Is Medical Tourism an Unrealistic Idea

Any American who wants to retire young will inevitably face the question of medical insurance. Where will I acquire it and how much will it cost me? When my husband owned his own business we paid $1200 per month for insurance premiums alone. In a good year everyone stayed healthy and we only visited the … Read more

Recapturing Joy

It’s been a long two months with my mom in the hospital. The drive back and forth to see her is long and I’m both physically and mentally exhausted. We are told that life is short, but throughout our day to day lives we tend to forget that fact. Rather than embracing the hours ahead … Read more

Holding On – Just in Case

Last weekend my husband and I sold our twenty-year old Jeep. I placed an ad on Craigslist and the very first buyer fell in love with that old hunk of metal. A day later I received an envelope full of cash in exchange for the title and a set of keys. I was sad to … Read more

What Money Can’t Buy

I’ve spent the last four weeks watching my mom suffer. She’s been laying in a hospital bed since mid-March. A sudden and unexpected intestinal perforation has shut down her entire digestive system. She is unable to eat or drink. A nasogastric tube is the only thing preventing her from aspirating. No one could have predicted … Read more

When Life Hangs in the Balance

They say there are only two certainties in life – death and taxes. So it seems particularly fitting that a money nerd like me would face a near death experience on tax day. The exact date: April 15th of 2005. I knew something wasn’t right long before that day. I’d felt sick for weeks. Unable to get … Read more

Invisalign Facts and Financial Figures

Last summer I went in for a typical dental cleaning and asked the hygienist about an area where my gum is receding. Many moons ago the dentist nicked it while filling a cavity. I was told the gum would repair itself, but low and behold time has only made matters worse not better. The hygienist … Read more

Climbing

Although I was born in August I consider April 15th a birthday of sorts. Eleven years ago on that very day I sat in on a bed in the emergency room, unable to catch my breath and deathly afraid to find out what was wrong with me. Every April I reflect on my medical history … Read more

Cheerleaders

For the past four and a half years I haven’t taken the greatest care of myself. Instead I have poured every ounce of my being into raising my children. Now everyone on earth has told me that this is not healthy, but for some reason I failed to heed that message. After waiting over thirty … Read more

Savoring Life: I Nearly Died Ten Years Ago Today

My first delivery was much harder than my second. The contractions were stronger, I pushed longer and ultimately spent forty-five minutes after delivery watching the doctor stitch me up. I winced in pain as I felt each stitch tear through my skin. I imagined holding my baby for hours after delivery, not laying spread eagle … Read more