MaryAnne BrooksI turn 67 this March. Two years ago I went to my doctor’s office and was told that I needed a lung transplant. I suffer from Chronic Pulmonary Obstructive Disease (COPD), and emphysema.

In 1999, after countless doctor’s visits, I was diagnosed with COPD and the doctors told me that the worse case scenario would be a lung transplant. They knew that I quit smoking in December of 1997 so there wasn’t much more that I could do to improve my health on my own. As time went on my health progressively got worse. I went from using oxygen when I needed it to help me breathe better, to needing it all the time – I am now permanently attached to my oxygen cord. The change happened almost overnight.

That day in the doctor’s office, after he gave me the bad news - the worst possible case scenario, he reviewed my chart and asked me how old I was. I had just turned 65. He told me that 65 is the insurance cut off age for a lung transplant. I began to cry, I couldn’t have imagined that it would be this bad. There was nothing more the doctor could do for me. If I were rich I could go to another country and have the operation, but that is not an option for me.

Now, my life is a constant struggle.  I have to take a plethora of pills every morning and night, and a lot of them are just to help me deal with the pain.  I visit the doctor at least 4 times a month.  I cannot drive anymore, and I frequently wake up at night to make sure that the oxygen machine is still on.  I have been in and out of the hospital countless times.  Anything as small as an anxiety attack can cause me to lose my breath, and my daughter has to call the ambulance.  I have knocked on death’s door more than once.  If I am exposed to any virus, including the common cold, it is deadly for me.  Most people my age can take antibiotics or over the counter medicine, but I have to go to the hospital to ensure that the infection won’t spread further. 

I now see why seniors have to make the choice between eating and paying for their medicine.  I share my story with the hope that our elected officials will listen, and come up with the policies that we need to have affordable prescription drugs and better health insurance coverage.  It is wrong to tell our seniors that there is nothing more to be done for them once they hit a certain age.  I am lucky to have the support of my family; I feel for those that do not.