John Kress lost his pipeline job on January 14, 2020. "We all thought we'd be back to work in a few weeks." The job was hard, but not as hard as his previous job as a swamper. By the end of January, he had lost both his job and health insurance. "I never used it, but it was there if I got sick."
On December 10, 2022, when the pain became too much for John, his brother Bruce took him to the ER. Without insurance, John had been paying out of pocket for hemorrhoid medicine, and he wasn't getting better. It didn't take long for the ER doctor to walk back into the exam room. He told John that he had late-stage colon cancer and promptly walked out.
John was out of options, so Bruce sprang into action. He implored their farming(?) cooperative to buy back his farm equipment so he could pay for his brother’s treatment. The co-op bought what they could, but it barely covered one treatment.
"The Co-op bought back our farm equipment that they had sold us. When my brother Bruce told them his brother John had late-stage colon cancer and needed money to start treatment, they bought what they could and told my brother Bruce he could come get it when he had the money. It was all we had and it barely covered one treatment."
Having sold his equipment, Bruce had saved his brother’s life but was now out of a job and out of money himself.
"I thought this is it. My dad died from cancer. My mom died of cancer. How can I afford this. While Bruce was selling farm equipment, I went to make my funeral plans. I talked to the guy there and he told me that he could cremate me. He said that they would hold my ashes until Bruce afford to pick 'me' up."
Today, John wears a baggy shirt to conceal a permanent colostomy bag and says he would not be here without the charity cancer care and the kindness of people. He talks about the luck of still being around. That was not the case over a year ago.
The only job Bruce could find is out of state. They see each other once a year and talk on Sundays. John wishes his brother could work closer but knows that jobs with good money and insurance are hard to find in Mississippi. John has tried to find a job but is told that he’s a liability. He wants to bring in money, so his brother doesn't have to work so hard. He wants to get their farm equipment and work on the land.