Dyersburg, Tennessee - Bake Sale To Aid Local Man In Need Of New Kidney

[TomCADem]

I know the media loves to focus on Nazi imagery, townhall disruptions, the political back and forth, and accusations of socialism. However, in the background, there are Americans each day who are falling through the cracks and discovering that the health insurance that they thought was so great, was not so great after all.

http://www.stategazette.com/story/1557155.html

###

A benefit bake sale and auction will be held tomorrow to aid a local man in need of a new kidney.
Steve Riggs of Dyersburg has polycystic kidney disease, a disorder he shares with his father and two of his sisters. He also had rheumatic fever as a baby, which damaged his heart.

Riggs found out about his hereditary kidney disease in 1998, but suffered no complications until he had surgery to place a mechanical valve in his heart. The blood thinners required after surgery aggravated his kidney problem. Now, he and his wife wait while family members complete compatibility testing to see if they can donate the kidney he needs so desperately.

###

[Kdillard]

1. Scary.

[TomCADem]

2. Add: Why Doesn't The Media Cover These Bakesales and Fundraisers - People Are Happy With Status Quo?

You just need to do a google news of "medical expense fundraiser bake sale" and you find the most recent set of bake sales being held to help someone cover their medical expenses. It is easy to cite a poll of mostly healthy people, and ask them if they are happy with their healthcare. The real question should be posed to those people are not healthy and who had insurance, but are now relying on bake sales to make ends meet.

For goodness sake, is it that difficult to engage in journalism? Instead, we are stuck with images of crazies brandishing signs of Hitler. WTH does this have to do with the healthcare debate.

Why doesn't media run an easy google search and ask the people who have to rely on these bake sales whether they think there medical insurance is sufficient. Also, what will be the impact of President Obama's proposals to reduce the permissible deductibles, which are sometimes set so high now that people with medical insurance experience severe financial difficulty.

[Kdillard]

3. The media has no interest in actually informing the people of

anything. Their only interest is covering ad nauseum the latest celebrity scandal or other sensationlistic news. If not that they are busy pushing the right wing talking points or asking totally irrelevent questions. Just look at the advertisers they have or the people they have on their shows.

[DrToast]

11. Better question: Why don't any of our politicians show up to these events

Send Obama down to this thing.

[Uncle Joe]

18. Because the corporate media can't make money selling commercials to bake sales and fundraisers,

they can make money selling commercials to for profit "health" insurance corporations and the corporate media first and foremost worship at the altar of the almighty dollar.

The corporate media's Defacto clients are corporations, the American People; are only customers or consumers to be sold a product, candidate or down the river.

[Vinca]

4. You ought to send this to CNN.

Yesterday they had a piece about the state of health care in China and featured a 39 year old man who was dying of kidney disease. Funny how they can find stories to cover in China, but completely ignore people suffering in this country. Bake sales for a kidney transplant are heartfelt, but what's the point? How many cupcakes do you have to sell to pay for a new kidney? Last year our local fire department had fundraisers all summer long for a local woman with leukemia so she could see the one doctor they thought might help her. She died. Cancer doesn't wait for bake sales and car washes.

[TomCADem]

7. Major Media - But In Canada, They Ration Care?!?!?!?

All you have to do is google "bake sale fundraiser medical expense" and you will find numerous local news stories covering these types of fundraisers. Yet, it just does not fit with the narrative that there is no such thing as rationed care in the U.S. There is rationing. Its just for those with money at the expense of those without.

[area51]

5. k&r

Bake sales to afford medical care would never happen in a first-world country; a first-world country would make sure its citizens received needed healthcare if for no other reason, so they could remain a productive citizen for our business ruling class. We don't even do that here, in this third-world country.

[GreenPartyVoter]

6. I remember raffles being held to help a teen girl with her cancer bills. She didn't make it. :^(

[LibDemAlways]

17. A concert fundraiser featuring a high school band was

recently held for a 15-year-old cancer victim in my town. It was a thoughtful gesture, but shouldn't have been necessary. The last thing a family in that situation needs is to worry about how to pay the bills.

[Lars39]

8. Maybe this man's situation will help open some eyes in that conservative town.

Not holding my breath, though. Dyersburg is a town like time forgot in many ways. :(

[GoCubsGo]

9. We did the same for a former co-worker...

He was a right-wing fundie nutjob. His wife needed a new heart. She got it with thanks to all of us horrid liberal atheists and agnostics. We had bake sales and pot luck fundraisers for them, among other things. A few years later, one of Dick Cheney's minions had our funding yanked and a bunch of us lost our jobs. Many of us had worked there for twenty years or more. Not this jerk. He's STILL working there 3 years later. But, but, but..."It wasn't political, dontcha know?" I am sure he's totally against President Obama in any way shape or form, including his health care reform ideas. It's a real kick in the teeth for me, since I still haven't been able to find a decent, permanent job. I have no health insurance. I don't think he'll be helping me out the way I helped him out, when my health issues get worse from sheer neglect. (I didn't help out expecting repayment. It's just the principle of the matter...)

[Lisa0825]

10. Shared on FB. It's already been reposted twice. I hope he gets

the help he needs, and I hope he'll serve as another example of health care delivery failing people, to help get the word out to those who don't yet get it.

[TomCADem]

15. The Sad Thing Is That Even On DU, Some Folks Claim This Isn't "Newsy"

The remarks I've heard is that these bake sales have been around for a long time. To me, that is a problem when we take it for granted that families should be on the verge of losing their homes, and resorting to begging when a medical emergency occurs. Yes, I am glad that the community is some instances will help some families, but what about insurance?

Have we gotten to the point where we have been re-educated to think that it is normal, acceptable and preferable to have families across the U.S. resorting to bake sales in order to cover medical bills? Also, what we never hear is how successful these bake sales are. Do these families remain in dire straits?

[Doremus]

12. Take your pick

http://www.transplants.org/news_publications.php

Restaurant to donate proceeds to national foundation in honor of N.C. transplant patient
Yard sale in honor of Spokane heart transplant patient
Raffle, concert and poker run in honor of Weirton transplant patient
Bowling benefit in honor of Merrionette Park transplant patient
Restaurant to donate portion of proceeds to transplant patient
Rummage sale in honor of double-lung transplant patient
Bake sale in honor of Logan transplant patient
“Benefit at The Box Seat” in honor of local transplant patient
Poker run and softball tournament to benefit kidney transplant patient
And so on
And so on
And so on


:cry:

[Critters2]

13. I went out to lunch with some parishioners, and saw fliers

in a local restaurant for two of these kinds of benefits. Why don't people make the connection?

[RamboLiberal]

14. I contributed money at a gun range with a parking lot

full of fading McCain/Palin stickers for a young girl to get a replacement pacemaker. And they were also holding some other fundraiser some place else. And I bet these same folks are nodding "Yep, Yep" at their girl Sarah blasting Obama's "Death Panels". They don't make the connection. Believe me there's a part of me that didn't want to give - but then I'm a liberal.

[earth mom]

16. This is truly insane! This is NOT what should happen in a civilized educated humane society!

U.S. health care is barbaric.