"It would be so easy to save my life..."

A young lady of early fourty from  Echternach just told me this during a lengthy discussion via Skype. Her at a small village in Ohio, USA , me at my little datscha in the mountains near Como.
Yasmine has been a school pal of my daughter Viviane and I remember that she lost her dad pretty early. Mr Ungerbuhler had been a very modest and quiet guy who ran the Cafeteria Services at Monsanto in Echternach in the 1970ies and early 80ies.
Yasmine was quite often around my home during the years when I was alone to educate  Viviane and her brother Roby and when the two girls were around 17-21 (an exciting age for them and for the single parent :-) )
When she was travelling to seek her own personality and build her life, Yasmine fell in love with this young black boy from the Cleveland Ohio area; she married Tim, and moved to what many of us considered at that timethe "Promised" land America.


The couple still lives reasonably happily together in a small house; they have one young daughter; Tim runs a bar and she had an office job that she liked. They could have been just another happy couple loving their life in the Mid West of America.


Until health and fate struck - and the great United States of America had no wellfare system to catch her and take care of her. No Krankekees, no Gesondheetskees,  no 1st Class and not even a 3rd class, no question of a telephone or a TV at the bedsite, no nothing!


Yasmine was told that her two kidneys were at the end of their life-time but that there was a way to keep her going. She now needs Dialysis!  Two to three nights a week getting her blood cleaned, attached to tubes at a Clinic!

I found out today that Big-Smile Yasmine can also be a very angry young woman with sheer hatred against the hypocrisy and stupidity of her fellow Americans. 
Her increasingly serious kidney problem means that she urgently needs a transplant.  She is dead-tired on the day following her dialysis and feels strong and well really only every now and then. She obviously had to give up her  job and the young family is fully hit by what most of us watch devellop on our TV set: the Drama of the American Health Security System.


I asked Yasmine this evening if she could not register for a transplant both in America and in Europe? She said no she wasn't allowed to do so.
She had a donor with an appropriate kidney and was getting ready for the transplant.   And then his kidney was considered to be to small.  -  I don't remember Yasmine as a particularly heavy or tall person , but after all you have to accept what the Medical Authorities tell you.


When talking about this all, she broke open:  


"Yep...putting me on dialysis makes a whole bunch more money than giving me a kidney"

you know that if America would just come off that religious high horse they could grow me a kidney...from my own DNA...rejection and all solved.....

This is all politics and the reign of the mighty dollar..

Oh don't get me started on this shitty health care mess

I don't get Americans with all their puritan..."prairy leave me alone governemnt views"

We then went on talking recommending each other tv shows and books and websites.
She was to angry, I was to shocked and embarrassed.
How has this friend of my daughter deserved this, just by chosing her loved-one somewhere in America, rather than in Europe like most of her friends.!


I recommended my admired writer friend Sam Harris www.samharris.org  

She suggested  Bill Maher:  http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/12/11/60minutes/main5968057.shtml

and of course Michael Harris and his films.

We agreed to talk again very soon.   
She thanked me for having allowed her to let some steam off. There weren't many around her where she could speak out what she thinks. Thank God or the Pastafarian Monster her hubby Tim is an understanding and loving person. 
I thank Yasmine for letting me know and maybe one day understand more of this weird world.

I'll be back with Yasmine. And you'll hear about her on this blog! 

Please comment (below) if you care.

I'm  to angry to do so now!

"Hey Boss, where the heck is Luxembourg??"

Pearle (oder Perle) Mesta war de Numm vun der éischter Fra di je amerikaneschen Ambassadeur irgendwou an der Welt war!   De President Truman hat se op Letzeburg gescheckt an den Irving Berlin hat aus hirer Geschicht e Musical gemacht : "Call me Madam".

Deser Deeg kennt lo (no der Perl Mesta, der Patricia Harris, an enger sympatescher Alkoholikerin der hire Numm mer net mi affällt) schon di 5. Amerikanerin an der amerikanescher Betongsfestung um Lampertsbirg un. D'Patricia Harris war iwregens och di éischt "African-American" Ambassador: Letzeburg ass also emmer irgendwéi en Terrain de Test fir aussergewéinlech Leit, di vill an d'Politik a sosswou investéiert hun, an da mat der Letzeburger Ambassade merci gesot kréien...

An déi Retsch gehéiert iwregens och den éischten homosexuellen amerikaneschen Ambassador, dé net manner sympateschen James Hormel dén enner greilege Protesten bei der amerikanescher Droite, während e Pur Joer um Boulevard Servais huet derfe wunnen.

D'Perle Mesta, huet laut Operett op der belsch-franséischer Grenz hire Boss Harry Truman ugeruff a gefrot: " Hey Boss, where the heck is Luxembourg??"

Di nei Ambassadrice, déi an Amerika virun allem als erfollegreichen Business Angel beschriwwen gett, ass deser Deeg mol vir eng Woch hei, an hat wuel kaum e Problem Letzeburg ze fannen.

http://blog.seattlepi.com/seattlepolitics/archives/178998.asp

Als Ambassadrice - a Wahlkampf Financier - vum Barrack Obama, dirft d'Cynthia Stroum et wuel méi liicht hei hun wi hir Virgängerin Ann Wagner, déi emmerhinn dé verhassten Terror-Präsident Georges W Bush hei huet misse vertrieden, a béi der eng ganz Reih Letzeburger mat Reckgrad, net op d'Receptioune gang sinn.

Mme Stroum, all d'Letzeburger an all Strummerten wenschen lo mol herzlech: welcome!

By the way:  et get och Amerikaner di nodenken, an di sech froen op d'Madame Stroum, déi jo rem eendeiteg hire bal hellegen Posten zu Letzeburg mat zid dausend Dollare kaaft huet, un hir Sue komme as.

Sou zB an enner villen den hei zitéierten Danube Logus dé sech verständlecherweis d'Fro stellt:

Danube Logus at 9/12/09 11:54 p.m.

The perennial political game of "pay-to-play" is alive and as well as ever before. All you fools who bought the "hope-and-change" nonsense are - again - looking stupid. 

Stroum - a "Woman of Valor?" Only in a society that lacks any virtue. Such titles belong to individuals who risk their lives in order to save the lives of others - not people who shell out their political bribery money to prostituting politicians.

Kuckt an dem Zesummenhank och de Blog vum Letzeburger Egide Thein, den seit ville Joer an Amerika wunnt an emmer e scharft Aa iwert  den Atlantik wirft :

http://egidethein.blogspot.com/2009/11/us-ambassador-designate-to-luxembourg.html

Merci Egide Thein, dass du vu Florida aus op d'Landung vun der Mme Stroum opmirksam gemacht hues!