When Women Get Sick
Navigating a healthcare system shouldn't be a fight for your life. Time to rethink it.
Greetings friends. I have not posted for six weeks—three of those down with a nasty Summertime Bronchial Breakdown. Sounds like an upcoming Blues album. Nope, just what Dad used to call the creepin’ crud. I hope none of you lovely people have experienced what I just overshared.
I am here to share positively though, too, including this important book from friend, author/attorney/health advocate, Rebecca Bloom. As Fred Rogers said, “Look for the helpers.” Well, look no further. Rebecca is one of the helpers Fred was riffin’ on. Rebecca’s new book, When Women Get Sick, defines help in loving, empathetic, practical literary form.
In Rebecca’s own words: “When Women Get Sick shows women and their supporters how to maximize coverage, benefits and security and minimize stress, fear and confusion as they navigate illness. It will make people angry, because it exposes just how deficient our healthcare system is and how it hurts women. But it will empower women with cancer and other serious illnesses to get the right help and avoid being left holding the bag as they fight for their wellness.”
No one should have to fight for their wellness, but we do. I know with my own neurological disorder it is a constant uphill climb pushing the proverbial boulder to waiting rooms around our city. Telling my story to yet another stranger, after having filled out the affiliated healthcare corp’s exhaustive input form for the 10th time—on a wildly inefficient kindergarten iPad thingy. Ugh!
This, and a thousand other indignities and challenges bring us lower, when, being seriously ill—is plenty low enough. Rebecca Bloom, helper, here to lift you up with encouragement and trustworthy navigational coordinates.
Today, being July 29th, in the year 2025, means When Women Get Sick is available right now. Get the help you need and want. Rebecca’s informative website HERE.
Bloom infuses this guide with warmth and empathy without sugar-coating some grim realities. She puts the complex and frustrating healthcare system into plain language and outlines strategies to increase the chance of positive outcomes in heartbreaking situations”—Library Journal
I’ll be around again soon to share the latest on upcoming music and art, an update on PEPFAR, a new The Civil Wars vinyl release, and the latest interviews, including one with the highly respected music recording journal, TAPEOP. Until then, avail yourself of Rebecca’s book. While you’re shopping, check out the sale prices on both Roots & Rhythm: A Life in Music and Why Everything That Doesn’t Matter, Matters So Much—and the discounted bundle Amazon offers. If you have not posted your review at Amazon, please do. We’re looking for helpers. :-) I so appreciate all of you! Peace.
Photo op with Capitol logo and RE:THINK, the label I created in 1996 to launch the careers of Sarah Masen and Switchfoot. Universal Music reinvented the label as an indie distribution company within their system. Thanks Ken for the tour! As I mention in Roots & Rhythm, I feel in good company as Universal is using vintage labels Capitol, Motown, TAMLA, and RE:THINK—all labels created by songwriters: Johnny Mercer, Berry Gordy, and yours truly. Honored to be in such august company.
Charlie, I’m speechless and teary that you’d share my work in this way. Humbled to my core and also ready to fiercely use my experience to lift others. @johnleesanders I wish you continued healing. And to anyone here, Charlie knows how to reach me. And I will walk with all of you.
I have not read the book but just a general comment. Regarding simple health care research, we must also navigate the frustrations of google (or other search engines), AI, and Advertising. I recall looking up a topic and getting some general info from a medical source to just gain basic knowledge prior to going to a doctor or after a doctor visit just to gain some perspective. Now, rather than finding out info, we get videos of do's and don'ts and people selling products. Notwithstanding, with the advent of AI, we get strange articles. And sometimes, I click on an article, only to find, it is so difficult to even read due to the annoying ads and how they are served up. Seems like the internet has lost its way to being helpful.