Would Ending My Life Be Better For My Kids?

This was the question Sandra Hughley ask herself as she left her house a few days ago.  Fortunately she went to see her pastor instead of allowing the negative thoughts to over take her.  Because of her sever Endometriosis, Sandra finds herself in need of financial help.

"I have severe endometriosis, http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/endometriosis/DS00289 and it has covered my bowels and bladder. I sometimes have diarrhea 25 times a day, and it makes it nearly impossible to work.  It is embarrassing for me to tell you this, but I have messed on myself,  because I have such urgency, I can't get to the bathroom on time.  I have two children, ages 4 and 17, and it makes it really hard, because I have to plan our outings around my diarrhea."

 "I was told 16th Avenue Church would help people, but they said I must first be approved by Wesley House. When I went to Wesley House (United Way just suspended funds to them)  http://www.meridianstar.com/local/x967391629/United-Way-pulls-Wesley-House-funding  they said before they could help me with my power, rent, or anything else, I would have to go to financial classes for 16 weeks, once a week.to learn how to manage my money, "

I told him, " I don't have 16 weeks, I need help now."  He ask how I had been paying my bills, and I told him I was working, and I budgeted my rent off commissions. I didn't plan on getting sick and having to have a multitude of surgery's.  I have used my savings, my 401K, sold my Ipad, tv, anything I can get rid of to get money, but it isn't enough."

"I am a single mom,  I get $700 a month in child support, and because so many people are working here with the coal mine, rental properties are scarce, and my rent is $925.00 a month.  My pastor is working on some apartments based on your income, and is trying to get me in one of those.  My parents don't have room for us, and if I can't get some help soon, my children and I are looking at being homeless.

Sandra's problems began after she had two Cesarean sections with her children, and then had to have a complete hysterectomy in December of 2011, because of endometrosis, and was hospitalized again in January 2012 with internal bleeding.  

Then it was sinus surgery, a tonsillectomy, and in  Jan 2013 her Gallbladder erupted.  " I kept telling them I was still in pain and my stomach was always hurting,  and they said it was stomach bile, and put me on something else.  One doctor wants me to go to the pain management center,  and put me on narcotics for the pain, that might be a short term solution, but long term that isn't the answer I want, or how I want to live my life.

I was sent back to work on November the 4th, of this year, but made 4 ER visits after that, because I was in such pain.  The first ER doctor, Doctor Williams at Rush, acted like it was all in my head,  and treated me like I was a drug addict, even running a drug screen (which came back negative) without my permission. I did not even want to go to the hospital after the way he treated me, but I had no choice.

Fortunately the next time she went to the ER the doctor looked at her history and put her in the hospital to run some test.

 "I was bloated and it looked like I was pregnant.  I was found to have gastroparesis,http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/gastroparesis/ and she discovered my lymph nodes were inflamed, possibly from stomach acid, and added another med, 3x a day before I eat to help my stomach empty.  She also discovered they did not get all of my endometrosis, and I will need to have surgery again, but she said no one in Meridian will touch me and I will need to go to the Center for Endometriosis Care in Atlanta, Georgia. http://www.centerforendo.com/

It was at this point in our conversation that Sandra broke down crying, and I broke down with her.

Her story reminds me too much of my sweet niece Heather, and all she went through before she passed away.

"The Endometroisis Center in Atlanta has reviewed my medical files and say they will be able to remove all the endometrosis and get everything reconstructed." 

Her surgery is going to require her to go to Atlanta, and will require lodging and food for several days. Her out of pocket, that she has to have up front, is $3,550, and she doesn't have the money. She is getting food stamps of $300 per month, but her medicine is $300.00 per month, and her electric bill is overdue for two months, and she doesn't have enough to pay her rent.

"I have so much going on and it's the holidays. I have already had to tell my oldest not to expect much. Now I am worried  about a roof over our heads and other bills."

If you can help Sandra, her address is :  8317 Pine Springs Road, Unit E Meridian, MS 39305 

Senator Chris McDaniel: A Man of the People.

I became familiar with Sen. Chris McDaniel several years back, when he wrote an article in the Laurel Leader Call,  in Jones county Mississippi.

I really didn't expect to hear back from him, but I did.  I was impressed  by the fact that he took the time,  not only to respond to my letter, but he wanted to find out why I felt the way I did, and welcomed a discussion.
 
This is an excerpt from the letter I wrote him;

I keep hearing over and over about "Undisciplined children in school" and how the parents just drop them off.  The problem is not with the parents when they have a difficult child.  When I started keeping records one child in 350 had Autism, that number is down to every one in every 100 children born in this country, (now 1 in every 75) this does not include the ADHD statistics.  I would think someone would want to be finding out why.

If you have never struggled with a difficult child it is so easy to blame the parents, but I've seen parents do everything humanly possible to help their children to no avail.  When you have a difficult child, the school does not WANT you involved, they want them out of the school because of their poor grades bringing down their scores.  They want children that excel with minimal help and if your child needs extra help, God help you.

This is an excerpt from the letter he wrote me back; 

I agree with you that children with ADHD or other associated learning disorders need our help.

My wife is a public school teacher, as was her mother for 34 years and my father for 32 years.  I have volunteered thousands -- yes, thousands -- of my own dollars to assist and help school-age children.  I have also volunteered my time.  Likewise, I have been a strong supporter of education since my election to the Senate.

Put simply, I've been involved in public education for my entire life.  And I will continue to fight for it and the children who need my help.

I wish you the best.  If you have any further comments or suggestions, please feel free to call me anytime.  I would welcome a discussion with you.

Sen. McDaniel

What impressed me about him was that he truly seemed to care about how I felt, and he wanted to know why I felt the way I did.  He struck me as a man that is truly concerned about the children of our state and their education.

We desperately needs leaders that have spent time in the education field, and understand things from a teacher's, and a parent's point of view.  Far to often the problems are not with the teachers or the parents, but with the politicians and administrators that war against both parties.

Electing men to office that have the people's best interest at heart, instead of men that can't think past getting elected again is desperately needed by our country.

While politicians like Delbert Hosemann are running around trying to dig up dirt, and wasting their time pointing out that McDaniel may have once voted Democrat in an election, (see article in The Clarion Ledger) http://www.clarionledger.com/article/20131112/NEWS010504/131112017/Chris-McDaniel-disputes-records-saying-he-voted-Democrat-2003 McDaniel is talking about the issues.. Who cares if he once voted Democrat? Not me, I'm more likely to vote for a man that votes his conscience rather than party lines. What you might want to ask yourself is, what is the Mississippi Republican Party so afraid of?

Why does The Clarion Ledger try and point out McDaniel as an ULTRA CONSERVATIVE, then try and paint him as a Democratic voting liberal?  Why do politicians like Hosemann spend more time looking for dirt than they do talking about the issues and serving the great people of this state?

I'll tell you why.  Republican and Democrat POLITICIANS alike are afraid of men of principal, men who don't care if they get re-elected, men that want to do what they believe is right, men that wont' be told what to do, and won't play politics, men that actually stand for something, men that are not selfish and out to grab power and land lucrative contracts to make them rich, but are out to actually serve the people who elected them to office.

I have been following Senator McDaniel for some time now, and I have seen a man that believes in The Constitution of The United States,  the rights of the people, limited government, a balanced budget, creating jobs, and education. You can't get much better than that.

 The time is now to vote for real change!  Bye, bye Senator Thad Cochran, Hello Senator Chris McDaniel.

MESSAGE TO THE REPUBLICAN PARTY:  THINGS HAVE CHANGED,  THE PEOPLE ARE SICK OF YOUR GAMES, AND IF YOU DON'T WAKE UP TO THAT FACT, IT MAY BE YOUR HEAD THAT GETS HANDED TO YOU ON A PLATTER, NOT MCDANIEL'S.