Imagine being diagnosed with MS and your doctor tells you there is nothing more he can do for you.

Imagine your neurologist telling you to have a living will written up so that your End of Life decisions will be followed.

Imagine that your husband dies 2 years before your diagnosis.

Imagine that your husband was thoughtful enough to have a large insurance policy to care for you so that you can live a decent life after he is gone.

Imagine that out of that life insurance policy, after your diagnosis, that you have to have home care and the province only helps you with 20% of that.

Imagine that your share is 80% and that cost just for homecare is $55,000 per year, which includes payroll deductions and workman's comp. 

Imagine that this cost does not include overnight care and that you are alone and cannot transfer yourself in case of emergency. 

Imagine that your prescription meds are $6,000 per year. This does not include any of the CRAB drugs because you cannot use them since you are progressive.

Imagine that these costs do not include medical supplies (i.e. catheter and trays, urinary bags, etc.), wheelchair maintenance and repairs and the list goes on. 

Imagine that your homecare routine consists of an impaction routine everyday because you cannot risk UTI by using suppositories and contaminating your catheter. 

Imagine not being able to use your hands to feed yourself.

Imagine being in a wheelchair everyday and not being able to stand or transfer yourself.

Imagine that a simple cold could kill you.

Imagine that ANY infection could kill you.

Imagine living with pain everyday. 

Imagine knowing there is something out there, a simple procedure, that could possibly help with your Quality of Life.

Imagine that Health Ministers, Government, The MS Society and Neurologists across Canada would rather allow you to die than to allow you to have this simple procedure.

Imagine not understanding why.

THIS COULDN'T POSSIBLY HAPPEN IN CANADA COULD IT???? 

Some of you can imagine alot of this. Others don't have a clue. This is what a friend of mine lives with everyday. 

I, of course will not mention her name but our government needs to know about people like her. Our government needs to know that people die from MS. They say that we die from things like infections, respiratory illness, etc. The bottom line is we die from MS.

Yvonne Andersen

November 14 2010