Mom

Life is weird. I just got a side job that allows me to write fun stories for a web site. Pays me some money monthly which helps with a huge ass bill I got to pay off. Long story short. Medical care is hideously expensive in Belize. No such thing as affordable insurance, which means that when my dearly beloved mother got really sick, she didn't even want to say anything because she was worried it would cost too much (mothers!).

Miss you lots :(

By the time we took her to the hospital, it was way too late. After spending five days in hospital, she passed away. She was only 47.
I miss her a lot. I keep hearing her voice when I spoke to her as they were taking her in. It's frail. Sad. Lost. Lonely. Scared. REALLY scared. Terrified. Alone.
I am an only child. Adopted. My mother was divorced from my awful adoptive father (who don't speak to me no more...).
During the days in the hospital, while my mother was hooked to tubes and oxygen masks, I talked to the nurses who tended to her day and night. They were completely disillusioned by their work, the pay was crap and they were simply looking at the couple years they were in Belize as a stepping stone to heading off to the US. What pissed them off was the fact that the cost of medical care was outrageous and they kept 'tsking' me, saying, you poor thing. You have to pay the bill ALL BY YOURSELF?!
One nurse had a little daughter, and she even went so far as to say, "I better have another child, just so my baby girl isn't alone in paying bills or taking care of me when I get old!"
Yea. She said that.
I didn't care. I still don't care, I would have done the same thing all over again.
We transferred my mother from that hospital to another one, and they had her in ICU for a few days. What was interesting however, was when I tried to come in, the first thing they did was take me to the office and demand $1,500 Bz ($750 USD), up front, immediately, right now. My boss, coworkers and friends were rallying, knowing that I had a huge bill coming, and the community had already started donating money so I knew I had at least that amount in my bank account. But thankfully, I had gotten in touch with a lovely woman from the Kidney Association, and she wrote out a check for that amount, which then meant that I had gotten my mother one night's stay in ICU and a dialysis treatment. Since the weekend was starting, no-one bothered me, and My mother managed to stay put for two more nights while my poor friends tried to come up with money. My darling hubby-wubby started working on a quick loan just in case and we knew we could hold on for a bit. Come Monday, with no money in hand, I was told my mother would have to be taken out since I couldn't pay the bill.

Yes. As in, evicted from the hospital because I couldn't pay up. But, here's the zinger: I couldn't accompany her, I had to remain in the hospital, kind of like a hostage, until the bill was paid.
Ah...welcome to the life of a Belizean. Anyone who lives here and is from another country generally has no problem like this because they are investors. They are covered by international insurance. It's the real country people who get SCREWED!!

Yes. I am pissed. It's the colonialist mentality. "Sell to the foreigner and screw the little country people, they're happy to work for pennies a week"...though believe me, foreigners actually think that paying someone $175 (Bz) or $200 (Bz) is too much. I had a job with English people who paid me $250 ($125us) a week, even though they reeled in over $1,000 a DAY!! And my rent was $500 a month...so for two weeks, I had to hold on to my check because I had to pay my rent. hmm...So, yea...if you're thinking, "well, what about your savings?" - trust me if I could, I would have. But I didn't, so I didn't!!

So my mother passed away the Monday night. They didn't put her out, but only because of my coworker who called the owner of the hospital and basically put him in his place. They agreed to a payment plan. Which brings me to my current situation. The bill, when it came, was almost $9,000. The first hospital? ha...that was $10,970.50. Yes. Combined, I had a $20,000 bill to pay!
My stepdad hasn't stepped up to the plate as yet, so have been making payments alone.

But this is not really me bellyaching about my bill. It's the principle of the matter I guess. (?)
And the good news. I have a side job. I have started writing for www.Ambergriscaye.com under the title, Tia Chocolate. Yes...there's a story behind that! :) That's another post though!! And that is helping me pay off my 2 year bill...hehehe...I guess I better not get sick during those years!! Oh well...it's Friday. The weekend is coming. I am looking forward to playing a bit in the yard - though the rain won't let up! AAAh...oh well...

My mop makes the perfect accessory amongst my gorgeous plants! My bright yellow and orange flip flops also make the cut! Hee hee.

my lakefront place! haha - this is currently my street!