thelesbianlifestyle.com

I grew up in an upper middle-class family in the United States of America. As a youngster, I took our privileged status for granted. As I grew older, I realized I was incredibly fortunate. I was grateful for my economic wellbeing. I felt guilty about the high number of creature comforts I enjoyed versus those who were disadvantaged.

When I got out of college and had to support myself for the first time in my life, I learned what it was like to struggle to make a buck. I was by no means poor, but I wasn’t rich by American standards. I was incredibly wealthy by global standards.

My economic situation deteriorated in my early 30s when I was diagnosed with a mental illness, bipolar disorder. I had to drop out of graduate school at the age of 32. I didn’t have comprehensive health insurance. My mounting medical bills put me into debt for the first time in my life. I have a lousy credit record to this day.

My financial plight grew worse when I was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 36. Things became even more dire when I had a recurrence of breast cancer at the age of 38 and I was unemployed. It got to the point where I was declared indigent by the state. I was lucky to have a stem cell transplant to save my life. The state of Iowa paid for the procedure and for my subsequent treatments. I was able to work again after I recovered.

By my early 40s, it became clear I could no longer work full-time. My mental illness made it impossible for me to hold down a job. Over the next several years, I applied three times to the federal government for SSDI (Social Security Disability Income). I was finally approved for SSDI in 2003. I then qualified for Medicaid and Medicare.

Thankfully I now receive enough financial assistance to get by and to live on my own. I hate to think where I’d be without government aid. I also hate to think where I’d be without the moral support of my family and friends. I am rich in spirit and love and all that wonderful crap. But those blessings can only go so far.

I’ve known easy times and hard times. I’ve lived high off the hog and I’ve been down and out. I’ve been on and off food stamps. I was in such bad shape at one point that I worried I’d be homeless one day.

I wish I didn’t have to depend on the kindness of others, namely those of you who pay taxes. Your taxpayer dollars keep me and many others in America from living in squalor and hunger. But there are there still numerous others in America and around the world who suffer from poverty and have little or no hope for a better life.

I wish I was in a position to be on the giving side of charity instead of the receiving end. If my ship were ever to come in, the first thing I would do is pay off all of my old bills. Then I would philanthropize my ass off. For now, I can only dream about those days.