“Paycheck toPaycheck – The Life and Times of Katrina Gilbert” is produced by HBODocumentary and represents the story of Katrina Gilbert, who is a single parent
of three children. Her husband, Jeremy Gilbert, was addicted to pain medication
and used all their income during their 10-years of marriage to support his
addiction. Fortunately, Jeremy stops his addiction after getting a divorced and
is able to find a factory job. Earning just $9.49 per hour as a nurse in the
care home and feeding three children, Katrina lives under the poverty line
which makes her think twice on every single check. For example, she cannot go
to see a doctor to cure the thyroid disease, as she cannot afford the bill.
Moreover, she needs to pay the rent of the trailer part by part, and sell her
dog for $40 in order to get some money for living.
I think the
government should help these people. After researching on the internet, there
is a way that the government can actually help them a bit, but not spending
much extra money, which is sending the family life educators to understand each
circumstance to help them in maximize their resources in order to make their
lives easier.
After watching
this documentary, I feel sad for those who are living under the poverty line,
as life is so tough to them. For me, $40 is just enough for me to buy a video
game, but on the other hand, $40 is important for their survival. And I
remember what she says about her tattoo, “She flies with her own wings.”
Therefore, I think I should try my best to do everything by my own ability in
order to know the difficulty and learn how to cherish the things I have.
