Hi all, It has been awhile since I have journaled. Let me see where do I start. BTW these are the Azaleas blooming in front of my house. Sure sign of Spring. Well the job hunt is going anywhere and it may never. I had always heard that you could collect your ex-spouses Social Security if you had been married 10 years or more and you are 62 or older. I called the SS office and they confirmed that for me. Also you cannot be re-married, which I am not. They would not tell me how much. I had to make an appointment to go in and talk to someone. I have to bring my birth certificate and divorce decree, and I do have both of those. I know his would be a lot more than mine, so if I think it is enough I will take it. It does not affect him. He will still get what he is owed. Strange isn’t it? You can still work, but you can’t (at age 62) make more than I think it is $1200 a month. So I can work part-time. Once you reach 65, it doesn’t matter how much money you can make. So if I do that I will be officially retired. The only problem is the Health Ins. You cannot get Medicare till you are 65. This brings me to the next part. Last Friday a light bulb went off in my head. I thought why not apply to MD Anderson to see if they have an indigent/no insurance program? So I did on line. I got a very nice email from a man that said yes, since they are a state institution that they do have an indigent/no insurance program for TX residents. I was thrilled. MD Anderson is second only to Sloan-Kettering in NY as far as Cancer Hospitals. They said someone did not contact me in three days I should call. They didn’t so I did. At that time I was told that yes they do have that program for TX residents but not for anyone in Harris Country. Where I am and MDA is. They said that is so because the county has it’s own Hospitals. Ben Taub and LBJ. Boy was I disappointed. I would have to apply for what they call a Gold Card which I did. I talked to someone at LBJ and she told me that the gyn oncs are from MDA, so I felt better about that. So now I have to wait for the card comes before I can make an appt. I at least can get my follow up care. I am feeling pretty good physically. Emotionally I had been pretty down, but on the way up. I went shopping with my gift cards and bought myself a few new outfits, including shoes and a new purse. Always makes me feel good to have something new to wear. Oh! I almost forgot. I think it was two weeks ago on a beautiful Sunday, I went to Old Town Spring which is about two minutes from my house. It is a little touristy little village with craft shops, antique shops and the like. In one little shop where they had a lot of dog stuff that interested me a lot, I saw this plaque that said "My goal is to be the kind of person my dogs think I am". I loved it. It is going to be my motto. The weather has been warm. Today in the 70’s, tomorrow in the 80’s. I love it. That is about it for now. Love and hugs to you all. Don’t know what I would do without you.
Replies
Oh Anita it\'s so nice to see you writing! How about the SS thing? Amazing, huh? I just can\'t believe how difficult it is to get all this information. Perhaps there should be counselors out there who had their fingers on the pulse of all the services out there. With the computer age, I wouldn\'t think it would be that difficult!
I like the saying about the dog...in fact, believe it or not, I say that saying on a card yesterday! (searching for Mac\'s birthday card.)
For me, I suppose I could also say that and substitute my grandchild Mazie for the dog part.
Mac says I am Mazie\'s Elvis! ha ha. How nice that you might have the difficult questions behind you and that you can enjoy the moments and smell the roses...or azaeleas, which are lovely by the by! Hugs to you, lindamae
How wonderful that you keep going and finding lights at the end of the tunnel !!
i admire your undaunting spirit !
It\'s so good to hear that you are moving closer to getting these things sorted.. it has a long roller coaster for you.. and I am so impressed with the way that you have coped and dealt with it all.. you\'ve been a hero and an inspiration to me. I have some idea of how hard this has all been for you. Many would have cracked under the strain.. You hung on and kept your head and nurtured your spirit.. Thank you for showing me how to do that better.. I\'m thinking that you are on the upward stretch again now and can enjoy a gentler ride.. you have earned it..
Enjoy the warm weather.. love and hugs Inka xxxxxx
You are right lindamae. I had to do all this digging on my own. Maybe that is something I can do, even on a volunteer basis, help people find there way thru the maze of red tape. I will have to look into that.
Anitaama,
I am so sorry you are having such a hard time with the insurance.......kudo\'s for you though for being persistent and finding out your options..............I am glad you were able to do some shopping!! That always cheers any woman up!!! It does me!!! Big hugs and enjoy the weather too............today is cloudy for me but not too cold.... well the sun is peeking out every now and then.
Thank you all so much for your kind words of encouragement and support. What you see as strength is coming from a place of desperation. When you get knocked down you have to pull yourself up by your boot straps and come back swinging. It literally is a matter of survival.
Anita, I am so impressed with your quiet strength and determination . . . you\'re an inspiration!
What a great \"find\" to learn about your ex-spouse\'s SS that you will be able to collect. And the hospital program /Gold Card sounds promising for your followup care, which has probably been a huge weight on your mind as to how you would get that accomplished.
You\'re right - survival does give you strength and initiative that you might not find otherwise, but one still has to get out there and DO IT, and that you have! Your idea of possibly being a volunteer to help others negotiate their way through the red tape is a winner - you\'ve been there and know the territory, and could be a very effective and empathetic advocate for others. I hope that\'s something you\'ll be able to do down the road - it could be very rewarding to you on a personal level to help others in this way.
Glad the shopping therapy helped perk you up - a new outfit always makes me feel better! Thanks for the update and know that lots of hugs and positive vibes are coming your way! xxxxx LuEllen
Update on the SS. I found out today that age 62 I can only get 35% of what he would get at age 62. There are incriments leading up to age 66 at which time I can get 50%. I have an appt on the 24th. I will have to see if it is worth it. If not I will just stay on unemployment for as long as I can.
I think you would make a fantastic advocate for people going through this. In England we have MacMillan nurses who employ advocates to do this sort of thing for cancer patients and also use volunteers.. Is there something like that in the US?.. also we have citizens advice who use volunteers who can eventually get employed by them.. best of luck to you with getting it sorted.. somehow I know you will.. just keep balancing the \'crap\' with better things... for you health and sanity.. loads of love and hugs to you xxxxxx
Big hugs and glad you are getting it all figured out............you will.........just keep seeking information............bless you and give you peace of mind most of all!!!!