Is There Any Help Out There for My Condition?

[jts7788]

I have a rare syndrme called hemihyperplasia. In short, Half of my entire body is larger then the other. At first they thought it was isolated, I never got the proper care as I grew up, I seen the doctor rarely in my lifetime. As I grew older I noticed that it wasnt isolated at all, my entire body was this way, down to my ears, my eyeballs, and even my teeth. Now as an adult (21) I try to go about life. Im uninsured, and work a dead end low paying job. I have a hard time working the job becuase of my disability. The difference in length with my legs is aproximately four to four and a half  inches difference in length. I cannot stand on two feet at once to support my body weight, I must shift my weight from one leg to the other while I work. This has cuased severe pain in my ankles and feet. I know that an alternative to this would be a corective shoe, but i have no insurance. Not to mention, its really hard for my body to handle this physical labor. The shifting of my hips has cuased my kidney to twist (I went to the doctor after I started urinating what seemed like pure blood, although I could not afford it and it put me in debt), and I think its all starting to take its toll on my back as well. I need proper care for this, is there any help out there for this sort of thing? I know there is little known by anyone about hemihyperplasia, I mean look it up online and all you can find is definitions and an outdated support group from 1998. I need help, I cannot work this job anymore, especially without the proper care I need to make sure Im not criple and downhill in the next five years. Does anyone know the next step I should take towards my dilema?


Thank you for your time

-Justin Thomas Squires

[Amir Mostafaie]

Dear Justin,

The way I see your situation, you are dealing with 2 separate issues.
First of you stated that you are unable to continue working and for that you need to find out if and how you qualify for Social Security Disability which will later also qualify you for Medicare which will help you with your medical bills. You can contact the Department of Human Services at 810-966-2000 (220 Fort St, Port Huron, MI 48060). I also know of a non-profit organization called “The Cover Me Foundation” that can help you determine if you qualify & walk you through the process.  You can visit them at www.covermefoundation.org to get more information.

Secondly you don't have any health insurance & it seems like you can't afford to pay very much to buy one either. To remedy this issue I suggest you get yourself some basic hospital coverage from Blue Cross Blue Shield of MI, so if you ever get admitted in a hospital or have an emergency, you don't end up with 1000s dollars of debt & have to pay for it for the rest of your life. I took the liberty and ran a quote for you using your age, gender and city, and a basic hospital/surgical plan came up for $47 a month (Feel free to get a free quote through the “Get Quotes” link on top left corner of this page). Even though this plan doesn’t have much outpatient coverage to help you with doctor’s visits or corrective shoes, but it can protect you against “the big one”.

Sincerely,

Amir Mostafaie