Greetings not-so-distant future...
It is I, Wade Bradford, writing to you from my English 1B classroom in Moorpark College. My students are taking a midterm, and my clacking on the keyboard is probably distracting them... but I don't care.
Actually, I do care. I want to do well in my career. During the course of the last few years I have become increasingly grateful for my job here at Moorpark.
My poor daughter Mackenzie has been through so much the past five years. Too much. Struggles with her learning disability... Struggles with mental health... and now struggles with pain and disability... The doctors have told us she has Multiple Sclerosis.
My occupation grants me something very precious in this society of ours: Medical Insurance. If we didn't have my insurance, we would be so screwed right now, financially speaking.
Sometimes I feel screwed over by the universe, insurance or no. Or at least, I feel like Mackenzie has been screwed over, and I feel only a tinge of her agony -- vicariously.
A few evenings ago, I walked into the kitchen and she was sitting by herself at the table. She was crying. Quietly at first, until she noticed I was there, and then she couldn't help but sob openly.
This is really hard.
I guess I'm writing to six years into the future because that is when my insurance will no longer cover her. It's one of the many unknowns I worry about, futile though those worries may be.
Life in 2019 isn't all bad right now. There's a lot of laughter amid the pain and the fears. And still a good deal of hope. We have not yet talked with the doctors about treatment options. We do not yet know if she will make a full recovery or if she ever be able to run again -- or do all of the other physical activities that bring her joy. (I'm the lazy one -- why couldn't I have this instead of her???)
Our friends from Canada (Coery, Eowyn, Christian and his son Brody) are visiting us this week. Mackenzie went with them to downtown Hollywood. We've been taking them to our favorite restaurants -- such as Rattlers and Chipotle. They' have brought a sunny outlook into our lives that has been a much needed distraction.
What does the future hold for us, 2025? Are we alive and healthy? Are we thriving as a family? Did Emily succeed in college? Is Cheri still with Optavia? Is Mackenzie in a wheelchair? Or is she running half-marathons in France and partying at Burning Man in the desert? Or perhaps its all of the above?
