Medical Care for the Multitudes

One of my neighbors spent his weekend with several thousand others in line for free medical care. A veteran of the Vietnam War, he is now retired and living on an extremely reduced income. Luckily, he has access to the VA for most of his medical expenses, but not dental.

So what is getting adequate care like for those of us who are not flush with money and have little or no insurance? Daunting is a good word for it.

Finding no dentists willing to work for almost nothing, my friend heard about the free clinic coming to the Bristol Motorway in Bristol, Tennessee, and left here Saturday morning at daybreak to cue up for a ticket. By the time he got there (and thank goodness he has a car to get there in), all of the tickets were gone.

"Come back later this afternoon, between 6-9," said the compassionate attendant, "Maybe you can get a ticket for tomorrow." He went back--by now having driven two hours on borrowed gasoline.  He left again at five and snagged a ticket, went back to his car and slept the night in the cold--again, thankful he had a car, as some did not. The next morning he saw a wonderful dentist who was able to help but told him a root canal was necessary. This is where things get complicated--the one clinic in our area that serves needy clients isn't accepting new patients.

I can see it now: the well-heeled executive, or person who has always had access to insurance, who might be reading this may be thinking, "Well, that's the way the cookie crumbles." I'm here to tell you the cookie has crumbled.  Many of us are sick and tired of money low-paying jobs or no jobs at all, and all of the money being suctioned upwards in well-crafted funds and trickery. There's no such thing as a "trickle down" effect.

Some time ago, I was in an accident and tore the meniscus in my knee. The pain was beyond excruciating. I've been considered uninsurable most of my adult life due to several chronic conditions, so when I called the clinic I attend, they told me to go to the emergency room. There, while I was treated politely, I was treated lightly--a clumsy Velcro brace that refused to stay up, nothing at all for pain, and no physical therapy. I can assure you that had I had insurance, my treatment would have been completely different.  While many fuss and complain about the concept of universal healthcare, had there been such a thing, my treatment plan would have been completely different.  And while we are at it, for those of you who complain the poor get free care at the emergency room--sometimes that is true, but the kind of care differs drastically from what an insured person gets, with no follow-up.

 Money buys almost anything, doesn't it, and it has bought the most wealthy among us freedom from taxes--and some have the gall to say requiring payment is class warfare on those who have worked hard to make it.  Phooey! The absence of money is a nightmare, and those who would refuse healthcare to those without it should experience it first hand. That might make a difference.

Thank goodness for compassionate medical providers who are willing to give of their time to those in need, but where is Scrooge's ghost when we need him for those who consider themselves above us all?

Marketers to Cell Phones Beware: Do Not Call.gov

I've been privy to the protection of "do not call.gov"  on my home phone for a number of years, but when the most recent round of cell phone warnings cropped up, I ignored them. My cell phone is safe from marketers, I thought to myself. The thing that changed my mind and made me take it more seriously, was when a random "fool call" call got through and irritated the living daylights out of me.  Frankly, folks, some things need to remain private, and to me, that's my cell phone.  It's an expensive piece of communication equipment, I carry it at all times and usually answer when someone calls; that makes it a vulnerable target for the cut-throats of the marketing world and they are working hard to break through the barriers we've erected to protect ourselves.  It's my opinion that I shouldn't have to go to such lengths to enshroud myself with a veil of impenetrable mystery, but there it is, and so I have just now made the call to "do not call.gov" on that phone, to protect myself from unwanted intrusion. How about you?

Tornadoes--life and death

After the tornadoes of last night, I, and millions of others, find myself confronting fragile mortality again.  So many people lost their lives--at last count, 28 people who were alive and vital just yesterday are no more.  They are simply gone, erased from a planet rapidly growing more and more inhospitable to our kind.  As I watched the news this morning, it was with a deep sense of anguish, and felt the odd catch in my breath as I identified with the losses.  I understood my life, too, could have become a statistic, but it wasn't my turn.

When I went to bed last night, dire warnings filled my head, I wondered if it would be my time to experience death. Blessed sleep overtook me, while others experienced hell not far away. Death is present in every breath we take, every sneeze we make, and each tiny bug we casually squash underfoot, but the reality of the kind of monumental loss from the massive erasure of a big storm, or that of volcanic activity,or tsunami is something for which we cannot prepare.  As one man said this morning, his community thought they were prepared, but the storm was bigger than they were.

The sight of a mobile home pad covered with debris was especially disturbing, since just last year the mobile home that previously occupied the same site was also destroyed in a tornado.  It's easy to grow complacent when life seems "normal," but perhaps it's time we realized normalcy as we experienced it is a thing of the past.  For whatever reason,   we live in precarious times--the weather is not predictable, and its violence is increasing.  Perhaps it really is time to live in the moment.

Kindness at the end of a Big Black Boot

I just did the most foolish thing--I wrote an entire piece on this blog and neglected to save my work.  There's something about this setup that fools me me into believing my work exists on its own, but it doesn't--it must be SAVED!

I wrote about the Big Black Boot I wore for several months after taking a nasty fall on a puddle of water December 6.  My life changed in that moment, and I learned about pain and endurance instead of partying, telling delightful Christmas stories and enjoying holiday delicacies with my family. Fortunately for me, this was the year my children were coming to me in the mountains of East Tennessee, but until they arrived, my neighbor and good friend, Jim, took over, nursing me, keeping the apartment from falling into a total shambles, and taking me to the doctor. I will never forget his kindness.

Kristy flew in from Tallahassee and hit the ground running.  She knew I was mortified by my apartment and wanted it clean and decorated for the holidays, so by the time Kitty and Ron and the grandchildren arrived, all was neat, clean and ready. Then Kitty did the laundry and Ron shopped while I played with the grandchildren. Such love.

Speaking of kindness, it is alive and well, at least where I live.  It took about a week for the word to get around in the community, but when I posted on Facebook, things started perking, particularly among my cronies in the storytelling and poetry groups. Until I began to drive again two weeks ago, I never went without food.  Ben brought gourmet chili and then potato soup, Marlene brought fresh rye bread and beef and barley soup, and Sandee sent all kinds of delicious goodies.  Marjorie and Harry brought props for my back and legs--the list goes on and on, including toothpaste from Linda when I was scraping the tube.  They provided everything including vacuuming, the laundry and more. I am still amazed by it and learned much.  Now when somebody needs me, I will be there with some idea of what to do, but it took being on the receiving end of kindness for me to truly understand the nature of what it means to be kind. It's that do unto others as you would have them do unto you thing, and it seems to be a universal truth. I'm glad I learned it, but if I need further instruction, I'd just as soon not have a broken bone for a teacher.

Lessons learned from a lichen

Last week, I created a post and managed to send it to this blog from my documents with a photo, and it was successful. I tried it again tonight, since the experience was fun, but nothing doing. How frustrating! What I must admit is that it's my own fault: there is so much fascinating and useful information out there that if I don't write down the source, that resource disappears into the ether. It's still there, but my very human brain can't access it.  Come thou elusive bit of resource, come to me...

I found the lovely space ship attached to a tree down from my apartment last summer. It is so simple and yet complicated, much like my experience trying to work on the web, but somehow, I think this lichen has got it figured out-find your right place, learn it well and stick with it.

An interview with Artis Connell in Cody, Florida, 2011

Artis is my late Mother’s first cousin.  I saw him at his home in Cody, an old timber town. The place has changed much since his birth in the 1920’s, going from truly isolated and rural, to a suburb of Tallahassee, Florida’s capital.
When I was a child, my grandfather, Albert Connell took us to see Artis and his family a number of times and I grew to love him; I still do. I see him as an incredibly brave man whose strength comes through his faith in God.  The Connell family donated the land for the Cody Pentecostal Holiness church, which Artis continues to attend.  Some years back, before his wife Betty passed away (she made the best chicken & dumplings on the planet to my way of thinking) he was paralyzed after an accident. I was there, at the rehabilitation hospital when he first moved his toe. It was reason for great rejoicing, because no one knew if he’d ever walk again. Now in his 80’s, not only does he walk, he still lives an independent life with his family surrounding him.
During our conversation, he told me stories about a great hurricane and torrential rains--a time when the rivers and creeks overflowed and Cody was covered in water.
Excerpts from this interview with Artis will be published in my book of essays, stories and interviews of the North Florida I know and remember, working title: FLORIDA BEYOND THE SUN
 

A Fresh Look at the New Year

Happy New Year! Yes, I know, I promised to be here faithfully . . . and here I am, bright, eager, and totally excited about what the new year will bring. I had an eventful autumn that was filled with storytelling and speaking opportunities, and I was looking forward to more this winter until I broke my ankle December 6. Pretty much sidelined for a bit, I had to focus on writing, which I didn't mind at all. What I did mind was the pain of the break, and the inconvenience of it. I am one of those last minute shoppers--you know the type--we wait until Christmas Eve and then panic, go crazy at the store and then have a blast. This year I did my shopping online, and it was relatively stress-free. In fact, it was so easy that I may make it part of my Christmas tradition.

While I hobbled around here in the Boot or kept it propped, I finished Swamp Woman, my suspense novel, which is set in North Florida (more about this in another post), completed a mid-grade fantasy piece named Opal Dragon Hold inspired by my grandson Tucker, and wrote several poems. I won third place in the Watauga Pen Women's Poetry contest, and honorable mention in a contest sponsored by the Poetry Society of Tennessee. Let's just say all of this activity helped me keep my sanity while I was home. . .

In addition to writing and storytelling, both of which are ongoing, there are several special events on the horizon I'd like to share with you:

Check out my Saundra Kelley Facebook fan page, which is a growing discussion about my book, Southern Appalachian Storytellers: Interviews with Sixteen Keepers of the Oral Tradition. That book just keeps on going, and it is taking me along for the ride. In March, I will be at The Virginia Festival of the Book with it, and will post my lecture time as soon as I have it. I've lectured at several universities, and hope to do more this year. I am booking lectures, workshops and story-concerts, and will be happy to add your organization to my schedule.

In June, I will perform in Dispatches from the Other Kingdom, with Dr. Joseph Sobol and Kenneth Tedford at the National Storytelling Network Conference in Ohio. The stories in this performance are deeply personal for all three of us: Joseph tells of his father's experience with cancer; Kenny shares his own, and I speak for Kathy Collins. All three were interviewed under the auspices of a communications grant at East Tennessee State University, and I was fortunate to be the one who spoke with Kathy. At the time, I was the graduate assistant with the storytelling program, and ultimately interviewed 28 people with varying experiences with cancer and the medical community. Her story staggered me, and I was honored to be asked to more or less channel her experience. Each time we perform this trio of interviews, lives are changed, and greater avenues of communication opened.