With no state budget and rumors of cuts and layoffs increasing daily, the Progress Illinois blog has created a space for a collaborative report on the effect of the budget crisis on social service agencies so far. One look at the page proves that any suggestion that cuts are not happening is far from the truth. Be sure to check it out.
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Clara Meredith says:
I am writing to tell you about my son Mikhail Walker. Mikhail; became sick with a rare illness called HSP when he was 21 in 2006. It is very rare for an adult to contract this disease and it has taken a even rarer course in that it has become chronic. It causes him constant pain persistant bleeding in his joints creating Rheumatic Arthritis and visible bleeding in his skin and has required several long hospitalizations at our local Sherman Hospital. He has even been featured on an episode of Emergency ER a show on the Discovery channel.
He is unable to get dressed without assistance or to walk short distances without exacerbating the pain and bleeding.
One of the effects the chronic nature of his disease and all the pain he’s had to endure is that he has been in a deep state of Depression and experienced ongoing anxiety and fears about what is going to happen to him. He became ill at 21 yrs old and was uninsured so he has no income he can’t work in his condition and has accumulated a huge Medical Debt.
The only relief he found from his Depression and Anxiety was at a local Mental Health Center here in Elgin, The Ecker Center. It was here under the treatment of Dr. Kurilo that he found some relief from one aspect of his illness the Mental Health aspect. He began to feel hope that he might heal from his HSP and he began dealing with his life in a more positive manner he no longer told me he wanted to die. I am his Mother and I care for him everyday he is my only son and seeing him in physical pain and mental anguish is more than I can bear. More than I or he should have to bear.
Paraphrased someone once said that the mark of a Great Society was how it treated it’s weakest members, Using that measurement Illinois is failing it’s failing it’s most innocent and weakest and it’s sickest. My son cannot survive without the absolute minimum of support he was receiving and it was the minimum.
I’m begging you to make things better or at least what they were there are people who are suffering and will not survive what is happening now. My only son may be one of them
Clara M. Meredith