From the GREAT STATE OF MAINE… The New Scarlet Letter Every morning when I wake up and get dressed, I can’t help but notice the seven-inch pale red scar running from my sternum to just below my belly button. I have another scar---two inches horizontal---on my upper chest. They’re a daily reminder of the emergency surgery I had last March that revealed a thriving cancer colony in my gut (happily removed), and the “mediport” that was my hookup for three months of chemo. They are also a daily reminder that I am now a walking pre-existing condition. Under the Affordable Care Act, I can look at those scars and feel grateful and relieved.