Hi - this is Hilari Scarl, a good friend of Laura "LB" Ripplinger who is helping her set up a GoFundMe to fight her Stage 3C breast cancer. I am sitting next to her at our friend Peggie Reyna's house, where LB has been recovering since June 2021. I had no idea how serious this was until today. This is a critical call for help. LB, who has been there for me as a friend, a colleague and interpreter as she has for so many of us needs our help to fight this. She has a nasty round of chemo and labs twice a week for the next few months, followed up by radiation. She is very weak and can't take care of herself, much less work. She is in critical need of financial help for co-payments for meds, rent to keep her Hollywood apartment, car insurance and mounting hospital bills (currently she owes $14,000 in hospital bills.) She needs all of her focus to be on getting better. Peggie has been an angel taking care of her and managing her care.
This GoFundMe is going directly to Laura's personal bank account so she can pay her bills and keep fighting. If you are reading this, consider $5, $10 or $20 and sharing, re-posting and getting her to her goal - surviving this horrific cancer.
If she has ever interpreted for you or volunteered at your event, this would be a great time to chip in $50, $100 or more. If you have ever enjoyed Deaf theater, LB was one of the company interpreters for the National Theater of the Deaf (NTD) and was a show interpreter for Deaf West Theater. She was a PA on Silent Network (Sign Language Entertainment Network) co-hosted by Lou Fant and hosted by Herb Larson (The Deaf Johnny Carson) in California in 1986. She was a community interpreter for nine years with LifeSigns at GLAD (Greater Los Angeles Agency on Deafness) and at Peace Over Violence Deaf Services working with Deaf survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault. She has helped hundreds of women as a court advocate, interpreter and educator providing training in the community.
Laura "LB" Ripplinger is a CODA (Child of Deaf Adult) whose parents James and Frances Ripplinger were active members in the Deaf community for many years before they passed away. They were avid bowlers - LB says she went to every bowling alley in Southern California.
LB says that she doesn't know how to ask people for things, so I'm here as a friend asking on her behalf. If you can't donate funds, she needs rides from Peggie's house in Norwalk to Kaiser in Hollywood every Monday and Friday (Peggie really needs help with the Friday transportation.)
Thank you for helping us kick cancer's ass and have our incredible, loving, talented LB back laughing with us.