I got this email a little while ago from a reader in Paoli, in response to my story about Dan Daskus. My heart goes out to her....

  I felt like you were writing my story.   Dan and I are the same age.  I too have worked my entire life, paid my insurance premiums, etc.   Last fall,  I got appendicitis and in the process of having my appendix removed found out I had colon cancer.  I then went in for removal of about 20% of the large intestine, followed by treatments.  I ended up contracting an abdominal abscess from the operation which added a tremendous amount of pain. . . 2 months in the hospital . . . and  10 weeks on  home IV infusion treatments.  The time out of work was lengthy.  Thankfully, I have a wonderful boss who has stood by me and held my job, allowing me to work from home as I can.  My insurance plan does not have prescription coverage, so the out of pocket costs have been through the roof.  Not to mention copays.  I dont know how I'll recover financially.  Its been hard to just try to recover physically.  Bottom line is I feel Dan's pain that there is no help for average people who work and pay taxes.  You make too much to get medical assistance yet disability and social security have so much red tape too that by the time you meet their requirements, you're ship will have already sunk - so to speak.  Yet people on welfare dont have these worries.   I am doing what I can to work from home to make ends meet.  I have to work so I dont lose my house, yet there have been many times I have been too sick to even lift my head up.  Its a terrible dilemma to have to push your body physically to work when youre just trying to get through it and get healthy again.  I'd like to think help will come with the next election but am doubtful that it will.  In the meantime,  people in this boat will just go under.  -- Regina.