Yesterday I was home for the holiday. I went to the gym, came home and my neighbor, Linda, was shouting at me from across the street -- "Could I do her a favor?" It seems the old man, known to me only as Crazy Guy, our neighbor, hadn't been seen since Saturday. His kids called Linda to check on Crazy Guy. She was afraid to go in his ranshackled house by herself. I pounded on Crazy Guy's door. No answer. We let ourselves in, me leading the way. We pounded on his bedroom door,...

On Wednesday, my partner was having trouble breathing. My partner is 45 years old, and after days of feeling like crap, was suddenly having trouble walking from the bed to the bathroom. As someone who has performed surgery on himself, running to the hospital isn't second nature. But that's exactly where we went. I live in a small rural community, equi-distance to Baltimore, Washington, and Philly. That's convenient for work, but not for things like advanced health care. I always...