Too Sick to Work, Too Poor to Heal: One Man's Journey Through America's Healthcare Nightmare

How Healthcare Became a Privilege, Not a Right

The American Dream died for me the day my curable genetic disorder became too expensive to treat or ignore.

"Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me." - Matthew 25:40

I never thought I'd be writing this. After twenty years of serving God as a pastor, after decades of paying into a system I trusted would be there when I needed it, I find myself facing a choice no one should have to make: die slowly from a treatable condition, or lose everything trying to stay alive.

My name doesn't matter. My story does, because it's becoming far too common in America.

The Cruel Mathematics of Illness

I'm 45 years old, battling a genetic disorder that's been my unwelcome companion for twenty years. When I was younger, working 60-hour weeks in sales, technology, or as a stock analyst, I had excellent insurance. The specialists I needed were accessible. The medications that kept me functional were covered. I was, in society's terms, a "prod…