Knocked a little off center -

[kyburg]

The first reference was courtesy of reannon - the Pulitzer for Best Photo Essay for 2007 has been awarded to Renee C. Beyer of the Sacramento Bee. The subject? The essay is entitled "Awarded to Renée C. Byer of The Sacramento Bee for her intimate portrayal of a single mother and her young son as he loses his battle with cancer."

Click if you dare.

And...oh, I remember. It's different when your focus is a spouse...and a much older person...but I remember the livid hatred, the blaming...the desperation to find something, anything good to get by on. Living on favors. Wondering what you were actually trying to do by treating the disease. Because it wasn't good, what you got out of it. And you never worked so hard.

The worst part? She's not the first, last, only - even uncommon. Every day, day in and day out - there's someone doing the same thing, right under your nose and you won't see it. A LOT of someones.

You never work so hard and remain so invisible.

And she really has the right of it. Some of the money that is raised for cancer work needs to be diverted to assist the people who won't see any benefit...and those that are drowning under the load of providing care.

It'll be ten years this September. Cliff never saw a single benefit from his workmans comp case...they wouldn't even attempt to settle it until he was dead. Until then, we lived on macaroni and cheese, bread out of the bread machine with sourdough starter, no long distance, more.

After? Well, the bills were paid, after.

Triggering, my butt. Click if you dare.

Comments

[cornetdude.livejournal.com]

I dared...amazing pictures...

[kyburg.livejournal.com]

A Pulitzer winner, if ever I saw one. *nods*

[yeoww.livejournal.com]

The photos are heartbreaking. I can't imagine watching my own child die. I can't imagine watching a beloved spouse die. I wish there was something better or wiser or more constructive that I had to say.

[kyburg.livejournal.com]

Now you know why I'm always good for a burger. *winks*

[drlaurac.livejournal.com]

Wow. No other word will suffice.

[nagasvoice.livejournal.com]

I remember seeing that article, it is indeed triggery even if you haven't had it so close to you.
Caregivers of all sorts are invisible at the political level. The way they get treated is another part of how badly we treat the disabled and the very young and the very old.

[n6vfp.livejournal.com]

Moving pictures, and a heart wrenching story. This is one of the biggest problems with the health care system. People forget that health care is more than treating th patient. I'm familiar with the workman's comp fiasco. I settled months after leaving the hospital, in the meantime I had nothing. I was in the hospital for 18 weeks, when I did get discharged (there was a lot of questions if I would survive) I was broke, in debt, and if it hadn't been for my parent's I would been on the streets. I'm hoping that someone in power sees this and acts to fix this injustice.

[technoshaman.livejournal.com]

I don't dare. I've seen enough already, very personal. I've looked into the face of someone I had loved, still cared deeply for, and knew that I'd never see her again... I got the call at 0630 the next morning. I've read the blog of someone who was my age - my age! - as he went downhill, his wife's announcement that he'd passed. I read secanth's blog for a while, as her mom succumbed to Alz... couldn't handle it.

Thankfully I'm seeing more survivors these days... being able to lay hugs on them, watch them go from not-so-good to better... it's a comfort. Heck, I'm a survivor. (Thank the Universe this particular crap is very treatable.)

But, yeah. You guys... the ones who are there for people... have it very, very hard. And I don't know how to fix that.

I just hope that, when I go, I *go*. I don't want to put anybody through something long and lingering, least of all myself. Yeah, part of me hopes to make Luna City in 2069. But I want to enjoy the getting there, or not bother.