I never thought I'd be one of those 'divorced' women who had to worry about health care after having four children with my partner of 18 years. But this year my COBRA insurance terminates, and I am a lupus survivor and kidney transplant recipient.[gallery]

I think I'll probably face some of the biggest challenges this year since I got sick in 1994 - and am very worried about how I'm going to access affordable health insurance. As an artist, mother, contributing member of society and self-employed individual, I'm praying (and blogging) for change.

And doing plenty of research. I'll be looking at www.healthcare.gov as a possible resource for finding more healthcare options for myself and my family. And I found this: in New York State you can sign up to be a member of the Hastings On Hudson Chamber of Commerce and access affordable health care insurance through their group plan. You do NOT need to be a resident of Hastings, but you DO need to be a resident of NY State.

Keep on keeping on,

- Joy Rose, President Mamapalooza Inc., founder M.O.M. (Museum Of Motherhood).