Insurance provides needed help as J.P. grows

Posted on September 17, 2015 by jeffcuz

It’s been a busy year, and I’m having a hard time believing it’s already nearing its end.

I like to think I thrive in a busy environment, but recently, I’ve frequently felt like I’m struggling just to get the absolutely essential things done.

J.P.'s Lift — J.P. takes a ride in his ceiling lift.

J.P. is growing, and I’ve finally reached my breaking point — at least my back has. I just can’t grab J.P. and move him around like I’ve done for the past 13 years. Of course, Paige came to terms with that a while ago.

I tell people we’re a victim of our own success, and luckily, our health insurance has covered additional help through PSA Healthcare.

It wasn’t an easy decision. But when I need to work, and Paige stays home with J.P., there just wasn’t enough people around to do the lifting required for dressing, diaper changes, therapy, school, etc.

We worried about having another person in our home. Would we get along with them? Would they treat J.P. well? Would they be honest?

We’ve probably worked with about 10 nurses now, and there was only one that caused problems.

Moreover, the nurses have come to enjoy J.P. and his antics almost as much as we do, and he seems to consider them his buddies.

Things have gone so well that Paige and I decided to add nursing on one of the nights I’m off so that we can actually have a date night. It has become the highlight of the week for me, and I think Paige also looks forward to the chance to get away and be adults.

It provides the chance to just let go and have fun, which is something that seems to be in short supply at times.

In June, I received a promotion at work that has me managing the team of editors who watches the Hearst Television station websites on nights and weekends.

While I enjoy my job, the first few months were quite busy trying to get a grasp on things, talk with all of the stations and determine where the relationship between the Hub team and the local stations stood.

On top of that, I quickly had to work on hiring two editors to complete the team and make needed changes to how the regions of the country are divided.

Plus, I’m midway through my second term as chairman of the Family Advisory Council at Florida Hospital for Children — as well as a member of the hospital’s Patient Safety and Quality Committee.

Hence the lack of blog posts lately, but I’m really hoping to change that. There’s something therapeutic about getting all of this written out.

At a time when many are questioning the value of the health insurance they have or need to get, I believe we’ve been lucky to have a policy through Hearst that has helped us to get the things needed to keep J.P. healthy and happy — all while not driving the busy parents off the deep end.