My name is Christopher Cox, I have been suffering from painful illnesses for many years, I've been fending for myself since I was a young child, I was neglected and subsequently removed from my home, I grew up in foster care, I was then severely abused emotionally and physically while in foster care, under the care of the Department of Social Services in the state of Massachusetts. I reported the abuse many times as a child and it was overlooked and ignored, it was regarded as unimportant and irrelevant. I was treated like a liar and a burden. I was helpless, passed around from one money hungry foster home to another. I am now disabled mentally and physically from the abuse I was allowed to endure while supposedly in the safe hands of the state. I have low-income due to disability. Now as a young adult I suffer from fibromyalgia and PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder) these two illnesses alone have many, several symptoms that go along with it, sadly too many to list. To name a very few, painful muscle spasms, chronic widespread pain, chronic unbearable pain in tender spots, severe anxiety, panic attacks and depression that comes and goes depending on the day and what symptoms are present that day. I was for a while receiving adequate health care in MA for my severe anxiety and pain. I live in AZ now with my significant other, moving around as I can’t afford health care and housing at the same time. It has become increasingly extremely difficult to be treated by doctors that accept my health insurance. I go to Emergency Rooms however short it may be, for a brief interlude from the pain where they have to at least provide me with momentary relief while under their short term care, and then I’m swiftly discharged in a hurry as my insurance doesn’t pay them enough to take a genuine interest in really helping their suffering patient. Every doctor’s office I got to I’m turned away in a heartless cold manner, told that my insurance is no good and there’s nothing they can do. I require daily pain management, weekly therapy and monthly psychiatric visits to deal with the emotional and physical trauma I have suffered. I wake up every morning with unbearable pain in my body and unimaginable fear and anxiety in my mind, I do everything in my power to treat myself at home for the pain and suffering but it undeniably is never even close to enough. I need real professional treatment. So I do what any other person with common sense does; I seek help, medical attention for my pain and psychiatric care for my severe distress, but when I turn to the only people that are qualified to help me and they so eagerly turn me away, then I am I once again right where I started, neglected and helpless.
My Care2 member profile with personal pics and info - http://www.care2.com/c2c/people/profile.html?pid=962270931
Update #19 years ago
Foster Youth-Research shows that we're not ready to live on our own. We have been abused and traumatized. Over seventy percent of us who turn 18, enter the criminal system.The chance of becoming homeless is also extremely high. Typically, foster youth have mental health problems, low self-esteem, little financial resources and work experience. We start out being neglected and abused, we turn 18 we're thrown out into the world and continue to be neglected, abused and ignored. We need AWARENESS!!!
