We have two fundraisers that are going at this point.
One is being spearheaded by Ariel.
From the Desk of Ariel L. David
First of all I just wanted to thank everyone for their support. You do not know what a big impact it has made both emotionally and physically. It is always wonderful to hear that someone has bought a book or left a nice message. It brings smiles and hope to my family. Second, as many of you know I’m planning to do an auction to try to raise money for the medical bills. I wanted to ask for donations of items and such for us to auction. If you have anything please email me at help4PAD (at) gmail (dot) com. We are planning an auction at the convention Farpoint Valentine’s weekend. Also once I have enough items I will be working with Glenn Hauman to set up an online auction as well.
The other is being spearheaded by JK Woodward who has been the Fallen Angel artist since it moved from DC to IDW
Here is the information that JK sent me.
Here’s all the info so far:
Peter David Art Auction In Development
Peter David Art Auction in Progress
And I’ll be announcing the auction which goes live on 2/13/13 my blog I’ll also be announcing any further developmeants and new artist there as well.
(Kath back)
So there you have it. Two new ways to help Peter.
Again the wider that we can put this out on the net, the better chances we have for success.
I can say that the scary bills from last month are showing up in the mail box and they are very scary. Again I would to thank Marvel Entertainment for all their support and the insurance that they provide us. If I needed proof that the healthcare system in America is not in great shape, I got it in spades in my mailbox this week.
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What kind of items are you looking for? 🙂
Anything that fans would be interested in.
I think it unfair to say that America’s health system isn’t working well, given that when the chips were down, it seems to have worked very well for you. In Canada or England, Peter might not have had access soon enough to a facility so competent at minimizing the damage. Now, Peter will be able to write again (something he might not have been able to do in another country), though he may need help getting the words on paper. He’s in a hole, but he still has a ladder to get out. Ask any insurance agent, and he’ll tell you that your most important asset is your ability to earn money. Thanks to the rapidity of response, my guess is that he still has that.
That said, it certainly is true that major incidents like this can be extremely expensive — I don’t think that’s denied by anyone. It’s very costly to have those kinds of facilities available at a moment’s notice (sixty years ago, the outcome probably would have been more tragic). The money that went into training just one of the neurosurgeons probably amounts to a couple hundred thousand dollars, and that’s what the current so-called reform has failed to consider.
But, politics is for another time. What you need to know now is that, just because you get a bill, that’s not necessarily what you owe. There really isn’t a market in stroke recovery in the United States (even though many people have strokes). The hospital and all the personnel involved bill according to general standards which take into consideration not only Peter’s injuries but also legal costs, administrative matters, and the injuries of all the others, including those who die and those who can’t or won’t pay. If they think you have it, they’ll ask for it, if for no other reason than that “there ain’t no such thing as a free lunch;” and, all of the costs, run up by everyone, have to be covered somehow, or the facility will close.
As soon as you can, you need to determine what are the actual costs for Peter’s care and how they can be amortized over time — try to negotiate away paying for everyone else. Anticipate that you also will face costs for long-term care, and that you can cut those costs by learning how to do some of the work yourself. Visit a university book store (I guarantee you there are good ones in New York), and plop $50-$150 down for a good text on nursing care (it will save you money in the long run if you can do much of that yourself). A Merck’s Manual might also be helpful if you know (or learn) how to use it.
Also, since Marvel seems to be helping you, get back with them. They well may have links to insurance companies or bankers who might be convinced to put some money on the table for you, based upon Peter’s proven capacity to produce and depending on what additional security you might have.
Make sure you know your tax angles and how that can be used to offset expense. A dollar that goes to the government is just as gone as one that goes to the hospital. Do what you can to make that dollar do double-duty by insuring that your tax deductions are maximized for this year and especially last. (A half hour with a good tax lawyer may save you money in the long run.) The IRC is an unbelievably tangled mass. There may be all sorts of stuff in there you can use to your advantage if you take the time to look. Go beyond the usual deduction when medical bills exceed a certain portion of your income.
Finally, ask yourself what you can do to make more money — a LOT more money. An auction might help in the moment, but you’ll probably need a lot more than that.
I once put a children’s book together that was little more than a sequence of photos from my niece’s birthday party (when she was three), plus captions. I never actually sold it (or tried to), but were I to do so now, it might be worth some decent money. Think of things like that and see what you have in your bag of tricks.
After you recover from the sticker shock, you may find you have more resources than you think.
About the bills. For what it’s worth one thing to do is to check with the insurance company to see if they were submitted the bill and if they really did turn it down. My mother goes through that quite often and most of the time it turns out to be lazy billing in the medical office. They’d rather bill you and let you get reimbursed , if you can, than bill the insurance company.
I subsequently read, in one of the subsequent posts, that you had been experimenting with the Dragon computer-writing program.
These people have been advertising on television in my area.
Have you ever thought of doing a commercial for them? Might be a relatively easy way to raise some money (though it would require a personal appearance).