Here goes

Uninsured with multiple "diseases" can be rough. 

"Mental Illness" - What a fun label to give a 13 year old girl.  Treatment started with meds and counseling.  Several therapists, doctors and years later, things finally settled down.  Zoloft ~ Never leave home without it... 2 pills a day.

I never really felt "well."  Doctors treated the symptoms, but no one had an answer.  A few years after graduation, I got an amazing job, and found myself close to losing it due to my ever increasing number of sick days.  I met with a gastroenterologist, and within minutes of meeting him, I was in tears.  Due to my family history of colon cancer, a colonoscopy and endoscopy were scheduled right away.  I slept through the procedures, and as I was waking up the doctor was talking to my dad - ulcers in my intestines meant Crohn's Disease.  Awesome.  Eight pills everyday and I should be ok. 
My job was considered part-time, meaning no insurance.  The hospital where my procedures were performed wrote off my bills as "charity care".  And the drug company took pity on me, and gave me my $400/month medicine at a much needed discount.

A year or so later, feeling fine, but could not shake this sharp pain in my right side.  It got so bad, there were a few times I went to the emergency room.  Again, the symptoms were treated and I was sent home with no answers.  Convinced it was my gallbladder, I had several scans and tests done, all of which said I was fine.  My GE said he was concerned, because the past few months my liver enzymes had been elevated.  No matter what I/we did, they didn't go down.  So I was referred to a hepatologist at UVA - four hours away.  Ultrasounds were showing a "mass" in my liver.  Honestly, at this point, I wasn't upset.  I believe my reaction was, "Well of course there's a mass in my liver!  What else ya got?"  Endoscopy with a biopsy of the mass showed it wasn't cancer - just a lymphnode.  The liver biopsy showed significant scarring, and a diagnosis of Primary Scelrosing Cholangitis.  Liver disease means 7 more pills everyday.  That means a total of 17 pills each day.  My grandfather and I are in competition :)
Obviously, still no insurance.  UVA Medical Center is awesome, and my "poverty level" salary got me a huge discount.  Same with the meds.  So rather than $500/month for the medicine that should prolong the life of this vital organ, I pay around $20.

Which brings us to today - age 24, with a decent full-time job.  I was offered insurance, with the stipulation that they do not cover "pre-existing" conditions.  Seeing as how I am one giant pre-existing condition, I passed on the insurance.  I can afford $100 a month in prescriptions a lot easier than $1000.