and so it goes…

Disabled… for over 20 years… Linda Linda

OK, my language is going to get pretty harsh right now, I apologize in advance.

WTF! Social Security? My mother had a Cerebral Aneurysm when I was in high school. It left her unable to speak. It left her unable to move her right arm, she can’t read anymore, let a lone work or hold gainful employment. She has a crooked smile.

We received the WONDERFUL NEWS from the Social Security Administration that after 20 years of struggling to express herself and live a meaningful life, she has been MIRACULOUSLY healed! BY THE POWER OF THE gOVERNMENT no less.

Hallelujah!

Halle-fricking-lujah!

I am sorry folks, this is not a clever april fools joke. This is real.

I am in Japan on business and my mother is being told that because she is no longer disabled, she will not receive her compensation.

Anyone who has met my mother and has exchanged more than a casual hello can immediately see the results of the aneurysm and the resulting strokes.

Her speech is the first thing that draws your attention, unless you are used to playing 20 questions. A typical telephone conversation goes something like this:

“Hey Mom, how are you?”

“Oh me, you know… Linda Linda… good.”

“So what are you doing this weekend?”

“Oh, nothing, well, Jazz…”

“Oh are you going to watch the Jazz game?”

“Yes!”

“What time does it start?”

“Oh god, Um… one, two, three, four, five, six, seven – SEVEN-thirty.”

“Oh the game starts at 7:30?”

(at this point I don’t even ask who they are playing, because I know she knows, but I also don’t have time to run down the list of teams in the Jazz’s conference to try to hit the right one…)

“So what are you doing today?”

“Well, me – go to the store – ya know… oh Cameron!”

“You saw Cameron today?” (My brother)

“Yes”

“Oh how is he doing?”

“Well Cameron, ya know…”

I haven’t had a meaningful discussion with my mom since before I had my own messed up head worked out after high school. She is the perfect listener… because even if she wanted to , she couldn’t get a word in edge-wise.

Ask her to help lift a box – she can’t – her right arm is near paralyzed, atrophied from years of not being able to use it. Her hands and fingers gnarled like the root of a scrub oak.

But the Social Security Agency now says she is not disabled anymore and can get a job flipping burgers.

She can’t even flip them off.

There is a lot about my mom I want to write, but I need to get this out there, so I will spend more time later today… but if you read this, please re-tweet it. Get Gephardt. Post it on facebook. Do whatever you can.

I was hoping to write about the struggles in Japan and the resiliency of her people, but now all I ask is don’t let the Social Security Administration get involved over here – they will tell you there was no Tsunami or Earthquake.

 

 

 

This entry was posted on Friday, April 1st, 2011 at 2:22 pm. It is filed under blog and tagged with cerebral aneurysm, social security. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.