The Greatest Country in the World?

I recently met a guy, Mike, while we were spending time at Extended Stay America. I'd take Anze for a walk, I'd say hi, he'd say hit back. After a couple of days, we began to talk while sitting on the park bench.

Here's Mike's story:

Mike has two kids, a boy 15 and his daughter 12. He's an over the road trucker by trade. Truckers with Mike's experience, who are willing to work, can make excellent money, drive for 6-8 days, home for 3 and make a couple of thousand a week.

Mike and his wife owned a home in Ventura, she worked as a legal secretary. They were building a nice comfortable middle-class American life, they worked hard, took great delight in their children, enjoyed family and friends. Then Mike's wife was diagnosed with cancer and died after two years of treatment.

The company Mike drove for was based in Oklahoma and he opted to stick with the companies' insurance plan, as he said, "my first mistake". Mike was an owner-operator. He owned the truck and worked under contract to haul the company's trailers. With his wife's passing Mike had to stop doing long haul trucking, he needed to work close to home so he could be with his children, which meant a pay cut of almost half. The co-pay on his wife's hospital bills were almost $200,000 dollars. Mike had to sell his house and his truck to pay the bills. He moved into a  three-bedroom apartment and his wife's aunt moved in to help with the kids. Mike went back to long haul trucking and for a while things were okay. He was driving to the east coast and back, numerous stops on the way, he was gone for 8 to 10 days at a time and then 3 or 4 days at home with his family.

3 years ago Mike was diagnosed with cancer of the jaw. He had surgery and lost a saliva gland and half of his tongue. The radiation ruined his teeth, now he's missing almost all his teeth on the bottom, he was on disability and started getting behind in his rent payments, he got evicted. He had to move his kids to Arizona to live with his parents. Once his cancer was under control he went back to long haul trucking. Mike saved his money, spent as much time as he could with his kids and started to rebuild his twice shattered life. As he said, "I could finally see the light at the fucking end of the tunnel." He was ready to reunite his family again, his wife's sister was willing to help with her niece and nephew while he was on the road.

Then Mike was driving in a late-season snowstorm in the Sierras, he stopped to put the chains on his truck, as he was tightening the chains, the pry bar slipped and he broke his right thumb. Surgery, insertion of 4 screws and a rod in his hand. Once again massive copays and physical therapy for several months. His plans up in smoke again.

Mike is back on disability again, he has a solid job with the trucking company waiting, his kids start school in Ventura in the middle of August. He's two weeks away from hitting the road again.

This is the only country in the world with a health care system that allows this kind of thing to happen to a guy like Mike, to his kids and his extended family. Mike lost not only the love of his life, but he lost everything they had ever dreamed of together. He's a tough guy, a good man. He said with tears in his eyes, "See my girl, she has auburn hair like her beautiful mother."

We need to do better, we can do better.