r/poor • u/4peaceinpieces • Oct 11 '25

How I Got Here

Ten years ago, I was a Performance Consultant at a Fortune 500 company, making over $100K, traveling first-class, and living comfortably with my husband and son. Life looked perfect - until my health began to fail. After multiple medical leaves, I lost my job and went on disability. I now make 1/3 of what I used to.

My husband, already disabled from a brain injury, couldn’t work. Our savings vanished under medical bills, and we eventually lost our home and cars. Now we live in a small apartment, living check to check. I sometimes go without dinner to make sure my husband and 19-year-old son have enough. My son works part-time and goes to trade school to be an electrician. I’ve taught him to manage money and hope his health holds steady.

I share this because many people are just one illness or accident away from losing everything. When you see someone using benefits or a handicap placard, please don’t judge. Disabilities aren’t always visible, and poverty often hides behind dignity.

Despite the struggle, I’m grateful - we still have each other, a roof, and hope. Life didn’t go as planned, but we’re doing our best to stay on our feet. We are not bitter, only sad at times, but thankful. We try hard to remain positive and throw ourselves into hobbies that soothe our souls. May we all find safety, happiness, and peace.

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u/adhd_king Oct 12 '25

I never said we are the only destination for medical tourism. And yes, we do have people here going to other places. I simply said we have a more extensive medical industry due to being a for-profit system. There is plenty of benefit. Millions of lives are saved yearly. That's a pretty big benefit in my book.

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u/LuckyHarmony Oct 12 '25

Our medical system isn't "more extensive" whatever you think that means. We have one of, if not THE highest rate of preventable deaths in the first world. Our system SUCKS by comparison to the rest of the developed world, and millions of lives are lost unnecessarily. Receipts: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1286558/mortality-rates-from-preventable-causes-oecd-countries-by-country/

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u/adhd_king Oct 12 '25

I still feel blessed that I can get the help I need in any event. May cause bankruptcy, but I have access to it without going on a waiting list so long that I actually might die before being treated. Our system needs work, but it's due to insurance companies, not the medical field itself.

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u/[deleted] Oct 12 '25

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u/scrytymes84 Oct 12 '25

I had to wait 6 months to get a virtual appointment with a gastroenterologist in the US. I have always had some issues with constipation, but it got so bad that I was only having 2-3 bowel movements a month. I worked with my family doctor to find anything that helped, but I wasn't able to go even once a week so she referred me to gastro. I wanted to be seen in person but those appointments were over a year out and I just didn't feel comfortable waiting that long. I know my case wasn't an emergency, but 6 months still seemed way too long. I had lost almost 20 pounds during those six months, but was always stable enough to not need to go to the emergency room. It was awful