Breathe in; breathe out

And Repeat

Breathe in; breathe out
And Repeat

Breathe in; breathe out
And Repeat

Breathe in; breathe out
And Repeat

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A LETTER FROM POTTSY

How are things in Daytona well I hope. I just wanted you to know that the Lord loves you. Sometimes we don’t think about that enough but it is the only hope we have. If it wasn’t for Gods love we would be barren and desolate like a parched land. But the love of God has been revealed to us through Jesus Christ that while we were yet sinners he died for us. That is love! For no greater love has a man than this, that a man would lay down his life for his friends. So not only does God love us he likes us. he called himself our friend and we prove to be his friend by keeping his commandment.

A new commandment I give to you that you love one another as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this shall all men know that you are my disciples, if you have love one for another. If you wanted to sum the gospel up in one word that word would have to be love. Gods love for us and our responsive love for God and one another. Can we fathom the love of our Father, do we return the same to him. Are we responding in that same love to our brothers and sisters? These are the questions that i think we need to ask ourselves.

Does my spirit cry out every time I pray with groans and moaning that is to deep for the flesh to comprehend. Do I weep at the reading of his holy living and breathing word. If i don’t I should. If I don’t i repent! My time is here and now and if God is willing I will have tomorrow. I love God now and want His presence in my life at every moment. What a joy it is to fellowship with the living God.

My prayer is that i will do nothing to break fellowship with him. For in all these thing we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death, nor life, nor angles, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord

Praise God I’m ready to jump a pew! Let’s get excited for Jesus, so excited that we ascend to higher levels of love. And let us consider how to stir one another up to love and good works

your servant in Christ

Pottsy

GETTING TO THE POINT

By Steve Potts March 19, 2000

This issue was along time in coming the text may contain things that a lot of you will possibly not agree with or want to hear. Of course, I write with all of you in mind, so take heart and read it in the spirit in which it was intended.

To begin with there are a lot of things that have happened in my life as with all of you, the experiences gained the battles won and lost. I could write this entire article on those points and let all of you in on what makes Pottsy, Pottsy. That is not my intent nor will I bore you with endless accounts of my life time accomplishments. The real purpose of this compilation is to let you know what is now happening and what has transpired since September 1,1999.

September 1st. that is a date to me that I will never forget. It was the first full day that I spent in Halifax Hospital, Daytona Beach, Florida. As things turned out it would be one of many days spent in a hospital bed, eating hospital food. The stay started out with me having phenomena and ending up 12 days later with the doctors telling me that I had a very rare disease called Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis. With the prognosis of my life span being only 2 years or less. This caused my wife Laura and I some concern as you would suppose and was not the happiest time that I can remember in my life. So now after many consultations with doctors and endless testing, prodding and blood letting as of March 14, 2000 I am listed on the national transplant list for a lung transplant , the only alternative known to modern medicine.

Getting to this point has been not easy task and at times has been extremely frustrating. Such was the case with my insurance company who would not allow me to be transplanted in Gainesville Florida which is only 2 hours away from my home. Saying that I was extremely upset at this prospect, along with my entire family, would be an understatement of the facts. It was however the best move for me although I did not realize this until I was listed. The facts being there is a much shorter waiting list at Jewish Hospital in Louisville than at Shands Hospital in Gainesville Florida. I am now located in Louisville Kentucky and await a donor lung for my operation. The list is so much shorter that it is possible that i may be transplanted and back home in Florida before I would have even got the call from Shands.

There are a lot of things that went through my mind when I found out that , according to medical science, I had a mere 2 years to live. With a transplant the odds are better but after 5 years they drop to a 50% survival rate. The longest living lung transplant was a little over 10 years and I am believing that I will be the one to break that record and live on much longer.

With all this said i want to come to the real point of this article. That point being, ” GOD IS IN CONTROL”. Looking back on all of the circumstances I can clearly see His mighty hand guiding me through this life. Though some things brought disappointment in the end they worked out for my edification and betterment. I don’t know all of you as well as i want to, some I know better than I should, but at times, when God’s attributes are mentioned, some people tend to get nervous and upset. This is bound to happen as long as people are people and if I offend some of you with what is said then please feel free to take it up with God himself. I am being careful to only write what He has put on my heart for those that I care for. You may say to yourself “Pottsy has gotten religious on us” but I have not. I have come back to personal fellowship with the Lord through Jesus the Christ.

Yes I have been a Christian for many years even though some of you have never seen that side of me. I am deeply sorry for that and ask you for your forgiveness for not being what God wanted me to be. In the Bible, it is quoted as saying,” I know your works ; you are neither cold nor hot. would that you were cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, i will spew you out of my mouth”. Sitting on the fence makes God sick, so much so that the word “spew ” ,in this context ,actually means to, ” throw up” . This is experience that we have all had when the flu bug bites us. A little later on in that same passage of scripture the Lord counsels, “Those whom I love, I reprove and chasten; so be zealous and repent”. I repent, and may God have mercy upon me according to His steadfast love. I have found that it is only when I do what is right and serve God that I find real fulfillment and hope and I hope that it is the same with you. You may say, what does he mean serve God, believe in the Lord and Repent I will answer those concerns.

1 SERVE GOD.

The words serve and disciple have pretty much the same meaning according to my way of thinking. So just what exactly is a disciple and how does he serve God? The best example that I can think of to explain service to God is Jesus. His life exemplified what it means to serve, for he came to us as Lord but gave us the example of a life of service to mankind whom he loved so deeply and completely. He said, ” I have come to seek and to save that which was lost” and “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but by me. In the gospel of john He shows us yet another example of service when he washed the disciples feet after the Last Supper. (john 13:3-21) By His example we see that we are to serve and love one another as Jesus said,” if I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given an example, that you also should do as i have done to you. this example of the washing of the feet was given to show us that we are to serve one another not out of compulsion but out of a soft and feeling heart. The way of the gospel of Christ is the way of love anything else is worthless without it. Jesus said, ” A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another as i have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another”. All that Jesus did, taught or spoke came from love and all that we do teach or speak should come from love also. He is our example, our Teacher, our Lord and as that we should follow His example. A true disciple serves out of love.

2 BELIEVE IN THE LORD

Believing in the Lord is not a matter of head knowledge but a matter of the heart. (Romans 10:8-10) But what does it say? The word is near you, on your lips and in your heart ( that is the word of faith which we preach) ; because, if you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For man believes with the heart and so is justified, and confesses with his lips and so is saved. Jesus rose from the dead, ascended into Heaven and is seated at God the Fathers right hand. He is there because he gave his life for the atonement of our sins. He did this once and for all that we may have forgiveness of our sins and the redemption of our bodies that at the Day of the Lord, He will come and take us to be with Him and there we will always stay in the presence of God. So you see it is not enough to say, “I believe”. For men believe many things even the demons believe in Christ and shudder. No to believe in Jesus the Christ is more than head knowledge it is a belief that springs from the heart that says, “yes He is the Son of God, yes He is Lord, yes he did die for my sins and yes God raised him from the dead”. That is the belief that God requires, it is a belief that relies upon faith and nothing else will do.

3 REPENT

Repentance therefore is the starting point for every child of God, we must repent in our hearts. (acts 2:37-40) Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brethren, what shall we do?” And Peter said to them,” Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children and to all that are far off, every one whom the Lord our God calls to him”. And he testified with many other words and exhorted them saying,” save yourselves from this crooked generation.” So as you can see the requirement for salvation is repentance with baptism to follow. You may say to yourself, “I am not that bad, God understands me i don’t need that repentance stuff that’s for the real sinners. Again in the bible is says (Romans 3:23) “since all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of god” and (Matthew 9:12-13) Jesus said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. go learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous , but the sinners.” Jesus laid down his life, took the weight of the cross and was crucified at Golgotha to bring many sons to God. How are we to escape the wrath of God if we neglect such a great salvation? (1st john 1:8-10) “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just, and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.” Therefore, Repent. It is that simple and God requires it for everyone. We are all sinners, we have all fallen short of the glory of God and we all need to repent, those who call themselves Christian as well as those who don’t. For if we sin after receiving the knowledge of the truth there remains for us the fearful prospect of judgement. So you see that repentance is not just for the sinner but also for the saint because sin separates us from God. ” IF ” we confess our sins he will forgive us, so confess and receive the mercy of God.

Now you know what is on my heart and I hope that you all will do what God has called you to do. I also want you to know that I am praying for each and every one of you. My prayer is that God will reveal the greatness of His mercy to you through Jesus Christ his Son. Also that you would accept the free gift of life that is through faith in Jesus. Grace and Peace be to all who call on the name which above every name, Jesus Christ.

God bless you, Pottsy

Check out my web page http://www.personalpowerline.com/?papottsy

By Steve Potts   March 5, 2000

In the previous issue entitled “THE LOST CITY” there was a determination made that close to 5000 souls lost their lives yearly because of the lack of transplantable organs. This is accurate to a point, the point being that the figures used by the author came from a source that did not completely take into account the total populous of the U.S.A. Those figures that were taken into consideration were only those that were listed on the national transplant list. The numbers on this list represent only the people who have gone through rigorous testing and have qualified to be placed on this list. The national transplant list is up around 70,000 strong as we speak and is growing daily.

In my endeavor to promote organ donor awareness I must make known to you , the reader, that the lost city of 5000 souls is just the tip of the proverbial iceberg. This is due to the inconclusive numbers quoted and the fact that it is very hard to get on the transplant list no matter what organ the patient is in need of. I believe that most people think that all a person has to do to get on the list is to go to the doctor be diagnosed then placed on the transplant list. This could be no farther from the truth than saying that Burger King is true gourmet food. Not only am I speaking from the point of view of a concerned citizen but I also speak from the first persons view as a transplant patient. After spending the last 6 months being tested, prodded, x-rayed, CT scanned and generally put through more tests than I care to remember I have finally been placed on the national transplant list and have joined the more than 70,000 hopefuls that are now waiting for the gift of life. As a member of this list I am privileged because of the fact that for every person that makes the list there are many hundreds more that will not be listed. There are many reasons for not being listed ranging from age to physical condition. From psychological reasons to the person themselves not wanting to be listed for one reason or another. There are thousands maybe hundreds of thousands of people that will never be listed that could benefit from transplantation. So as you can see in this arena of play the previously documented numbers were quite low and incomplete.

By adding to these numbers we can only add to the disparity that is felt by the many that will not have the chance for the gift of life that only a healthy donor organ can provide. As stated previously by this author the need is great but not insurmountable if only you will act on the facts put forth we can have victory. Organ donor awareness is a responsible and preferable way to deal with ones own mortality by giving of oneself a person can help so many. As it stands now a person can only be a donor if that person has taken on this responsibility themselves by signing up to be an organ donor. This is the way that the laws are put forth concerning donor ship of tissue and organs. Maybe we as individuals should put forth the proposition that instead of signing an organ donor card to become a donor we should turn this way of thinking around.

What if the laws were changed to state that all citizens were to be organ donors, unless they signed the card to the contrary. Think of the possibilities of having more and better organs for those who so desperately need them. Instead of people dying because there are not enough organs to go around we would have the resources to expand the transplant arena and improve it being able to give more people more hope. People that previously would not have been considered for transplantation would have a second chance on life. This is an exciting possibility and needs to be explored, but first things first be sure to sign your own organ donor card and talk to your decision. We can only change the world one person at a time so let the first person to be changed yourself.

ps. I did get the transplant that I was waiting for in Sept 2000

A BEAR IN THE WOODS

By Steve Potts November 5, 1999

Once upon a time there was a big brown bear. One day he was making his rounds in the great forest where he made his home. While foraging he paused to contemplate his life and the ramifications thereof. Being deep in thought he was not aware of the grave danger that he faced. The great bear was lost in his considerations and did not notice the presence of the hunter. “Old brownie”, was engrossed on the paths that he had taken in his life and realized to late that he had now taken the wrong path. for the hunters aim was true and our hero the great brown bear is now making heavenly considerations.

The story of the bear is a sad one for now he is a rug adorning the floor in the hunters home. We at times are not unlike this poor bear as we contemplate and try to figure out the paths we have taken in our lives. What if I had just done this, instead of that. If I had gone the other way instead, this calamity would not have happened. This is the way we all can fill our lives with uncertainty and doubt.

Looking back on what could have been and what we could have done to change it is natural. This the way that we learn from our mistakes and profit from our triumphs. But when we continue to look back as we try to move forward then we will come to a stand still or we run into an obstacle. Don’t get me wrong there are times in life when you need to stop and smell the proverbial roses. There are times in life when you need to contemplate and meditate on the very meaning of our existence and the reasons of what, why, when, and where. However when we live our lives with the overshadowing of doubt and regret for what could have been ,”if only”, then we are missing life and only living in past.

The moral to the story is this. If the bear would not have stopped in the woods he would not have been shot by the hunter. My admonishment is this, don’t be so overly concerned with the past that you cannot see the present. The past is a fading memory, the present is for the living and the future is for those who believe positively in hope. For without hope there remains only a bleak prospect of drudgery in life and merely existence not the abundant and abounding life that we all crave. Therefore set your sights on a better more desirable future and train your mind to think on the good things that life can bring you. Your thoughts are exactly that, “your thoughts”, so you must choose them wisely with purpose and determination.

THE LOST CITY

By Steve Potts February 2000

I have heard reports of a city, a city that disappears each year. It is not a large city but rather a smaller sized one of about 5000 people. This disappearing city doesn’t just leave us like Brigadoon, the mythic Scottish town, but it vanishes one person at a time and is never to be seen again. The borders of our town are vast as the United States of America for such a small town it covers a lot of territory. Being small in numbers doesn’t hinder its influence for it spans the ethnic borders of race. Gender and economic borders make no difference for this killer has no heart. Age is not given a thought for young and old are both taken, for this malignancy is no respecter of persons.

The death of a city is a serious thing yet each year a city dies. Each year around 5000 people disappear never to be seen again. These people are as diverse in their background as the population of the United States and die needlessly. They are the people that perish while on the national organ waiting list.

Each year the organ transplant list gets longer and the organs available for transplant become scarcer. Every 16 minuets a new name is added to the national patient transplant list whereas every day 12 people are taken off due to death. As of December, 25 1999 the UNOS national patient waiting list had 67,077 people on it. The total number of transplants according to the same source were 21,197 and the total removed from the waiting list due to death was 4,855. This is the small city which vanishes each year.

It is estimated that 75 – 85 % of the people in the United States believe that organ donation is good and right. The problem is that a lot of good and honest people, for some reason, never get around to making a decision to fill out their organ donor card and talk to their families about their important decision. So this is not only a plea to you that

read this article but also to those that are touched by you. Yes you can make a difference to the lives of many people. Not only as an organ donor but also as one that will spread the word of organ donation to your friends and family.

Remember the city that dies each year and know that there is only one way that it can be saved. That is by each one of us caring and telling people that surrounds us about the gift of life. Organ donation is truly the gift of life for those that wait for transplantation. Whether it is a heart, lung or any of the other organs those that on the waiting list are counting on you. There are two dates that a person can not control in their lives the date of one’s birth and the date of one’s death. Through organ donation we can give life to those who would otherwise perish. Let us be the ones to give back life to the thousands that are counting on the all important gift of life.

A LETTER FROM POTTSY

As you know I am now listed in Louisville for my lung transplant and had to go through vigorous testing to get this far. It is really inconvenient and all but it is also great how God always comes through. At times when I was ready to say enough is enough He always came through and strengthen me. You know how that is. All in all, even though I am 850 miles away from my home in Daytona Beach, He is my constant strength. Though I am away form my wife Laura and could be for quit a while The Lord has never left me alone. I am not complaining and I hope that it doesn’t sound that way to you. I am grateful to God for the way He has brought me through the fire. I am looking forward to his never failing grace to be with me in every situation that happens. We have both come a long way but there are still a few miles to go before The Lord comes.

One day He will come to take us to be with Him, that was his plan from the beginning. Jesus himself prayed that we would be with him in the presence of God. Now that is real hope, to be with Our Heavenly Father and to fellowship with Jesus before the Throne of Glory. As Paul said (Romans 8:37-39) No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us”. What does he mean more than a conqueror? A conqueror is some one that fights and wins the battle. More than a conqueror is someone that doesn’t have to fight and wins the battle. Jesus fought the battle and won the victory for us when he was crucified for the remission and forgiveness of our sins. That makes us more than conquerors through him who loved us.!! Hallelujah!! That gets my blood going. Praise God! Just look at what follows. “For I am sure that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor powers, nor principalities, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord”. There is NOTHING That can separate us, not one thing. God in his mercy sacrificed his only Son so that we would always be with Him. We cannot be separated, it is impossible, that just wont happen.

The love of God goes beyond anything that we can imagine or think. He loves us with so great a love that he was willing to come to earth as a man, one of his own creations and be rejected, spat upon, beaten, whipped, and tortured to death, the death of the cross. All this was done by the hands of his own creation and then in His dying words He said ” Father forgive them, for they know not what they do”. Not long afterwards he cried out ,”It is finished”, and bowed his head and gave up his spirit. For while he was here on this earth he said,” This is my commandment that you love one another as i have loved you. Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what i command you”. The Gospel is summed up in love, the love of God toward us and our love toward God and each other. All that Jesus did was from a heart of love. This then should be our goal as Christians in this life, to be imitators of Christ and become more like him as we see the day drawing near and not to be taken off guard when we hear the final call of our Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ We, being sure in our calling, need to encourage others to remain strong in faith and to be courageous. We as followers of Christ pass through the fire to be refined just like gold. The fire is hot and it burns, but remember, we are in the hands of the Master Goldsmith. In this life we will have trials and that is what I am viewing my disease as. It is and affliction. It is chronic. It has disrupted my life as I knew it just as the fire changes gold ore into gold. The hope I have is the eternal life that God has promised to them that love Him and trust in Jesus Christ. Trust in his promise.

May God richly bless you, Pottsy

ORGAN TRANSPLANT, ORGAN DONORS

By Steve Potts January 11, 2000

This is something that I have been thinking about for quite a long time at least since September of 1999. That is when I first learned that I would be one of those souls that would be placed on the national organ transplant list. Prior to this I had always felt that organ donation was a good and right thing to do. I had never signed the organ donation card or had my license changed to denote that it would be my wish to donate any or all of my organs for the welfare of others.

I was unaware that thousands of people die each and every year because there are just not enough vital organs donated. In 1998 alone the number of people that died for lack of transplantable organs was 4,855. They did not die because of the lack of skilled surgeons or because there was a lack of medical expertise. They died because they simply ran out of time. Time is a killer in the transplant game of life another killer is apathy and procrastination . There is nothing that can be done about time but there is something that can be done about the other two which are so prevalent in our society

When I look at the number of deaths that were caused by procrastination and apathy, 4,855 in 1998, it sickens me. I look at myself in the same view because like many of you I had been apathetic and put off signing up for the organ donor program. But then everything came to the forefront when I contracted a chronic terminal lung disease and had to go one the lung transplant list myself. It sort of puts thing in perspective when the shoe is on the other foot. Just think about it, 4,855 people dead, that amount of people is enough to fill a small town. Every year a small town disappears from our nation forever, it leaves without a trace and most people don’t know it is happening. It is not because people don’t care what happens to their fellow man it is because a simple action is put off and left in the background. “When I get a round to it i will sing the organ donor card and talk with my family about my decision”. Don’t wait do it today! Tell your friends and family about giving the gift of life. It is an important decision and not something to be taken lightly.

Most people in life want to help people and do thrive when they accomplish that very thing. It just makes you feel good when you know that you have made a real and lasting difference in someone’s life. For many people true happiness is very often found after selflessly giving. Most people in death have everything taken away from them but through the gift of life, organ donation, a person can give the ultimate gift and leave this world knowing that they have made a difference in someone’s life. They will have the assurance that they have saved lives even in death. To me that is what real peace an accomplishment are all about.

On December 25, 1999 The UNOS national patient waiting list for organ transplant included the following:

Type of Transplant Patients Waiting for Transplant

Kidney transplant 43,995 Liver transplant 14,517

Pancreas transplant 685 Pancreas islet cell transplant 182

Kidney-pancreas transplant 1,244 Intestine transplant 114

Heart transplant 4,135 Heart-lung transplant 233

Lung transplant 3,584

Total *Total Patients: 67,077

Type of Transplant and Number

Kidney-Pancreas transplants 973 Kidney transplants 12,166

Pancreas transplants 248 Liver transplants 4,487

Heart transplants 2,345 Heart-lung transplants 47

Lung transplants 862 Intestine transplants 69

Total Transplants 21,197

Total removed from waiting list due to death 1998

Total 4,855

~ Organ Donation: Get the Facts ~

Every 16 minutes a new name is added to the National organ transplant waiting list

Twelve people die everyday in the USA while waiting for an organ transplant that never comes.

Over 65,000 names are on an organ transplant waiting list. The list continues to grow rapidly, while the number of donors does not.

Signing a donor card DOES NOT guarantee that your wishes will be carried out! Your family must know and agree to organ donation.

Organ transplantation is NOT an experimental new science. Success rates are as high as 95+%. It is the standard method of treatment for many diseases. Organ transplants have been done since the 1950′s!!!!

Most of the world’s major religions SUPPORT organ donation! Ask your religious advisor about it.

All organ donations done in this country goes through local organ procurement organizations (OPO’s) and is strictly regulated. No one can “buy” or “sell” organs (it is illegal) or obtain “VIP” privileges on a waiting list.

Organ donation costs the donor family nothing. It is a GIFT.

Donated organs are removed surgically, in a routine operation and normal funeral arrangements (including open casket) can be made.

Donors can range in age from newborn to senior citizens.

You may specify which organs you want donated. Your wishes will be carried out.

The medical team treating the potential donor is separate from the transplant team. The OPO is not notified until ALL lifesaving efforts have failed and death has been determined. The OPO does not notify the transplant team until family consent has been given.

Information about the donor is released by the OPO to the recipients ONLY if the donor family requests that it be provided.

It is possible to transplant 25 different organs and tissues, including bone and cartilage, bone marrow, corneas, hearts, heart-lungs, kidneys, pancreas, intestine, liver, and lung.

Donors are people in good health who have died suddenly; possibly through accidents, strokes, etc., and have been declared · brain dead. In this condition, brain function has permanently (and irreversibly) ceased. The heart and lungs continue to function with the support of mechanical ventilation.

Although 75-85% of the US believes in and · supports organ donation, less than half of all potential organs are ever donated. This is due to many factors including misconceptions about organ donation and the fact that the donor did not discuss donation with their family beforehand.

Just an update to let you all know how I feel about the buzzards and hyenas that I have been dealing with over the past month.. Insurance companies take the cake. i have had to jump through so many hoops that I should be in the circus.
For those of you that don’t know me I am Steve Potts, my friends call me Pottsy. I am a 44 yr. old man that has been recently diagnosed with a dehabilitating terminal disease called Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis. This is a disease that affects the lungs forming fibrous tissues in the lungs that will ultimately choke off the oxygen to my body. The only treatment that the doctors can agree upon is lung transplantation.
The reason for this article is to make people aware, aware or the avarice and greed that permeates from every pore of the decision makers working for the insurance companies that I have been dealing with. For reasons of my own I will not mention the names of these companies but I have come to understand that there is not much difference between these blood suckers and the rest of them. So you can substitute your own institutions name and probably get the same results.
All of my problems started when my insurance company decided to pull their services out of Volusia county where my small restaurant, Pottsies’ Eatery, is located. We have a small group policy through the business and had adequate health insurance coverage, or so we thought. This all changed when we were informed that as of December 1 , 1999  we would no longer have health insurance coverage through this insurance provider. Although we were surprised to find out this company was within its legal rights to do so. They had no contract with a local hospital in our county therefore they would no longer write any new business or renew old polices that were written through chpa our health purchasing alliance. Being left high and dry by this company we were forced to obtain other coverage through another health insurance provider. This company was within their legal rights although I believe that they are morally and ethically corrupt to leave myself and possibly many hundreds of others out on a limb with no coverage.
Up to this point things had been running smoothly. I had been thoroughly tested and was in the last stages of getting listed at Shands Hospital for my lung transplant. Being of sound health , except for my lungs, getting listed was just a matter of a few small requirements that could have been easily rectified. So by all rights I should have been listed for my transplant by the middle of December 1999. Shands hospital is the closest hospital doing transplants in the central Florida area. Our insurance salesperson did show us another insurance company within our county that seemed good but as you will see did not cover our specific needs. Therefore let this be a warning to all who read these lines. Make sure that you know exactly what is involved in your coverage. By this I mean know who the doctors that you can go to see, what are the hospitals that you can go to and what are the caps for the insurance coverage. Most people do not know that a lot of insurance contract contains caps which are maximum coverage payments for services that are preformed. For instance we were shown an insurance contract that had a $200,000 lifetime cap on lung transplantation. Ordinarily a person would think that this amount of money would be adequate this however is not the case. This amount of coverage would pay for the actual transplant but the medications needed after transplantation would drain the rest of this money within one year. The cost of medication is any where from $1500.00 to $2000.00 per month. We did not choose that company because of the inadequate coverage so let the buyer beware.
We as consumers made a decision with our insurance salesman’s recommendation to go with our second and current insurance company. I must say in all fairness that nobody held a gun to our heads to make this choice, although this company was highly recommended by our insurance professional. The company we did choose does have excellent coverage with no cap on transplants. I am well pleased with the coverage it is their choice of hospitals that has me infuriated. As stated before I have already gone through the full gambit of testing for my lung transplant and was just about to be listed at Shands hospital when all these changes came about. Being a part of an HMO I am required by the insurance company to have covered operations done at a hospital that is within their network of hospitals. It is part of the contract and must be agreed upon for coverage to be valid. Although my complete testing had been done at Shands Hospital and the transplant team was aquatinted with my case and proceeding forward with it they were not a part of the HMO network. The hospital and insurance company being disassociated with each other meant that I would be forced to go to another hospital to have my transplant and that is where the problem comes in.
My current insurance company has given me a choice of two locations that I can go to and have the transplant. They are Birmingham Alabama and Louisville Kentucky. Both of these are out of state and extremely inconvenient to myself and my family. So as said before I now reiterate buyer beware. We live in Daytona and own a home and business in that area. Our children go to school in the area also so it is not only a matter of disrupting my life but it is also my families lives that are being turned topsy turvey. All this is because of the unrealistic requirements being placed on me by the insurance company. The number one requirement for a transplant recipient after being placed on the waiting list is to be located within 3-4 hours away from the hospital. Living in Daytona therefore is not within the specified geographical area and I will be expected to move as soon as I am placed on the transplant list.
The insurance company does give me allowance for housing expense and some travel but that is not the point. The point is this I am forced to leave my family, home and business for an unknown period of time. From all indications the average waiting period for lung transplant at Jewish Hospital in Louisville is 233 days. I have chosen to go to Kentucky because I do have family in Ohio that is willing to help. Whether or not they are close enough to the transplant hospital remains to be seen. I may have to rent an apartment in Louisville to be close enough.
Another area of concern is that during the transplant operation and for 1-3 months afterward I need a caregiver to be with me at all times. This poses a dilemma because my wife has to run the business and I will have to burden another family member with this responsibility. My 19 year old daughter is willing to be the primary caregiver and put her life on hold to care for me. But she will also have to move to Kentucky. All of this could be avoided if my insurance company could make exception and let me have the transplant in my home state at my home hospital which is located only 2 hours down the road.
To conclude the insurance quandary at this time all that can be said is I have pleaded with them to no avail. I have sent them letters, so far also to no avail. I believe that it would not only be in mine and my families best interest but it would also be a sound decision on their part to grant that my life giving operation be performed in my home state at my home state hospital.