It was not the first time my colleague had visited the clinic for a serious condition. She had also gone there to get treated for arthritis. Now she was juggling medications and was unsure about when to take them. “I can’t take the diabetes pill at the same time as my arthritis medication,” she said. “So, if you treat your diabetes, your arthritis flares up?” I asked. “Today I took the diabetes meds, but now I’m in pain,” Lucia explained. “Tomorrow, I’ll skip those and take the arthritis pill instead.”
While I worked with her, Cindy began to lose her hearing. She could no longer chat with customers or ask children how they were doing in school. Hearing loss is associated with economic hardship. One reason may be that low-income people are more likely to work in high-noise environments like construction sites. Another is that, like Cindy, they cannot afford adequate health care. Impaired hearing is not just a physical disability. It can lead to social isolation and depression.
One day, my colleagues and I learned that Cindy had been selected to appear on a television news program. The show featured local people who needed financial help. A reporter would interview the long-time bagger on-air and then make a “surprise announcement” that a corporate sponsor was donating $3,000 for hearing aids. Cindy knew about the donation in advance, but she was supposed to feign surprise.
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