Editor’s note: Terri Grauer is a consultant and writer specializing in the application of technologies to business challenges.
_______________________________________________________________________________________I received numerous notes and letters after my last column regarding my personal experience with breast cancer, thank you to everyone who wrote!
In light of recent events, namely Hurricane Katrina, my story seems very small and insignificant compared to what people, individuals and families are facing today. As the Carolinas and Carolinians open our arms to the survivors of Katrina’s wrath, we’ll learn more each day about the faces of survival and their magnificent stories.
One story has touched me deeply it’s that of a woman who is now living the Charlotte Coliseum, a survivor from New Orleans. A survivor of the hurricane, the flood, the evacuations and of breast cancer. Her trials with breast cancer still evident as she removed her baseball cap to show the recent effects of her chemo-therapy treatments, a completely bald scalp.
This woman is a survivor!
She’s going to figure out her “why me” reasons pretty quickly and then watch out world!On another note, one of the things I’ve learned over the years since my personal experience with cancer started is that it does not discriminate; cancer affects young, old, black, white, male and female equally without prejudice. Individuals and families are equally devastated by this disease without regard to social standing or financial abilities.
And just like the poorest victims of Katrina, many cannot afford to ‘escape’ regardless of the consequences headed their way. There will be a lot of finger pointing and blame to be shared in the coming days regarding how everyone prepared (or didn’t) and responded (or didn’t) to this natural disaster.
The shame will be bountiful and public.
There is another issue that needs to be addressed, and has come to the front of the media coverage as a result of Katrina — caring for the survivors, adequately, timely, responsibly, medically. Most of the permanently displaced New Orleans population seeking shelter have no medical coverage and no ‘means’ to pay for even the most basic medical care.
So what happens after the media moves on to the next “big story” and no one is paying any attention to the Katrina Survivors anymore? Medicare/Medicaid will only go so far — and this is to say these services provide ‘adequate’ medical care, the minimums required by law.
The law says no one can be turned away from an emergency room due to their ‘inability’ to pay — however the law does not say how long that person must wait in line before being seen, or the minimum number of diagnostic tests that must be conducted, or the respect that must be given by the health care providers during treatment.
Health care professionals do not intentionally demean or belittle the poor seeking aid — it’s more the way the system is setup to handle the situations and expedite the process of treatment. I would dare to say that most of the medical victims of Katrina have been treated with more respect and dignity by the healthcare professionals who are now volunteering than by any medical professional in their past.
These brave and generous individuals who have selflessly volunteered their medical skills have been freed from the red tape and bureaucracy of our healthcare systems — in order to treat as many people as possible. They don’t have to worry about the forms, or justifying the expense of a ‘test’ — they just get to practice medicine and help as many people as they can, as quickly as they can, and it seems that they’re doing a fantastic job of providing care with dignity and respect.
Katrina did not discriminate when she tore her way through the Southeast; she leveled everything in her path with precision and without regard for race, age or income level. I’d personally like to see the healthcare establishments, government organizations responsible for healthcare, insurance companies, pharmaceutical companies and “For Profit” healthcare organizations tear through our national healthcare coverage crisis with “Katrina style” determination to build a system that does not discriminate based on race, age or income level.
A medical coverage system that ensures everyone, even the poorest among us, is given every opportunity and the means to escape their healthcare concerns.
If anyone who is reading this column knows of a Katrina survivor, who is also a breast cancer survivor, please contact me with their information — I’d like to personally help them in their road to recovery, in whatever way I can.
(To read Terri’s “Why Not Me” column, see: localtechwire.com/article.cfm?u=12123 )
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Terri Grauer is a consultant and writer specializing in the application of technologies to business challenges. She can be reached via email at terrigrauer@hotmail.com
