Charles Forster Medical Support Fnd
Donation protected
In 1991 I found myself spiritually guided into Waldorf education. I felt quite clearly called to become a Waldorf teacher. My previous engagement with Anthroposophy was focused on individual spiritual development, the spiritual nature of the human being and the evolution of consciousness, eurythmy and other aspects of the artistic sphere; and, the practice of star wisdom — all focused toward a re-ensoulment of the world.
I brought this new layer of interest to fellow astrosopher Robert Schiappicasse, who had been synchronistically hired by Portland Waldorf School this same year. He suggested that I create an aftercare program for PWS as a way to test the water in actual practice, since all of my previous teaching experience had been with adults, and since this was how Robert had begun his own career in Waldorf education.
Our mutual assumption was that after a year I would either begin working toward a class teacher position, or I would realize that this new impulse had been an inspired romantic illusion. The inner guidance I received however, was different. It was that in the same way that a class teacher is presumed to have a karmic relationship with their particular group of students and parents, I had a karmic relationship with an ongoing stream of children and parents. I further realized that many of these children spent as much as five hours a day with me and would do so for several years. Consequently, I would necessarily have a substantial influence on their development. I took this responsibility seriously and with great enthusiasm. I worked out of a strong Ego presence and as an embodiment of authority, which in turn provided a comforting sense of security for the children and their parents as well.
Jumping ahead to the present time, an unexpected and highly significant life changing event altered the course of my life. On June 18, 2014 immediately following the final college meeting at “in-service”, and after having been assured that my position was safe from the latest round of budget cuts, I was informed that the aftercare position which I had birthed and subsequently ensouled for the past twenty-three years had, in fact, been eliminated, and was to be restructured and restaffed with two hourly paid employees. Losing my meager income and my health insurance from the school was worrisome. The realization, which took a few days to really sink in, that my work with the children and my tending of the aftercare community, was suddenly over with, was devastating.
In convergence with the previously described event came the discovery that Hepatitis C virus, working silently in my blood stream for the past thirty to forty years , hardening and killing off liver tissue 24 hours per day, has resulted in advanced, or what is designated as “end stage”, cirrhosis. Synchronistically, a new medicine with a 95% cure rate for my particular Hepatitis C genotype , has been recently developed and is scheduled to receive approval by the FDA in the current month of October 2014. The cost however, is astronomical at $1,000 per dose. The entire course of the one treatment is expected to exceed $100,000, and insurance companies have yet to indicate what percentage of this cost they will cover. Similar treatments for other genotypes of this disease are costing in the neighborhood of $120,000 and insurance companies are covering 70% of costs at best. Because of the life path I have chosen to follow, because of the work I have chosen to do, and because of the mysteries of karma which have brought this challenging circumstance to expression at this juncture in my biography, I find myself unable to meet the remainder of the financial burden associated with the treatment of my medical condition. I am humbly appealing therefore, to the community which I have devotionally sought to serve, for your financial assistance.
I brought this new layer of interest to fellow astrosopher Robert Schiappicasse, who had been synchronistically hired by Portland Waldorf School this same year. He suggested that I create an aftercare program for PWS as a way to test the water in actual practice, since all of my previous teaching experience had been with adults, and since this was how Robert had begun his own career in Waldorf education.
Our mutual assumption was that after a year I would either begin working toward a class teacher position, or I would realize that this new impulse had been an inspired romantic illusion. The inner guidance I received however, was different. It was that in the same way that a class teacher is presumed to have a karmic relationship with their particular group of students and parents, I had a karmic relationship with an ongoing stream of children and parents. I further realized that many of these children spent as much as five hours a day with me and would do so for several years. Consequently, I would necessarily have a substantial influence on their development. I took this responsibility seriously and with great enthusiasm. I worked out of a strong Ego presence and as an embodiment of authority, which in turn provided a comforting sense of security for the children and their parents as well.
Jumping ahead to the present time, an unexpected and highly significant life changing event altered the course of my life. On June 18, 2014 immediately following the final college meeting at “in-service”, and after having been assured that my position was safe from the latest round of budget cuts, I was informed that the aftercare position which I had birthed and subsequently ensouled for the past twenty-three years had, in fact, been eliminated, and was to be restructured and restaffed with two hourly paid employees. Losing my meager income and my health insurance from the school was worrisome. The realization, which took a few days to really sink in, that my work with the children and my tending of the aftercare community, was suddenly over with, was devastating.
In convergence with the previously described event came the discovery that Hepatitis C virus, working silently in my blood stream for the past thirty to forty years , hardening and killing off liver tissue 24 hours per day, has resulted in advanced, or what is designated as “end stage”, cirrhosis. Synchronistically, a new medicine with a 95% cure rate for my particular Hepatitis C genotype , has been recently developed and is scheduled to receive approval by the FDA in the current month of October 2014. The cost however, is astronomical at $1,000 per dose. The entire course of the one treatment is expected to exceed $100,000, and insurance companies have yet to indicate what percentage of this cost they will cover. Similar treatments for other genotypes of this disease are costing in the neighborhood of $120,000 and insurance companies are covering 70% of costs at best. Because of the life path I have chosen to follow, because of the work I have chosen to do, and because of the mysteries of karma which have brought this challenging circumstance to expression at this juncture in my biography, I find myself unable to meet the remainder of the financial burden associated with the treatment of my medical condition. I am humbly appealing therefore, to the community which I have devotionally sought to serve, for your financial assistance.
Organizer
Charles Lee Forster
Organizer
Portland, OR
