Part 2 of Passports, President, Politics and Pastors!

[Dr Denis O'Callaghan]

Well Gentle reader,

Again within a month I fell sick to the point I was taken into the Hospital The ammonia that I had breathed in caused me to develop COPD (which developed into the loss of the use of one lung). What does COPD mean? COPD stands for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. It encompasses two types of disease processes namely chronic bronchitis and emphysema. Quite often, people who suffer from COPD show a combination of features of both disease processes. In lay person's term, COPD means persistent lung disease with features of airway narrowing. To be more specific, bronchitis means inflammation of the bronchi or the larger airways of the lungs whereas emphysema means destruction to the smaller airways and alveoli or airsacs of the lungs. Thus COPD is commonly used to describe chronic bronchitis, emphysema, or both.

What happened then was I was fired! Reason: Not coming to work! Welcome to Indiana!!! ( remember I told you that Indiana has what is called "A right to Work law" in other words The employer can fire you without any reason "I don’t like the color of your skin" extreme but has been true in this state!). Now then we found out shortly after that that Marti had a disease called CFS Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is the most common name given to a poorly understood, variably debilitating disorder or disorders of uncertain causation.

Symptoms of CFS include widespread muscle and joint pain, cognitive difficulties, chronic, often severe mental and physical exhaustion and other characteristic symptoms in a previously healthy and active person. Fatigue is a common symptom in many illnesses, but CFS is a multi-systemic disease and is relatively rare by comparison Rare! Quite an understatement, considering she is in constant pain and now has been bedfast for more than 4 (count them) 4 years. The doctors in Indiana and for that matter around the whole of America don’t know, don’t care, do want to help.

In the process we dipped into our savings again and again, only to find that the chances of returning to Ireland becoming dimmer and dimmer. The medical cost were rising and rising until we were in a word broke

Having spent our life savings in a short space of time. With no job (no church wants someone who has a sick wife, "too much trouble" and no insurance. We turned as many of you have done in the past ( or perhaps in the future). To our "safety net" only to find that the bureaucratic system has no truck with those who have fallen on hard times "Remember "tough times never last, tough people do" What you may ask how dare we look for help, isn’t that just a socialistic attitude? No gentle reader, that is the American way to help one another when the need arises. Wouldn’t you agree.

If not then close this blog and go out and look at the results of the greed in this country now coming out in the open (159,000 jobs lost in the past month for example 750,000 alone this year).

We turned to our (and your Government ) I wrote to Mich Daniels Republican Governor of Indiana for help His answer " and I quote we never heard a word " ! I wrote to our State Senators Evan Bayh (D) and Richard Lugar (R) Lugar responded by sending a form letter that told me How great he had been standing up for the likes of people like me! Bayh never responded rather like the Governor of this great state. I even wrote the President G. W. Bush (never heard a peep). And Dick Cheneny sent a spent shotgun shell- not really)!

We had mounting bills, utility bills over $4000. No help! We lost our only possession our home with all of our birds (FIDS) and everything we had collected in out marriage.

So Gentle reader, when I am told and I have looked at the Presidential Candidates What I want is a leader who cares about you and me.

To Be continued ...