Thanks and a hat tip to Joe H......
Chris Meadows always considered himself as leading an independent, if challenged, lifestyle.
Meadows recalls as a child being able to run and ride a bike like other boys. Now 39, he accepts that muscular dystrophy has robbed him of the use of his legs and left him with limited arm movement.
But despite setbacks, he went on to graduate from high school with honors and obtained a degree from Michigan State University in four years.
He found a full-time job with the Social Security Administration and purchased and modified his own home, where he lives with Del, his chihuahua.
He is now facing the reality that health care budget cutbacks may cost him his Medicaid benefits, forcing him to move out of his house and stop living on his own.
“I never considered myself disabled until recently,” said Meadows, who was informed this year by Macomb County Community Mental Health his “needs” had changed and he should find somewhere else to live.
Meadows – who insists his health has been stable for 10 years – is comfortable in the neat bungalow he outfitted with wooden floors, widened doorways and an entrance ramp to accommodate his wheelchair. He also bought a wheelchair-accessible van with his savings.
“I want to look someone in the eye and have them tell me why I can’t live on my own,” he said. “I’m not looking for a crutch. And I sure don’t want sympathy. I just want to be treated like everyone else.
“I am fighting this for myself but also for other people like me whose lives will be affected by cutbacks.”
Towards that end, Meadows recently obtained a face-to-face hearing for July 18 before an administrative law judge in Macomb County to request that his Medicaid benefits be left in place. If his appeal is rejected, Meadows was told he has two options.
“I can stay where I am and get a Life Alert program, like those ‘I’ve fallen and can't get up’ commercials,” Meadows said. “If I am in need of help, I can call for paramedics or the fire department. If it’s not a matter of life or injury, I will be responsible to pay for their response.
“That means if I need repositioning in bed, which I do at night, or my wheelchair is stuck, I need to contact people and possibly taking them away from life and death situations,” he said.
The second option? To sell the house he bought nearly four years ago and move into a skilled care nursing facility.