Member-only story
“I Just Stole To Eat”
What his story tells us about our health care system
I was reading today about Joseph Peterson. He used to be a construction worker until he lost the use of his legs. Now he is homeless, and rolls around on his wheelchair. Until the Whole Foods was recently shut down near the Tenderloin district in San Francisco, he sometimes stole hot meals from their buffet.
He excused this, however, because, unlike others, he wasn’t stealing to re-sell food. “I just stole to eat,” he said.
This article isn’t about stealing for food. There are many other articles written on that, and frankly, it should be written about. The fact that some of our fellow citizens are hungry should be a cause for concern.
However, what struck me about the sad case of Mr. Peterson — that he had lost the use of his legs.
The article tells us why. It was due to diabetes.
And that makes me wonder…
You see, my mother has diabetes. She was diagnosed over 20 years ago. She has carefully managed her condition.
At first she never went anywhere without her glucose tablets.
While she can no longer drive, she is still able to walk. She goes shopping, cooks, and does household chores.
