RICHIE GOODTIMES IS BLIND

I'm JoAnn and I'm hosting this for Richie. Here is his story in his own words.

"I’m Richie Goodtimes and I’m blind now.

On January 9, 2023, I was taken to the emergency room because my left eye had swollen completely shut due to a mysterious and sudden infection. I spent 10 days in the hospital on antibiotic IVs to fight the infection and there was a surgery to try to relieve pressure on my infected eye. At the end of it, the optic nerve in my left eye had been damaged and I have zero vision in that eye. Nothing. And outside of a miracle, it’s not coming back.

Which leads me to my right eye. My right eye has never been good. I was born with a birth defect called a coloboma of the iris. The iris is the part of the eye where the color is and is the ring of muscle in the eye which controls the dilation of the pupil. My iris is incomplete and always has been. I never really relied on this eye because my left eye was doing most of the work.

So where am I now? Well, I’d estimate that I’ve lost about 70% of my vision. Nothing comes into complete focus and everything is kinda dark. There’s also a grey spot which seems to wander around my vision. Don’t know what that’s all about. I’ll never drive again. I can’t read most things on paper. I can kinda write, but can’t see what I’m writing. Simple things that we don’t really think about are now monumentally difficult.

But, it’s not all terrible. Through sheer force of will and some giant ass computer monitors, I’m still able to work as a goddamned graphic designer/screen printing production artist. Am I as fast as I used to be? No way. I’m told I’m doing a pretty good job. And what’s the option? SIt around and feel sorry for myself? Do nothing? This is who I am and what I do. I’m lucky as shit to get paid to do what I love.

Except…my life is drastically different and filled with Ubers and medical bills and just…expenses that are just burying me. I’ve been struggling to get into the social security system as a disabled person because I keep going to specialists who I’m told will be able to declare me legally blind and open up some sort of government assistance. And I’m paying these people out of my own pocket to find out that they are not the ones that can help me. I’m still not insured. And I’m in this stupid loop where I need to see a doctor to be declared disabled and get insurance but I have to pay those doctors in the meantime. Eye specialists are not cheap.

And I need some serious mental help. This…on top of my already broken brain, is just too much. I wake up everyday, open my eyes and just cry for a bit, because it’s like…fuck…it’s this again.

And, I’ve gotta move. I love where I live but it’s just not possible to stay here. There is no public transportation and I have to Uber everywhere. It’s so close and so far from civilization if you cannot drive.

So here I am, forty five days later and I’m struggling. Mentally. Financially. I’m not good at asking for help. I don’t know how. I feel like I don’t deserve it. But the Rawkmom, JoAnn Gillespie, who has been helping me immensely says I’ve got to do it and it’s time. And she told me to make this funny, so that it’s coming from me, but it’s just not coming out funny.

So I ask, can you spare anything to help me get some stability in my life while we try to navigate the rest of this bureaucracy? I’m falling apart over here."

GoFundMe is a great platform for awareness but takes a lot out in transaction fees. If you would like to donate directly to Richie, his PayPal is @richiegoodtimes or his Venmo is @richiegoodtimes75 or even CashApp which is $RGoodtimes.

Thank you so much. Don't be upset if Richie doesn't thank you when you see him...because he might not be able to see you.