Disability is Serious Business!

As many of you know, I am currently temporarily disabled. 
 
One day after working in my yard most the day, I thought it would be a good idea to climb up on my metal roof after spraying a bio chemical on it to slowly remove roof grime.  Always the impatient one, I thought I would add a little elbow grease to some areas that have limbs that cover those portions of the roof.
 
Unfortunately, my judgement was not very good that day and I lost traction and slid off the edge of my roof.
 
Accidents like this seem to happen in slow motion and I can remember starting to slide, looking around and seeing nothing to grab and then deciding it would be best just to go with gravity and stay upright.  I landed on the driveway on both feet. It was a hard landing and I instantly felt pain in my right foot and swelling.
 
I managed to crawl on my hands and knees into the house (another 100 feet) and call for help. 
 
What I didn’t realize is that this was just the start of a lengthy disability.

Me on my return from the ER

​My wife rushed me to the hospital, and they did an x-ray of my foot, my back and neck just to make sure I did not cause myself trauma in the neck or back as well.  I was fortunate they said, and they put my foot in cast, gave me some pain killers, and told me to see the orthopedic surgeon.
 
Little did I realize that the orthopedic surgeon would not see me for several weeks and surgery would not happen for several more weeks.  The surgeon was in no hurry despite my pain because he was waiting for some of the swelling to subside.
 
During this time, I would work as long as possible and then find myself on the couch with my foot elevated to reduce the swelling and pain.  It did not get much better after surgery. Thank goodness I have a desk job and most of my work is on a computer, over the phone or on Zoom!
 
I was locked up so long that many of my neighbors assumed that I had left my wife and now this poor woman was left to handle everything including the yard work.  However, they were also afraid to ask or offer help.  We had a good laugh when we finally talked, and they found out what happened.
 
So, why do I tell you this? It is not to get sympathy.
 
It is to emphasize how real a disability can be. I thought I was invincible and now I see how quickly life can be disrupted and how delicate the balance. 

X-ray showing my new hardware - thirteen screws.

​My life changed on October 21st of last year.  Thankfully, it’s likely that I do make a full recovery, but I now have a real appreciation for those who are permanently disabled and for Social Security Disability and private disability insurance – neither of which I qualified for by the way.
 
What is ironic is I have been paying for private disability insurance for over 30 years and I cannot even draw on it because I can continue to work.   During Covid both my wife and I worked harder than ever while our friends at big companies stayed home and played video games.  That really annoyed me then, but I am grateful to have been able to continue to work now.
 
Even if I could not draw on my private disability insurance, I do see the need now more than ever for disability.
 
My question to you is? Do you have it?
 
If not, you need to ask yourself one simple question.  What would happen if I was disabled and unable to work?

• What would happen to your family?

 

• What if your spouse had to care for you full-time?

 

• What about the loss of income?

 

• What if recovery took years or maybe you were permanently disabled?  As an example, I am still in a boot and using crutches some five months later!

 

• What if something happened to your spouse or his/her income?

 
The questions could go on and on, but you get the idea.
 
In our family, I am the primary bread winner.  If something happened to my spouse, we would likely get by on my income.   Since I work from a home office, I could likewise be the caregiver.
 
Therefore, we have carried (begrudgingly) disability insurance on me only for years.  It is an expense I weight every time I see the bill as it is of no value unless you need it (like life insurance).
 
However, it provides peace of mind and security if you do need it.
 
I can tell you I had no idea my life would change the way it did over the past five+ months when I climbed up there on that roof.  However, today I am thankful that I am still able to work, I didn’t fall and break my neck or back and that I had disability insurance in place, even if I didn’t need it this time.
 
You can find out more on the odds of disability here.
 
Let us know if we can help you get the coverage you need.