Stories from a broken system
Everywhere I go, I hear people’s stories. A few people have asked me to tell their stories on Life o’ Mike. We want people to tell their own stories, but many feel intimidated.
Several people have asked me, as a writer, to tell their stories for them. So, here are stories of people who are caught in a broken system, waiting for treatment, waiting for disability to kick in, waiting to become eligible for Medicare and hoping for something better.
My friend Kay Zwan calls it the robbing of the American dream. How can you achieve when you worry every day whether you’ll be granted lifesaving treatment by your insurance company or whether the state will cut off the services you need to live independently?
People who are ill or who have disabilities are left to fight for whatever they can get. Many of them feel they have no voice and no control over their own lives.
It’s time to put faces on this mess.
So, I’ll start with Mike’s story, and add, page by pager, the stories of people who are suffering.
If you want a story told, please e-mail lifeomike@gmail.com with your contact information.
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.
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