A friend of mine, who was already struggling to get by, suffered a tragedy when her partner of 12+ years was diagnosed with 4th-stage kidney failure last spring. Earlier this fall he was hospitalized in the ICU because his chest cavity, behind his heart, was filling with fluid. He survived and came home, but he was the only wage earner in the family, and he wasn't earning enough to get them out of poverty. My friend couldn't get a job because her town does not offer an afterschool program for… read more