America, the land of milk and honey

IamHope
IamHope Member Posts: 58
edited March 2014 in Breast Cancer #1
Aai, you guys. :)

It would take forever to explain how far behind we in South Africa are to you guys. How truly hard our state hospitals are trying, but how horrible it is to be there.

You have to go to the hospital at 6 in the morning to wait in a queue of 50+ people so that you can see a junior doc at about 11 (if your lucky)

One of the things on the list of things to feel grateful to for you USA kids: That I was born an american.

Our chemo room has the hospital's cleaning closet in it, about 1000 people parading through. The chairs were new in 1919. No TV, heck, not even a poster. Oh wait, there is an AIDS poster. But. Yes there is a but. Our nurses and our docs are overworked and underpaid and still they try. They try so hard. They have a smile ready, even if there are no chairs for people to sit in. They try and remember your name, even with the overwhelming amount of people streaming through everyday. Our doctors and nurses work all the hours of the day and more, and they will still have a gentle hand to rest on your shoulder.

I am one of the lucky ones - White, educated South African. I was just an idiot that believed I will never get sick and never bothered with insurance. So I have the iPod, and the cool phone, and the notebook.

If there is something I want to ask for, is your prayers for the thousands of woman here in my country that does not even know that they can come here for support, that they need support. They probably go home to their shack after chemo and go work as a domestic for one of us white ones the next day.

Comments

  • mimivac
    mimivac Member Posts: 2,143 Member
    #2
    so true
    Good healthcare is a blessing and a rarity in the world. So many people dying and dwindling in overworked systems that cannot accomodate the sheer numbers. That goes for those in the U.S. as well. Thanks for pointing out our relative good fortune.
  • chenheart
    chenheart Member Posts: 5,159 Member
    #3
    Thank you so much for the
    Thank you so much for the insight you have brought to these boards. You painted a bittersweet picture, one of heartbreak at the treatment center's lack of modern amenities, yet the honest fellow feeling and compassion of the selfless Doctors and Nurses.

    You have raised our consciousness'~ your countrywomen are now in the forefront of the hearts and minds of those who you have touched here on these boards. Bless you and them...

    Hugs,
    Claudia
  • tasha_111
    tasha_111 Member Posts: 2,072
    #4
    chenheart said:

    Thank you so much for the
    Thank you so much for the insight you have brought to these boards. You painted a bittersweet picture, one of heartbreak at the treatment center's lack of modern amenities, yet the honest fellow feeling and compassion of the selfless Doctors and Nurses.

    You have raised our consciousness'~ your countrywomen are now in the forefront of the hearts and minds of those who you have touched here on these boards. Bless you and them...

    Hugs,
    Claudia

    Hope
    Thank you for that post.....2 of my best friends live in a very affluent area of Athlone, nr Capetown S.A. He is white, she is Black and utterly gorgeous, she was S.A. Top model once.........They were the first couple to marry after the colour bar was lifted....They were both arrested........"Hey you got married today, Obviously you were in an illegal relationship before the colour bar was lifted!"
    They are a great, beautiful and hardworking couple.......But they told me that where they live there is marked povery........People living in Mansions on acres with swimming pools, 3 miles down the road, whole families living in a cardboard box........They try to help, It's a shame MORE people don't........Hugs to you Hope.. I would equalize it if I could..... Jxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
  • dyaneb123
    dyaneb123 Member Posts: 950
    #5
    Thank you Hope
    We so take
    Thank you Hope
    We so take for granted our health system here. It really puts it all in perspective. Keep us informed of your experiences in this battle. I think it's good for us to remember how lucky we are even in having to fight the beast. At least we have all the modern meds, and equipment at our disposal.
    Dee
  • DianeBC
    DianeBC Member Posts: 3,881 Member
    #6
    dyaneb123 said:

    Thank you Hope
    We so take
    Thank you Hope
    We so take for granted our health system here. It really puts it all in perspective. Keep us informed of your experiences in this battle. I think it's good for us to remember how lucky we are even in having to fight the beast. At least we have all the modern meds, and equipment at our disposal.
    Dee

    Why do you still live there,
    Why do you still live there, if I may ask? Would you like to leave or not?
  • chickad52
    chickad52 Member Posts: 497
    #7
    Thank You
    Thank You for reminded us that we are so fortunate to have a health care system.
  • aurora2009
    aurora2009 Member Posts: 544 Member
    #8
    You Brought tears to my eyes
    These women and men as well as the doctors and nurses, who help them, will be in my thoughts and prayers, as will you. Thank you for reminding me how lucky I am to be able to get the care I need.

    God Bless

    Aurora
  • IamHope
    IamHope Member Posts: 58
    #9
    DianeBC said:

    Why do you still live there,
    Why do you still live there, if I may ask? Would you like to leave or not?

    Not in a Million Years
    Diane, never for all the money in the world will I leave this country. We as the rainbow nation have been through so much and had to work so hard to get where we are now. This is the most tollerant country in the world. It has to be with so many equal cultures and viewpoints and experiences.
    After 15 years of freedom, I still get gooseflesh when our national anthem is sung at sport events. The combination of 3 languages, the weirdness of white farmers singing (Xhosa) "Nkosi Sekelele", black homeboys singing (Afrikaans) "Uit die blou van onse hemel", and every body on more or less equal footing with the last part that is english.
    We have 9 oficial languages. We have more religious tollerance than anywhere else in the world. We are one of the first countries in the world to allow gay marriages.
    Then the beauty of my country would take your breath away. (See a pic from the view from my office window on my profile)
  • tgf
    tgf Member Posts: 950 Member
    #10
    aurora2009 said:

    You Brought tears to my eyes
    These women and men as well as the doctors and nurses, who help them, will be in my thoughts and prayers, as will you. Thank you for reminding me how lucky I am to be able to get the care I need.

    God Bless

    Aurora

    Hope
    We ... in the United States take so much for granted. I am one of the lucky ones ... I have a job and great medical insurance. However ... each month when I get my statement from the insurance company showing the charges ... and what they covered ... I am shocked. According to the statements ... one "dose" of herceptin is nearly $3000! I'm still having radiation ... but I can't imagine how much that will be. And what do I have to pay? I'm guessing I've probably paid a total of around $2000 out of pocket for co-pays, hospital charges, etc. but that's a drop in the bucket to the total charges. Every time I see one of those statements I think of the people who don't have insurance. I can't even imagine what happens. Do they get the same treatment as those of us who do have insurance? What do they do about the prescriptions that are so expensive etc.? It's all just so sad that as rich as this country is (even in this economic mess we're in now... we are still a wealthy country) ... doesn't everyone have the right to quality health care?

    Well ... I'll get off my soapbox ...

    hugs.
    teena
  • mmontero38
    mmontero38 Member Posts: 1,510
    #11
    Thanks for your insight.
    Thanks for your insight. Being European, I know what socialized medicine is like and also know of poverty from my many travels. We are truly blessed here in the US, that our system of healthcare doesn't deny treatment to anyone and that our system is very modern. As much as we may complain, we are still number 1 in the area of healthcare. Hugs, Lili

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