Our daughter Mia would have celebrated her 17th birthday this year, but we lost her to cancer when she was just shy of four. While the circumstances were heart-wrenching, we experienced a significant stroke of good fortune: during Mia’s treatment, we were living in London, where she received care from the National Health Service (NHS), a government-funded healthcare system that provides free medical care to all citizens.
Throughout Mia’s six-month ordeal, we seldom reflected on this fortunate aspect. After all, our focus was on caring for our brave little girl. Having lived in the UK for several years, it felt entirely normal to walk out of a doctor’s office without paying or to pick up a prescription at no cost.
Looking back, I recognize that the ability to sidestep financial worries about Mia’s treatment was an extraordinary privilege—one that should be standard in any civilized society. In the United States, the concept of freedom is often tied to minimal government intervention in personal lives, particularly concerning healthcare. Our experience in the UK contradicted this notion.
When Mia first exhibited alarming symptoms—often worsening at night, a common parental concern—we had the freedom to take her to the emergency room without worrying about exorbitant co-pays or whether our insurance would cover her mysterious fevers and lack of interest in her favorite shows.
After doctors finally connected the dots and diagnosed her with a rare and aggressive cancer, the NHS continued to provide us with invaluable freedom. Instead of spending hours on the phone negotiating with insurance providers, we were free to cuddle with Mia in her hospital bed, singing along to her favorite Disney songs. Rather than dealing with intimidating letters from insurance companies questioning the necessity of treatments, we immersed ourselves in fairy tales that whisked Mia away to magical worlds.
Our experience wasn’t unique; we witnessed other families benefiting from the same system. One family had traveled from a small village in northern England to have their daughter treated by top specialists at Great Ormond Street Hospital. They were provided with complimentary lodging by the government. Another father received subsidized leave from work to care for his son. Mia’s friend down the hall, who had achieved a fragile remission from neuroblastoma, was assigned an aide to support her studies at home. All these families were afforded the opportunity to remain close to their children, managing their lives amid the chaos of illness without financial ruin.
In the end, the only bill we incurred during that six-month period was for Mia’s meals at the hospital café, where she delighted in plates of sausage and mashed potatoes on her good days. The rest of her care, including the costly stem cell transplant, was covered by the collective contributions of British taxpayers. This system exemplifies how a compassionate society operates—when one suffers, the community steps in to provide support.
After Mia’s passing, I returned to the U.S. only to find a flyer at a grocery store advertising a fundraiser for a local family’s cancer treatment expenses. The stark contrast was jarring; why should individuals be forced to fundraise for such essential care?
Over the past decade, the normalization of healthcare as a privilege rather than a right has become disheartening. Yet, as discussions about the future of healthcare in the U.S. continue, I often reflect on our time in the UK. Thankfully, protections established by the Affordable Care Act remain in place, preventing insurance companies from charging higher premiums to pediatric cancer survivors due to their increased risk of future health issues. The expansion of Medicaid has also helped ensure that fewer families face the horror of battling cancer without adequate insurance.
However, shouldn’t we strive for more? Shouldn’t every family facing serious illness have the freedom to focus solely on their loved ones, just as we did with Mia? Achieving universal access to quality healthcare is a complex challenge, but it is one worth pursuing. While we may not be able to eliminate the suffering caused by cancer, we can at least lessen its financial burden.
For more insights into healthcare and family experiences, consider checking out our other blog posts, like this one on pregnancy and health. If you’re interested in home insemination options, Cryobaby provides excellent resources for families.
In summary, our journey through Mia’s illness highlighted both the fragility of life and the extraordinary support offered by a compassionate healthcare system. It underscored the need for all families to have access to the same freedoms we experienced so that they can prioritize their loved ones above all else.