anthony
Today, I spoke with a 44 year old gentleman named Anthony. Anthony is HIV positive. He has two sons under the age of 12 and a wife, who he has been married to for quite some time.
He was exposed to HIV in September of 2001, while fire fighting in New York at the World Trade Center. His blood was infected, and he tested positive for HIV less than a year later.
After saving over 15 lives that day, of doctors, millionaires, a janitor, several children and business men and women, he has earned a meager monthly stipend of $1500 as thanks for his heroism and sacrifice. Not only did he risk his life, he gave his life in exchange for the safety of others. After he became too weak to firefight, he was dropped from his insurance; no insurer will take on such a liability. He is in credit card debt in excess of $30,000 alone for paying for his medications required to manage his disease and keep him alive. He has over $20,000 in hospital bills, is three months behind in his mortgage payments and is struggling emotionally, to say the least.
About a week ago, Anthony called the company I worked for desperate for help. After a proverbial clusterfuck in dealing with our customer service department, his account ended up in my hands. His account was unpaid (we charge a monthly fee for our services). Although policy clearly dictates we are not allowed to work on unpaid accounts (just like you can't use your CC if you don't pay the bill), I saw a note from one of my coworkers who briefly explained his situation.
I called Anthony and spoke with him at length, for approximately 30 minutes. I dislike talking to patients since they ALL have sob stories and I'm very sensitive, but I had to call him due to the nature of what I had been tasked with (faxing him something). Anthony and I spoke matter of factly at first, but I guess I'm just a big softy and we started talking a little less professionally, more heart to heart. He told me he was discouraged, sad, angry, and confessed there were times he was ready to end everything. Then he told me the only thing keeping him alive are his two beautiful sons, his wife and his faith. He had been praying for years for some relief and had been feeling like he was at the end of his rope. He had become frustrated with our process, as many patients often do, and was ready to cancel. At one point I had to ask him (nicely!) to stop, as he was crying and I was, too (I have NEVER cried on the phone before!).
After speaking with Anthony and various pharmaceutical companies, I know help is available to him. He can finally be at peace with this struggle, and will have not only a better quality of life, but a longer life and a happier family.
Long story short, help is out there for Anthony and many, many others. Don't give up just because life sucks and times are tough. Faith and hard work will help you find your answers.
If you know someone who is low income and/or under insured, please talk to me and I will do everything in my power to assist them. If you don't want help from me, contact your nearest, largest networked hospital (here in TX, Seton is wonderful) and ask to speak with someone who deals with indigent patients. Always always always, KEEP TRYING. There are so many people who don't care, but MANY who do and will exhaust all resources to find a solution. Don't lose faith.
He was exposed to HIV in September of 2001, while fire fighting in New York at the World Trade Center. His blood was infected, and he tested positive for HIV less than a year later.
After saving over 15 lives that day, of doctors, millionaires, a janitor, several children and business men and women, he has earned a meager monthly stipend of $1500 as thanks for his heroism and sacrifice. Not only did he risk his life, he gave his life in exchange for the safety of others. After he became too weak to firefight, he was dropped from his insurance; no insurer will take on such a liability. He is in credit card debt in excess of $30,000 alone for paying for his medications required to manage his disease and keep him alive. He has over $20,000 in hospital bills, is three months behind in his mortgage payments and is struggling emotionally, to say the least.
About a week ago, Anthony called the company I worked for desperate for help. After a proverbial clusterfuck in dealing with our customer service department, his account ended up in my hands. His account was unpaid (we charge a monthly fee for our services). Although policy clearly dictates we are not allowed to work on unpaid accounts (just like you can't use your CC if you don't pay the bill), I saw a note from one of my coworkers who briefly explained his situation.
I called Anthony and spoke with him at length, for approximately 30 minutes. I dislike talking to patients since they ALL have sob stories and I'm very sensitive, but I had to call him due to the nature of what I had been tasked with (faxing him something). Anthony and I spoke matter of factly at first, but I guess I'm just a big softy and we started talking a little less professionally, more heart to heart. He told me he was discouraged, sad, angry, and confessed there were times he was ready to end everything. Then he told me the only thing keeping him alive are his two beautiful sons, his wife and his faith. He had been praying for years for some relief and had been feeling like he was at the end of his rope. He had become frustrated with our process, as many patients often do, and was ready to cancel. At one point I had to ask him (nicely!) to stop, as he was crying and I was, too (I have NEVER cried on the phone before!).
After speaking with Anthony and various pharmaceutical companies, I know help is available to him. He can finally be at peace with this struggle, and will have not only a better quality of life, but a longer life and a happier family.
Long story short, help is out there for Anthony and many, many others. Don't give up just because life sucks and times are tough. Faith and hard work will help you find your answers.
If you know someone who is low income and/or under insured, please talk to me and I will do everything in my power to assist them. If you don't want help from me, contact your nearest, largest networked hospital (here in TX, Seton is wonderful) and ask to speak with someone who deals with indigent patients. Always always always, KEEP TRYING. There are so many people who don't care, but MANY who do and will exhaust all resources to find a solution. Don't lose faith.