Insurance and Promises

Thanks to the wise counsel of my father 8 years ago, there hasn't been a day in our married life that John and I have been without health insurance. Not to say that it hasn't been easy, at times it was difficult to afford. Being a self-employed pianist doesn't warrant to easy costs in health insurance (let alone pre-existing conditions), so John was always the one who had to find a job that offered insurance. When he worked part-time at a Mental Health facility almost his entire paycheck went to health insurance. There was even one month when we added our second child to the policy that he owed money instead of making money.

A week before Erin's diagnosis I was driving down main street in Logan debating with myself about Obamacare. I thought about how blessed we had been to always find heath insurance and I wondered about people who had to go into extreme debt and maybe loose their house because they didn't have health insurance when a big heath catastrophe hit their lives. I thanked Heavenly Father that we had always found work with health coverage. Then, in an instant our lives changed. We were the ones with a big heath catastrophe and I am even more grateful that sometimes we had to sacrifice to have health insurance and that we have always been honest hard working people. Erin's Leukemia hit us out of the blue, we were not warned beforehand and I'm thankful that we were prepared.

Having health insurance coverage has been a humongous peace of mind. I can't imagine what it would be like to have to carry the burden of bill collectors knocking down our door. Erin's hospital stays are outrageously expensive (over $100,000 each) and my only concern is that I hope we don't reach her lifetime out of pocket maximum anytime soon.

There is another sort of "coverage" that I am grateful for. It is not an insurance that requires money or a job, but a promise to everyone. "I, the Lord, am bound when ye do what I say; but when ye do not what I say, ye have no promise." (Doctrine & Covenants 82:10) I know that if we follow our Savior's plan of salvation that we are promised eternal life. Everyone is offered this promise. It all boils down to doing what the Lord asks of us, even if it requires sacrifice. If we do it, then he is "bound" to bless us. I'm not saying that I can heal Erin by my righteousness. I am being blessed with the feelings of the Spirit and the peace of knowing that Heavenly Father is mindful of us. He has already blessed us in countless ways.

I told Erin on Wedensday that she would be going back to the hospital in 2 days and I asked her if she was okay with that. She replied, "yes." On Thursday I told her that she would be going to the hospital in one day and I asked if she was okay with that. Again, she replied, "yes." On Friday morning I told her that she would be going to the hospital that day and I asked if she was okay with that. She said, "yes." It is a beautiful blessing to have a two year old so comforted and understanding of her situation.

I am overwhelmingly thankful for your sincere prays for Erin and our family. Thank you so much for putting her name on prayer roles in various churches and Temples throughout the world. Thank you for your fasting and prayers on her behalf. We can feel the strength of your prayers and sacrifice. Thank you for the many cards, e-mails, and phone calls to which we may not reply, but are so appreciative of.