Jan 12, 2010

Cold days are here...

The weather is unkind. I am not a fan of the cold. I took all this into consideration when I moved back to Baltimore, but for the love of God, it is really cold out there. My dog and I keep the space heater on, both of us vying for the warmest spot. My landlord put a storm window in and he is supposed to plastic in our bathroom window. Jesse and I have a basement apt in a house so heat does rise. It rises right out of the damn apartment.

One of the tenants rents a room on the third floor. He is almost 50. He is a dishwasher at Bertucci's. They take child support from his pay. His wife is the one who left him. He struggles. Two buses back and forth each way to work. Well, he had to go to the ER on Saturday. His legs hurt. Turns out he has clots in his legs. He doesn't have insurance. The kept him overnight for observation, wrote him a prescription for Cumidin and stockings and told him to go see his primary care doctor. He had to borrow the money from Gary, the landlord, to fill the script. He went back to work on his feet the day after he was released. The man has been begging for hours at his job. No hours=no paycheck. I called the number for him to get medical assistance. He is not the most literate man you would ever meet, but has a kind heart. This man represents why we need healthcare so much in this country. We need that "Change" to happen. The older population seems the most afraid from what I overhear at my work. This man, the tenant, is representative of many in our country today. He will not be seeing any primary care doctor as he doesn't have one. He has one vice, his cat. He collects food stamps. I am going to help him get his medical aid. Lack of education, worn shoes, worn hands from the years of manual work. When one of those clots cuts loose and decides to visit his heart, than what? He will die and we shall plow over him and continue moving forward as we always do.

4 comments:

the walking man said...

yes the air is cold too. The politicians and their masters colder though.

Lou said...

I hate hearing these stories, and I know they are too common. Some people don't have the where-with-all to find the help they need. The blood clots are dangerous, especially standing on his feet all day..bless you for helping him.

Let's pray the "system" moves quickly, before it is too late.

Sarcastic Bastard said...

You said it, Lori. I agree totally. You are a sweetheart to help him, but then I already knew that about you.

If you e-mail me your address, I will send you a small check to help him out a little. My e-mail is: ugadawg1@woh.rr.com

Love, SB.

the walking man said...

with every day that goes by I think we, the people, are losing any chance we ever had at reform in the area of health care.