Linda Allison
April 22nd, 2008
Ten years ago, my blood pressure skyrocketed, and I was diagnosed with Raynaud’s Syndrome. Although I wasn’t working at the time, the symptoms of Raynaud’s Disease are devastating - even for a relatively sedentary lifestyle. There are lots of chest pains (angina), throbbing in my extremities, and my hands and toes turned purple and black when I was under stress or out in the cold. This is caused by a decrease in the blood that is circulated because of clogged arteries. The throbbing can be excruciating at different times. In addition, depression was dominant for me because I felt so ill. (more…)
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Jean Yates
January 18th, 2008
My love for my family is matched only by my love for the outdoors. I try to lead an active life by being outside in the sunshine and working in my garden. I suffer from a variety of ailments that, if untreated, threaten to keep me inside and on my couch for the rest of my life!I take five different medications for my conditions, which affects every aspect of my life. I have high blood pressure, which requires me to take medication to avoid having a stroke. My restless leg syndrome keeps my legs kicking all night and I wake up exhausted. Acid reflux prevents me from enjoying virtually every yummy food….even tomatoes!. (more…)
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Lois Jenkins
December 21st, 2007
I love spending time with my family, especially my daughter and my grandchildren. Taking care of my family and looking after my own health are major parts of my life.
I suffer from high blood pressure, diabetes and chronic arthritis in my back due to multiple surgeries I have had on my back. My various conditions require me to take more than 12 different mediciations on a monthly basis. Things are even more complicated because some of my medications cannot be taken at the same time due to harmful effects from the combination of the drugs. When I lost my insurance I was unable to afford my medicines and was afraid to ask for help. To make matters worse, my mother passed away around the same time that I lost my coverage. It was truly a difficult period for me.Since I was without coverage, I had to rely on my personal finances to pay for my medications. With some of my prescriptions costing more than $300 a month, budgeting my finances became a major stress in my life. My finances were stretched extremely thin and the stress made me unable to function. (more…)
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Bobby Campbell
December 21st, 2007
I live with my wife and three daughters. My wife and I both work part-time jobs and live on a limited income.Three years ago, I suffered a heart attack and subsequently was placed on several prescription medicines. I didn’t think life could get any harder. I was on medication to lower my blood pressure, to keep my cholesterol down and to slow my heart rate. It all happened so quickly and was a little overwhelming… (more…)
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Patricia Stoll
December 14th, 2007
My story isn’t too dramatic, but it’s honest. I have dealt with numerous ailments, including diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol. While these things are difficult to deal with alone, I am also clinically depressed. And I’m proud to say I’m no longer embarrassed to talk about it.Talking about it has really been my key to happiness. I started feeling like I was losing control of my life when my mother passed away a few years ago. My husband and I had to move, and everything in my life seemed to be in this phase of change that I could not deal with. I had a breakdown and finally admitted that I couldn’t handle this alone. Admitting that you need help is just the hardest thing to do sometimes, I know. I finally admitted to my family that, yes, I needed some help to learn how to be happy again… (more…)
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Delores McAllister
December 7th, 2007
I had worked all my life and expected to do so for many more years until I faced a turning point in my life in 2004. My husband unexpectedly passed away. Obviously, we had not planned for this devastating life change, but I dealt with it the best I could. I decided I would then go into early retirement. I moved to Newark, Delaware, to make a new start and chose Newark because I would still be close to my family in Pennsylvania. Meanwhile, with all this change, I still had to deal with my multiple health issues. I have high blood pressure, high cholesterol and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), so I must regularly take my prescription medicines to keep my health problems under control. (more…)
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Mary Holliman
November 30th, 2007
When I retired from my job, I looked forward to the extra time I would have to spend with my six grandchildren, including a set of triplets! What I didn’t know was that when I retired, my health wouldn’t be the same as in years before. Keeping up with my changing health became even harder when I lost my health insurance.I take over 12 different medications for my high blood pressure and high cholesterol, and when I lost my health coverage, I had trouble getting my medicine. I became frugal and sometimes skipped doses to make it last. When I started doing this, I saw the negative effects. I was always exhausted and my body did not feel as healthy as it should be. (more…)
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Anita Stone
November 30th, 2007
I know what it feels like to not want to get out of bed in the morning. When you are in so much pain as a result of many different illnesses, it’s difficult to want to get up in the morning and continue another day. My story is filled with many chapters of health problems, but thankfully because of my medications, I’ve been able to turn my challenges into happy and healthy endings… (more…)
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Velma Cornelius
November 8th, 2007
I have a very big family that I love dearly. My sister lives with me and I have three children and 15 grandchildren. One of my favorite things to do is spend time with my grandchildren, who I just adore. Family is very important to me and that is why I was so scared when I found out I had high blood pressure. One day I was talking to my sister and she told me that she thought I might have high blood pressure and that I should go visit the doctor. I had no idea whether her diagnosis was right or wrong, but I decided it was better to be safe than sorry, so I scheduled an appointment with my doctor. (more…)
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Elaine Goldin
October 26th, 2007
I live a quiet life in a senior development, now that my son is all grown up. He son is 32 now and married with a six-year old son, who I just love to pieces. However, in the blink of an eye, I almost left my family all too early, when I had a stroke in 2005. To make matters worse, after the stroke I found out that I have Type II diabetes, cholesterol and high blood pressure. I was devastated and so depressed when leaving the hospital that not only had my life almost been cut short by my stroke, but that my life had been forever changed because I would now also have to cope with additional life-threatening conditions. (more…)
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Carmen Rivera
October 11th, 2007
I have always been very active and engaged in my children’s lives whether it was helping them with their homework, cooking dinner for them, or even going to baseball games with my son. Then one day, I got the scare of my life after learning that the joy of caring for my children might be taken away from me prematurely.In 2001, I was diagnosed with diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol. The diagnosis was devastating, even though it should not have been a surprise. After all, these illnesses run in my family. My mother also had diabetes, heart and cholesterol problems and eventually died because of them. The prospect that I would not be around to care for my children and eventually their children was so devastating that I fell into a depression. (more…)
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Janet Nealy
September 21st, 2007
Due to Hurricane Katrina, I and some of my family were forced to leave our homes in New Orleans and evacuate to Dallas, Texas before the hurricane hit. That was two years ago. When I finally returned home, I was very fortunate to find my home untouched by the hurricane. However, both of my daughters’ homes were severely damaged, forcing them and their families to come live with me. Because of Hurricane Katrina, I did not just have to leave my home for a long period of time, I also lost my job and subsequently my health insurance. I had no money, no job, and no medicine. Since I have high blood pressure and glaucoma, it is very important that I receive my prescription medicines in order to maintain a healthy life. In this nation of ours, I know there are people that are struggling to just live, and are wondering “what shall I do?” I have often felt that same way. Fortunately, one of my daughters told me how to find help through patient assistance programs offered by the pharmaceutical companies. (more…)
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