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July 2008
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He's C.J. Bain, born with kidneys that just didn't work. Most of his life he hasn’t even been able to drink water or eat food. He's fed through an I.V. And every other day of his life he has to sit still for nearly three hours hooked to a dialysis machine that keeps him alive. Can you imagine a three year old sitting that long? But C.J. has a fighting spirit. He "runs" the dialysis room, cheering up the nurses and the patients, some four times his age and still waiting for a transplant. Just like C.J. With his dialysis over for the day, he showed me his tumbling routine right there on the hospital floor. He's captivating! If only he could capture a kidney his life wouldn’t be on the edge. Join me to see his life on the waiting list in our HealthLink special "Gifts of Life," Saturday at 9 p.m. on KING 5. It will replay Monday at 8 p.m. on NorthWest Cable News. 2 Comments |
We meet some truly remarkable people in the course of bringing you the news. My best example today is just three years old.
This was an important story about a health topic that needs more attention. However, lately, this kind of story makes me impatient. Why? Because while the media does tearjerking stories on multimillion dollar miracle operations, hundreds of people die in WA every year through lack of $10 medical tests, because they have no health insurance.
This is the biggest health problem we have. And it’s getting worse as employers drop coverage. Only 61% of working age Washingtonians still have employer health insurance! Health care in this country is rationed in the most immoral, inefficient and brutal way – by income. Why don’t you do a story on that?
A big part of the problem is people watch programs like this and think because we can do expensive high tech operations, we have the best health care in the world. We don't. America is at the bottom among civilized countries, 37th in WHO health statistics, because we neglect the basics.
Pneumonia, cancer, heart disease and broken bones don’t go away just because we can’t afford a doctor; they get worse. And when we finally end up in the emergency room, the problem’s far more expensive to fix than if it was caught early - if it can be fixed.
The Academy of Sciences says 18,000 Americans die annually solely through lack of insurance. That’s about 265 just in Western WA alone. The vast majority are employed.
Jean, why don’t you do a story on one of those people for a change? Tell about his unnecessary suffering, how he tried to keep supporting his family, the medical bills that bankrupted his family, the inexpensive measures that could have saved his life, and how much all this cost the taxpayer.
It’s easy to find uninsured people. We’re the ones who build your houses, flip your burgers, change your oil, and care for your ailing grandparents.
How interesting it is when people, including the media, say Americans complain too much about the high price of gasoline. Have these critics given an once of thought as to why the complaints are so intense? The gas crisis not only affects the consumer, but the producer and distributor as well. America is a nation, who can only give thanks to its economic prosperity, because unlike many other nations including Europe we are mobile. Mobility is what makes a nation strong. Now that this mobility is threatened again, as during the Vietnam era gas crisis, is it any wonder why our economy is struggling? Does anyone, in this generation who think history is irrelevant, care to think about the coming bout of inflation? After 1974, during the hight of the last fuel crisis, many should remember the double digit inflation which effected ALL areas of the economy. If you do not think it will happen today, think again. Maybe take a course in economics 101. In conclusion, yes, the oil companies are greedy. Yes, Americans need to cut back on pertroleum consumption, by maybe finding an alternative. However, finger pointing never solved any problem. It's too late for that.