could deny coverage to sick children by refusing to sell policies to their families, the insurance companies have said they will follow the intent of the law. It reminds me of me telling my older sister, “You’re not the boss!” when she was left in charge. I found out [...]
They’re at it already
Insurance companies claim a basic part the new health reform law doesn’t apply to them until 2014. They say they don’t have to cover children at all until then — their way around having to cover children with birth defects, asthma, diabetes and other pre-existing conditions. They say they don’t have to sell insurance to [...]
Just plain worn out
I don’t know, maybe it’s the letdown after the big push, but I’m just exhausted. It has been an eventful few months — four trips to Washington, the deaths of my mother and stepfather and one of my cats, my husband’s near death, and finally, the passage of the health care bill. I won’t say [...]
Phase I is finished.
Rob and I watched the final vote in the House of Representatives tonight and of course it passed easily. So we won the battle to create a foundation for equitable health care in America. I know a lot of people are angry about it, but I think we’ll see its popularity rise as insurance companies [...]
I’m so proud
So when I tuned in to see President Obama sign the health care bill into law, there was 11-year-old Marcelas Owens, dressed up with a tie that matched the president’s. I used to fantasisize that I would be there on this day, holding a photo of Mike, but I couldn’t be happier about who was there. [...]
Express your feelings
If you want to know how your representative voted last night, The Washington Post has a database of votes at http://projects.washingtonpost.com/congress/ For those of you in the NC 11th District, our representative, Heath Shuler, voted against the health reform bill. As a constituent, I had to express my feelings. Here’s my e-mail to him: Rep. [...]
A promise kept
Two years ago, I promised Mike his death wouldn’t be for nothing. I told him I would take my grief and use that energy to work toward health care for all Americans. I promised him I would work toward that, whatever it cost. It cost me my job, but not my soul. Tonight we made [...]
How low can they get?
Yesterday, demonstrators walked through the halls of our Capitol and hurled slurs at Rep. John Lewis (they used the N word) and Rep. Barney Frank (calling him a f****t and spitting at him). Whatever happened to civilized discourse? Republican leaders dismiss the incivility as a response to totalitarian tactics by the Democrats. First of all, [...]
Heath Shuler is NOT pro-life
Rep. Heath Shuler announced this afternoon he will vote no on reforming our broken health care system. WLOS TV news came by to ask for my reaction and I gave it: I’m disappointed. I thought he really might be pro-life. But it turns out, he’s only anti-abortion. It doesn’t matter what happens to people after [...]
Have a beer in May
Stop into Altamont Brewing, 1042 Haywood Road, West Asheville, any time in May and ask for their "charity" beer of the day. Buy one and Life o' Mike gets $1. In fact, we get a buck for each one sold. So go in every day and have one to support Life o' Mike.
Thanks, Altamont!
Patient Pals & Family Friends
Life o' Mike has a peer support program for people with one or more serious or chronic medical issues or disabilities.
We aim to reduce isolation and fear among people who have conditions, including psychiatric illness, HIV/AIDS, diabetes, mild dementia or other cognitive disorder or disability, thereby reducing depression and complications as people learn to improve self-management of their medical conditions.
Patient Pals help alleviate feelings of isolation and frustration. They can help people develop a list of questions to ask the doctor and then accompany the person to the doctor to make sure all the questions are answered, taking notes to be sure the person understands the doctor’s answers.
Our trained volunteers also accompany their “Pals” to art exhibits, movies and walks outdoors, meet for coffee, call to check in and more.
Our Pals have experienced weight loss, improvement in diabetes, HIV, psoriasis, depression and more, just because they have someone who cares about them. Some relationships develop into longer-term friendships; other Pals move on to more independent lives.
Family Friends are there to help caregivers and other family members grow into their new role.
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.
Start From Seed
Life o' Mike has a new program- Start from Seed (SFS).
SFS is a volunteer doula program aimed at providing non-medical, comprehensive support to low income, high-risk women and families of Buncombe County focusing on three areas:
1. We help new doulas with certification and training in return for their participation as a volunteer doula for SFS
2. We mentor volunteer doulas with their first few clients
3. Our volunteer doulas provide birth and postpartum doula services to low income, high risk moms, providing support and tools to empower them as a new parent.
A birth doula is a trained and experienced professional who provides continuous physical, emotional and informational support to the mother before, during and just after birth; a postpartum doula provides emotional and practical support during the postpartum period.
Start from Seed clients are referred to us from the Buncombe County Department of Health’s Nurse-Family Partnership Program, Western North Carolina Community Health Services, and Mission Hospital. The Program is intended and designed for growing clients’ inner strength and helping them gain empowerment to help them cope with the emotional, physical and mental challenges of childbirth, labor, and motherhood.
Our new moms and their infants have many needs. If you would like to help them get off to a good start, please visit our Start from Seed web site: Start from Seed, or call Program Director Chelsea Kouns at 804-814-9946.