Ron's Medical and Expenses Fund
Donation protected
Ron...poet, dancer, biker, trickster, clown, adorer of women, brother, and friend. He is the one who can remind us of who we are with a trick of a phrase and a laugh. Many things are hard to say and he can say them.
Like most clowns, he spends his time putting the funny on things, making whatever is going on maybe not as bad as it actually is. We like to think that the funny stuff is a sign that all will be well. We want to believe that whatever Ron is going through will be solved easily and effortlessly by Ron.
And yes, he will solve them. But Ron needs help too, just like many of us. He may not want to talk about it, and he may not know how to ask for it, but he needs it.
I had a meeting with Ron on Jan 21 to get the details of what is actually happening with him. He used a lot of poetry, metaphor, and strong language but I got his story. Here is the skinny version (mostly):
History
Many years ago, Ron got into nursing to help people. But probably because he is so big and strong looking (he's actually the runt in his family), rather than putting him the pediatric ward, he ended up in the psych ward subduing the most disturbed of us. I believe this is a big factor in his health. Most of know that he has had heart issues but may not know the actual extent of his illnesses:
* Congestive Heart Failure
* Two heart attacks (MI) with 2 open heart surgeries
* Kidney disease
* Skin cancer
All of this has led Ron to not be able to work anymore. He is now on disability social security and is trying to live on a fixed income.
Now
January 2015 started with Ron's insurance going up $111 dollars, which on a fixed income, is a lot. Plus, since it's the beginning of the year, the deductible also needs to be paid.
Two weekends ago, Ron went in for a Angiograph which should have been an in and out procedure. They needed Ron to be at a particular angle but he couldn't breath. In fear, he ended up ripping out the instruments. Things were worse than the doctor realized. He ended up in ICU for four days as a result of congestive heart failure.
The doctor went in and did a lot of work opening Ron's arteries, but they found a big one that they need to do more work on. They don't know if this artery is scar tissue or dormant. If it's scar tissue, there's nothing they can do. If it's dormant, they can attempt to bring it back to life by doing a procedure Ron's doctor says is "like a swat team entering a crack house."
After 4 days in the ICU, Ron came out breathing better than he had been in a long time. In gratitude, he told the Universe "I can breathe!" He believes in his doctors from Swedish saying "they perform aggressive cardiology" and they want Ron to live. Some have asked about VA benefits. For Ron, the VA is the last resort.
With the additional insurance payment, co-pays, and deductible, Ron has not been able to pay his bills and has been using his credit card. As anyone on fixed income knows, using a credit card when you may not be able to ever pay it results in the debt growing, collection agencies, and maybe even bankruptcy.
The Silver Lining
Ron has been approved for Medicare, which will cover everything, once it kicks in. This will be a relief since Ron has been having ongoing chronic issues for a long time.
The Need
Medicare won't start for Ron until May. Which means the deductible, the co-pays and the extra insurance is still going to be tapping him for the next 5 months. It's the financial part of it all that is really stressing Ron out. He could really use some help.
It would also be helpful if people actually know what is going on and support him by letting him know that he is not alone.
The goals of this campaign are:
1. Pay the deductible so that the rest of treatment is paid for
2. Pay off $1500 for the food and expenses he's been needing to charge
3. A bit extra to pay other co-pays, insurance and surprise expenses that are sure to come up
Your help is vital. Please consider helping out Ron. Let's make sure he knows that he is loved and supported.
Helping financially
The GoFundMe site has a fee associated with it. We decided to use it anyway since people can monitor progress and get updates. If you really don't want to use this site, you can use paypal. Ron now has a paypal account: obieronn at hotmail.com. Be sure to use your bank account, not credit/debit card or there will still be a fee. Use the Send Money to Family and Friends option.
If you don't want to do either, you can always hand it to me (Karin). I'll make sure Ron gets it and know where it came from.
Notes from Ron:
"A dream...In my dream,I am wading at the beach when I notice the water rapidly drawing away towards the sea.Further and further it goes,going to greet the mountainous wave forming to block the horizon. I lay myself down,feet pointed back towards the shore,eyes fixed forward on the foam starting to form at the wave's crest. I pointlessly dig my fingers int the sand,grit my teeth,and wait for it. The sun shines so brightly,sparkeling on the water. It,and the bright blue,empty sky,are beautiful."
"When I say 'dancing gives me reason to live', I fucking mean it!"
Like most clowns, he spends his time putting the funny on things, making whatever is going on maybe not as bad as it actually is. We like to think that the funny stuff is a sign that all will be well. We want to believe that whatever Ron is going through will be solved easily and effortlessly by Ron.
And yes, he will solve them. But Ron needs help too, just like many of us. He may not want to talk about it, and he may not know how to ask for it, but he needs it.
I had a meeting with Ron on Jan 21 to get the details of what is actually happening with him. He used a lot of poetry, metaphor, and strong language but I got his story. Here is the skinny version (mostly):
History
Many years ago, Ron got into nursing to help people. But probably because he is so big and strong looking (he's actually the runt in his family), rather than putting him the pediatric ward, he ended up in the psych ward subduing the most disturbed of us. I believe this is a big factor in his health. Most of know that he has had heart issues but may not know the actual extent of his illnesses:
* Congestive Heart Failure
* Two heart attacks (MI) with 2 open heart surgeries
* Kidney disease
* Skin cancer
All of this has led Ron to not be able to work anymore. He is now on disability social security and is trying to live on a fixed income.
Now
January 2015 started with Ron's insurance going up $111 dollars, which on a fixed income, is a lot. Plus, since it's the beginning of the year, the deductible also needs to be paid.
Two weekends ago, Ron went in for a Angiograph which should have been an in and out procedure. They needed Ron to be at a particular angle but he couldn't breath. In fear, he ended up ripping out the instruments. Things were worse than the doctor realized. He ended up in ICU for four days as a result of congestive heart failure.
The doctor went in and did a lot of work opening Ron's arteries, but they found a big one that they need to do more work on. They don't know if this artery is scar tissue or dormant. If it's scar tissue, there's nothing they can do. If it's dormant, they can attempt to bring it back to life by doing a procedure Ron's doctor says is "like a swat team entering a crack house."
After 4 days in the ICU, Ron came out breathing better than he had been in a long time. In gratitude, he told the Universe "I can breathe!" He believes in his doctors from Swedish saying "they perform aggressive cardiology" and they want Ron to live. Some have asked about VA benefits. For Ron, the VA is the last resort.
With the additional insurance payment, co-pays, and deductible, Ron has not been able to pay his bills and has been using his credit card. As anyone on fixed income knows, using a credit card when you may not be able to ever pay it results in the debt growing, collection agencies, and maybe even bankruptcy.
The Silver Lining
Ron has been approved for Medicare, which will cover everything, once it kicks in. This will be a relief since Ron has been having ongoing chronic issues for a long time.
The Need
Medicare won't start for Ron until May. Which means the deductible, the co-pays and the extra insurance is still going to be tapping him for the next 5 months. It's the financial part of it all that is really stressing Ron out. He could really use some help.
It would also be helpful if people actually know what is going on and support him by letting him know that he is not alone.
The goals of this campaign are:
1. Pay the deductible so that the rest of treatment is paid for
2. Pay off $1500 for the food and expenses he's been needing to charge
3. A bit extra to pay other co-pays, insurance and surprise expenses that are sure to come up
Your help is vital. Please consider helping out Ron. Let's make sure he knows that he is loved and supported.
Helping financially
The GoFundMe site has a fee associated with it. We decided to use it anyway since people can monitor progress and get updates. If you really don't want to use this site, you can use paypal. Ron now has a paypal account: obieronn at hotmail.com. Be sure to use your bank account, not credit/debit card or there will still be a fee. Use the Send Money to Family and Friends option.
If you don't want to do either, you can always hand it to me (Karin). I'll make sure Ron gets it and know where it came from.
Notes from Ron:
"A dream...In my dream,I am wading at the beach when I notice the water rapidly drawing away towards the sea.Further and further it goes,going to greet the mountainous wave forming to block the horizon. I lay myself down,feet pointed back towards the shore,eyes fixed forward on the foam starting to form at the wave's crest. I pointlessly dig my fingers int the sand,grit my teeth,and wait for it. The sun shines so brightly,sparkeling on the water. It,and the bright blue,empty sky,are beautiful."
"When I say 'dancing gives me reason to live', I fucking mean it!"
Organizer
Karin Armbrust
Organizer
Seattle, WA
