This has been the toughest seven months of my life. Last November I lost my wife of 19 years to metastatic breast cancer. During this very difficult time, the union has been right there with me.
I was optimistic in the early days of her diagnosis, knowing we had access to the best medical coverage possible.
I’m really thankful for the wonderful health benefits the union provides — benefits you think you’re never going to have to use, for the union’s new MSK Direct program that provides access to the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and for my NYSUT catastrophic coverage.
But there was so much more the union provided.
My wife, Sondra, was 46 when she died. During her time in the hospital, my very caring colleagues in the New York City Art Teachers Association/UFT, where I’m head of digital communications, visited regularly and raised $11,000 to cover her funeral expenses.
When Sondra passed away, I reached out to the UFT Health and Cancer Helpline for help in dealing with my grief and stress and my worries about our four children, ages 11 to 21. Having a cancer survivor to talk to during ongoing phone calls over several weeks helped me gain some perspective.
In January, I turned for help to the UFT’s Member Assistance Program because a son was having trouble in school. At our first meeting to discuss my son, they read the signs that I was overwhelmed and depressed and suggested I take advantage of the short-term counseling they offer. Beyond that, they enrolled me in a bereavement group where I met in weekly sessions with other UFT members. Reaching out to MAP has proved to be a great blessing.
All this support has kept me going. I realize grieving is a long process. I am back in school now and caring for my family. Those responsibilities help me to deal with life day by day.
Without the union and all the services it provides, I have no idea how I would have coped with the loss of the most important person in my life.
Antonio Jacobs is a teacher and the chapter leader at PS 87 in the Bronx.
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