Do you have middle-class cautionary tales/horror stories?

[ohsnap]

Who else has googled "hunstman spider" because of this thread? ;)

[okits]

Who else has googled "hunstman spider" because of this thread? ;)

I just did and wish I hadn't. :(

We only hang laundry to dry indoors.  The potential pests taking up residence in our clothes are much less horrifying.

[Bracken_Joy]

Following. A good reminder for why I am committed to mustachianism and minimalism!

My main stories I've seen have been through work- I work with medically fragile children, and the impact on families is huge. Even WITH in-home nursing support, these families tend to have a primary caregiver (it's always Mom, in the homes I've been in), who can no longer work because of the care requirements. Every single one of these families struggle with money. And in ways you may never think of- I know of two different families who are living in hotels, because their home are not accessible or large enough for all the equipment required for a child with acute medical needs. Have you ever considered the ADA accessibility of your home? Is your hallway wide enough for a hospital bed and a ventilator to move through? "A new home" is not an easy insurance claim to make.

I've worked with medically fostered children who were placed simply because there was no way for their parent (all single parents in theses cases I've seen) to care for the child. THAT'S a rough thought- losing your kid, simply because you don't have the financial capacity and community support to provide life-sustaining care for them.

[JLR]

(Qld- we get a lot of huntsman spiders).
Last year I had one the size of my hand on the towel I used after getting out of the shower (grabbed the towel, wiped y face, wrapped it around me and the spider ran from the towel onto my shoulder. I've never naked-leapt so high in my life).  I stopped using the dark brown/black towels after that!

Yes. This is why I no longer buy dark or patterned sheets or quilts. Plain, light-coloured bedding makes it easier to spot a spider on the bed in low light. Once crawled on, twice shy?? That huntsman was so big I heard him land on the floor after I brushed him off my face.

I guess I'd better add a middle-class cautionary tale. My dad was living a nice life. Not too fancy, but with both of them working they had managed to build an approx. 1300sq ft house in a new subdividion. They were careful with their money, but lived a reasonably comfortable life (were always able to afford groceries and pay the bills, own a used car). Then my dad's company went broke. He was in his 40s and found it very hard to find work. They ended up selling the house and living on a boat for a few years to help cut costs. Next they had to move hours away from family to find work. Fast forward 5 years on from them getting back on their feet, they've managed to buy a dual occupancy with my grandmother to share costs. But now his new company has said they need to cut costs and he needs to find work elsewhere. They will keep him on as long as they can afford it, but he doesn't know how long that will be and there isn't much work available in his area. He has just applied for a job, but it is a 1.5hr commute each way. And he is now in his 50s.

[maco]

Have you ever considered the ADA accessibility of your home? Is your hallway wide enough for a hospital bed and a ventilator to move through? "A new home" is not an easy insurance claim to make.

Building codes should require ADA accessibility. It's ridiculous that they don't. And if you rent, oh sure, you can spend out of pocket to make your apartment accessible--roll-in shower, grab bars, etc--but then your landlord can make you pay to undo it when you move out. Because having an apartment that's already accessible is somehow undesirable.

[Dicey]

Even with health insurance an illness can bankrupt you.  I had good friends where the wife had 8 bouts of stage 4 ovarian cancer.  They had a paid for house and $ in the bank. She had chemo brain so bad she had to stop working and go on SSDI.  In order to pay their part of the medical bills they borrowed from their house.  Eventually they lost the home and had no $ even though he continued to work. Then he got a fatal cancer and died. Now at 64 she has Alzheimer's and her cancer is back. We are not treating it this time for obvious reasons.  Soon she will be out of savings and I will need to apply for Medicaid for her.  They did nothing wrong-it was just life happening.

This is exactly why when someone gets cancer they need to seriously consider doing nothing. What good did it do to fight back? Four times even?

Wow, this reads as cold and heartless. Unless you've faced the situation yourself, you  can't say what you'll do. What an off the wall comment, Chet.