Compassion

Years ago I spent time at the Women & Children's Hospital on the parent advisory panel and I always felt badly when I'd get home after a meeting.

There were some really sick kids.

Some who would never be well again.

Some who were completely and utterly disabled.

There were also parents on the panel who'd lost their children.

I'd feel so badly for them.

Compassion.

I feel worse for a lot of them as they listen to the governmental decisions that might affect them. There's a Mom making the rounds now, showing her son, and talking about his battle to stay alive. I saw a photo of the kid on Twitter. His little chest was now home to a long, jagged scar. His Mom posted a photo of the hospital bill...over $90,000...her insurance paid all but $500.

The kid will need a few more surgeries.

Mom is worried that he will no longer have insurance.

"Tough shit," one guy wrote in the comments section. "Get a job where you have good insurance and you won't have to worry about what the government healthcare is!"

That's NOT compassion!

And I suppose I don't understand it very much. I think that we were once a nation that thought better things about the poor or unfortunate at one time.

Listen, there will always be fraud in any system.

Fraud also takes place in all tax brackets, by the way.

Yet, how can you look at a young child with a zipper running down his chest and think:

"Tough shit!"

What happened to our heart?

Do we not care at all?

Can you imagine that Mom and Dad getting the news:

"We can't do the surgery because your insurance denied coverage?"

That would be virtually impossible to deal with...

...but 'tough shit' guy doesn't care.

The comments conversation continued and that same guy wrote:

"Boo-hoo! We all have troubles."

I wouldn't be so sad about it if I didn't feel that it was becoming a prevalent thought.

I grew up in a town and a time where we cared about each other's fortunes.

I refuse to believe that those days are gone for good...

...but I'm really starting to wonder.

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