Barrow, Alaska, Feb. 12, 2014, 11:13 a.m., Alaska Time~
Greetings in the name of the Great Spirit!
Sorry I haven't written since last fall; my health, as you know, declined to the point of where I needed dialysis three times a week, plus I have developed diabetes. Well, my kidneys were so bad I eventually had to go on a transplant list; just before Christmas I had a kidney transplant and am currently recovering. It will take a while, but I am feeling better (and stronger) each and every day.
I am still fighting to get on disability. I have a lawyer now, but it still takes a lot of time. I am getting discouraged; it's like they (the disability people) don't even care if I live or die. Well, I nearly died, but I am fighting to stay alive. It isn't easy, but as I said last time, I have wonderful friends and neighbors who help me out whenever it is needed, which I greatly appreciate. I don't know what I would do without them!
It has been brutally cold here in Alaska. It was warm for a while, but the cold has since returned, and even though the days are getting longer now, there's no sign that spring is even coming to Barrow. There is still snow and ice everywhere and the highs have been running anywhere from -30 to -20 each day.
Yet I am used to it; I am Inuit. I and my ancestors are used to these harsh living conditions; it's a part of who we are. And I see my sister, Sikik, in the northern lights; I know she is free from pain and suffering, and although it makes me sad (as I miss her terribly), I am glad that for her she is better off and dances with our parents and ancestors who have gone on before them (her).
Just keep me in your thoughts as I recover; it is getting better, but it still isn't easy. Diabetes never is. It can do so much damage to your body, much more than what people may realize. And pray that I get my government disability assistance; it would make life so much easier for me! I hate depending on others with the bills and other necessities of life!
Thank you in advance!
~Mattaq. :)
