Suddenly afflicted. What to do

Life is good

This paragraph describes an adult life, born mid 60s beginning around 1979 in a small town in British Columbia, Canada. Life was in the province’s northern region, so far from the world of the afflicted life yet to come. After a series of challenges, with an incomplete high school path, adulthood came with forestry jobs to start. The person finished with projects and contracts for the BC Government. That was followed by a short career selling gasoline and oil, along with potato chips and cigarettes, at a highway station serving international travellers and their occupants. That was the path along Northern BC’s southern border (AKA Highway 16 or Highway of Tears) in the 1980s and early 90s for this individual to arrive at the city at the southeast corner in 1995. London Drugs was this community’s first ‘Big Box’ store, and this individual was employed as one of the computer technicians in the computer section of that store in late 1998.

The Change

A little over a year into that job, the individual walked into a wall during a low point in their life in 1999. They were ‘half blind’ for about a week. After a year of tests on the body, c/w 2 years focused on the affected eye, it ended with a diagnosis of a chronic condition of a non-fatal condition that covered way more than the eye problem in 2000. 2000, as well, sometime during that year, BC Medical became free for persons the province declared disabled. As of 2020, no one in Canada, including BC as the last province or territory, pays for medical insurance. The person was warned in 1999 that being without medical insurance in BC was illegal and was handed a bill for $320 for an examination that led to more questions than answers. The person soon paid it up, including the insurance premium to cover the tests to come, and then BC Medical changed shortly after the diagnosis. That job at London Drugs ended in 2002.

What now?

The person reflects on the last 26 years of life with the affliction they were diagnosed with. Some foresight would have been nice, but the school of life (advanced classes) has good instruction for us. It gives the exams before the lessons. Several other afflictions silently arrived to accompany the main one, including several ailments from before the chronic condition that overshadowed the rest. Housing had to change first. It had to accommodate mobility devices, handrails and wider halls/ entrance ways. Society was not prepared for people like this person arriving suddenly. As the person ages, the barriers became more apparent and diverse. Society is full of barriers in the built environment once the person finds a home they can use. One basic life lesson the person learned is that no one escapes life without an injury, an illness, or age creating an afflicted life full of barriers. Most people never think of that in advance, and several of those changes come suddenly. But how do you prepare for the sudden? Age comes naturally, progressing at an annual predictable rate. Access should never be an afterthought, as it could be needed suddenly by a member of the household. Prepare for the worst to have a good life from birth to death in the home. Even previously designed housing can be made visitable and adaptive; it isn’t just for new construction. Do you still drive a vehicle? The adaptations for hand controls or a ‘left hand’ pedal system come with a price tag and installation fees, as well as driver’s exams. Ownership of the vehicle can be prohibitively costly for someone considered disabled. The barriers are way more apparent without a vehicle and an inaccessible pedestrian structure. Work needs inclusivity beyond needed skills, and the world outside the door also has barriers you see clearly now to get to the place of employment among your other life journeys. Health care might have barriers more apparent. Intercity transportation has so many barriers, particularly with air travel, but from Northern BC, exists in that afterthought for ground transport by bus. An accessible bus must be booked in advance, as the bus that travels to and from Northern BC is not usually accessible for a non-folding mobility device.

Tax barriers

At the root of living in Canada, or any nation, taxes are a basic priority of life. Handy Circle tries to help you with government assistance programs and the paperwork to apply for assistance for PWDs and seniors. We also help you to report income for taxes annually, as well as advising about the Disability Tax Credit for eligible people. Financial barriers are at the root of the barriers facing someone with a diagnosed condition, particularly for newly diagnosed people. At least, Canadian people do not pay for basic and emergency healthcare or tests over time. In British Columbia as well, you can quit tobacco and nicotine addiction with the aid of a doctor or pharmacist for professional support and free smoking cessation tools. We can help guide you to the closest pharmacy if you need that support, or to call 811 to get credible advice on quitting from an accredited nurse. We are a non-smoking organization supporting your desire to quit. We also support #QuitNow activities in Northern BC.