Prior to my husband's injury, he was self-employed and I carried the health insurance through my employer. Our deductible was $10,000 and we were very careful about visiting the doctor unnecessarily. We muddled through things like sprained ankles, the flu, and ear aches. The joke in our house was "don't break anything" because it was too expensive to fix.
When my husband was hit by a car in November of 2010, we quickly ate up our deductible. Two months later, in January, the clock was reset and we had to choose what treatments he could and couldn't have. Sadly, this reality exists for many people and can contribute to the loss of employment, stability, and lifestyle requirements, because rehabilitation is so expensive.
After being told by my husband's neurologist that he didn't know how to treat PTSD, tinnitus, and our other post-concussive challenges, we realized we were on our own. I was angry for awhile; my husband was sad, frustrated, and despairing. My view of advocacy changed from doing things for others, to fighting for ourselves.
We found support groups, for him and me. We made connections with agencies, people in similar situations, and became vocal about our needs. At first, it was really difficult to ask for help and to admit to the world that we couldn't do it on our own. But we did it, and today we are able to help others in the same situation.
Fight for what you need. Be vocal on your own behalf. If you have the opportunity to help someone else, do it. Advocacy is a challenge, because it's needed when people are most vulnerable. If you're unable to speak up, ask someone to do it for you. We're in this journey together and it doesn't have to be dark anymore. Shine a light on what you're capable of and you can help lead the way for others.
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