Ida at the Royal Star Motel

Ida at the Royal Star Motel
Originally uploaded by walk4healthcare

“I've had no insurance most of the last year,” said Ida. She herself has diabetes and her husband has a spinal problems. “They were very fortunate,” she told me, because her husband “got his surgery at the Cleveland Clinic under a special program.” It had been an extensive operation involving multiple spinal ‘levels’ as well as titanium rods being inserted. “But,” she said, “all medical expenses were covered.”

“That’s great,” I said.

“Well, otherwise, healthcare has been a disaster.”

Danelle and children from Mansfield, OH

Danelle and children from Mansfield, OH
Originally uploaded by walk4healthcare

Danelle (pictured here with her two lovely children) described a situation with her cousin, Barbara. She had a hysterectomy which turned out to be a very bloody operation and lasted over four hours. The insurance only allowed a 36-hour hospital stay and the doctor said that she needed more. “But,” Danelle told me wistfully, “she was kicked out anyway,”

Doctor Walking To D.C. To Promote Health Care Reform

From: WFMD-TV in Mansfiel, OH

Dr. Ogan Gurel can be found walking along the Lincoln Highway with an American Flag sticking out of his backpack.

He is on a mission walking from Chicago to Washington, D.C. promoting awareness on health care reform. Dr. Gurel said his goal is to get health stories from real people who are both insured and uninsured.

Dr. Gurel said this walk is not political or about a political policy. He said he is walking because what is happening is not right, and this has to be about the people. Gurel said walking along the Lincoln Highway is a metaphor for what we need to think about healthcare.