Chris Koziel

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Chris thought his medical troubles were over after successfully completing the chemotherapy and radiation for his leukemia - but after losing his health care coverage, he has been forced to make countless decisions against getting the tests, surgeries and basic medical care he knows he needs because he cannot afford them.

Chris understands the importance of routine tests and check-ups and careful attention to medial problems - he experienced the benefit of these in the late 90's when they saved his life from leukemia. Fortunately, when Chris was diagnosed with leukemia in 1998, he had health care coverage, and was able to go through chemotherapy and radiation without incurring serious debt. In 2003, however, he lost health care coverage, and the yearly bone marrow scan to help detect traces of any reappearance of the disease has become too expensive for Chris to undergo.

Chris has had to make other, equally difficult decisions regarding his health. It has been six years since his last prostate exam. His last dental visit and cleaning was two years ago. He experiences constant pain from a series of nerves exposed in his mouth, but cannot justify the financial implications of getting oral surgery to correct this problem. His eyesight has long-ago worsened beyond his prescription, but the out-of-pocket cost of a new pair of glasses is yet another expense he cannot afford.

With all of these medical concerns, Chris has also struggled with anxiety disorder, high blood pressure and asthma. Without the money to procure the medications to keep these problems in check, Chris has tried to control them through the careful monitoring of his diet and stress level. Of course, as a full time cook and manager, stress is not something he can easily avoid, and he has watched these problems worsen with every year.

Chris is happy that his daughter is covered under his ex-wife's policy and that he does not need to make the same difficult decisions about protecting her health, but worries that his own will continue to deteriorate. He is yet another example of someone who fully understands the importance of routine and consistent medical care, but who simply cannot afford to maintain it.