The Cost of Humanity

The Cost of Humanity

  By now, most of us have read or heard about the story of Jesus Navarro, the man in California who needs a kidney transplant; briefly, Mr. Navarro has private insurance through a job that he worked for 14 years and he has his own kidney donor...his wife. In fact, the only thing Mr. Navarro is missing is a green card, He is an undocumented resident, and has been such for at least the [last 14 years. However, like it or not, the law states that he can not receive organ transplant surgery due to his citizenship status. To be specific, Mr. Navarro can not receive the surgery which will quite possibly save his life, but he can DONATE a kidney or any other organ...to save someone else...citizen or not.

  I am not disputing the cost of healthcare. I am completely aware of how expensive it is getting to be ill, every time I visit my doctor. It has been stated that the reason Mr. Navarro cannot have the surgery is because he may not be able to afford the medicine that will follow the procedure. This is definitely a very sad situation, not only sad but ridiculous when you look at the larger picture.

  This is not just an undocumented resident; he is a husband and father. He has a family that, without this surgery, will be planning a funeral far too soon. This follows me reading about, Amelia Rivera, a 3 year old who needs a kidney transplant and was denied because the administrators of the hospital said she was mentally “retarded”. SO...this child could possibly die from kidney failure, and because of her mental capacity. She is not eligible for a transplant.

  I know there are probably hundreds, if not thousands, of Jesus Navarro’s in this country. It is actually that idea that prompted me to write about this.  I have never looked at human beings as countrymen or citizens of one country or another. I have never made a decision about one person or the next based on any monetary label. People are people; we are all different in one fashion or another.

  What I fail to understand is the logic behind having the ability to add years to a person’s life and then choosing not to. What have we become? When did a person who is not a resident of this country become expendable? We are so far away from where we are supposed to be, as human beings. This could not be what God wants for and from us. I was so disappointed in us, as children of one Creator, to know that the lines that make us different are actually becoming terminal. We are devaluing human life...placing a price tag on how much we will reach out for other people.

  Regardless of the politics behind the decision to not help these two children of God and others exactly like them, we should all be ashamed. We should find equal shame in the decision makers in these matters; and in those of us, who sit back and agree, by way of our silence.

  Love thy neighbor...not love only our documented countrymen...not only the healthy...but all walks of life. What is guiding us? When did we fall off of our paths? Often we get tested, it may be those very tests that display to our Creator what and who we really are. I pray no one gets judged based on these two cases, because the outlook looks grim.

  How much does humanity cost? Whatever the price tag...I pray that you can afford it. May the grace of God guide you all.