Charitable Groups
Happy Sunday to you all.
I was sitting in a coffee shop and reflecting on the amount of help given to my family through the years. My sister was born with a cleft lip/palette. Shortly afterward, my father broke his back when he fell off a building he was working on. I try to remember how charitable organizations ensured my family’s future. My father was blessed with benefits from VA for his service in Vietnam.
For my sister, there really wasn’t anything else to do, but look for the kindness of others. The multiple surgeries and sicknesses she incurred as a result of her birth defect would have easily bankrupted my parents. With four boys added to the mix, it still amazes me that my family was able to struggle through.
Throughout her childhood, she received help from the Crippled Children’s Fund. Although in many states, the name has been changed for PC reasons, the basics of helping children with disabilities or defects remains the same. I’m grateful for the Shriners (and their awesome go-carts). Had it not been for them, she would not have gotten many of the needed surgeries that she needed. In 1999, the Shriners of South Carolina gave more than 40 million dollars to cover medical treatment while only receiving only $200 thousand from the state.
My parents scraped and were able to find ways to provide for us when needed. Dental would be a trade-off of work from my dad to the local dentist. As a klutz myself, a local doctor from our church helped with my many stitches needed in my head. At every turn, my parents found ways to take care of their children in the best way they could. There was a point in time where that meant cutting off coverage for the rest of us to ensure that my sister had at least some form of insurance. To some, this would seem barbaric that such a choice needed to be made. We never felt that way, and as it would be, turned out to be the best decision.
When I was in my early teens, my sister and I were in the backyard tossing around a ball and just having a good time in the yard. I picked up a golf ball and asked her to move out of the way so I could hit it with a bat. She felt it correct to tell me that I’d never hit a line-drive in my life. I picked it up and hit my first that day (an action that I still curse myself for to this day). I still see her flying through the air. I can still hear her screaming and sometimes find it hard not to cry even in the midst of a public setting. I’ve been in combat, and the blood and explosions there didn’t affect me that much, but the pains that I’ve caused my sister will forever be my personal albatross.
My mother rushed her to the hospital, where she was given urgent care and informed that the damage caused by the ball had erased much of her earlier surgical repairs. I couldn’t look at her for weeks. I felt like the lowest being on the planet.
What I didn’t know, and what she and my parents had yet to find out, was that she needed another surgery for her sinuses that she could no longer qualify for under the fund. The insurance that my parents scraped for was going to cover most of it because of the circumstances of the accident. The insurance agent sought out charitable funds for the costs that weren’t covered by the policy.My mother later tried to reassure me that I may have inadvertently helped, because the surgery she needed would not have happened without the accident (although this never really made me feel any better about hurting her). Regardless, much of my personal recovery from other events involves the massive amounts of personal amends that I owe her.
I am just very grateful that those that were willing to help were there. They wouldn’t have been without the backing of all of their local, state, and national groups.
In a nutshell, I’m posting this today to remind people of the need for these groups. There are billions given to and used by charitable organizations on a yearly basis. These people who give so much of their time, effort and of themselves for the good of someone they likely will never even know. They are truly incredible.
Right now we stand at a pivotal point in our nation’s health care debate. When we think of what direction to go next, let’s not forget about those who have done so much for so many. Many of them have asked little in return, but we should offer them our thanks. Whatever happens as a result of government actions, let’s try to pass the message that we shouldn’t stop giving and helping with these groups just because it looks fixed. For many years, they have supplemented health care for our country, and without them, I don’t believe that any plan will work.
Have a beer in May
Stop into Altamont Brewing, 1042 Haywood Road, West Asheville, any time in May and ask for their "charity" beer of the day. Buy one and Life o' Mike gets $1. In fact, we get a buck for each one sold. So go in every day and have one to support Life o' Mike.
Thanks, Altamont!
Patient Pals & Family Friends
Life o' Mike has a peer support program for people with one or more serious or chronic medical issues or disabilities.
We aim to reduce isolation and fear among people who have conditions, including psychiatric illness, HIV/AIDS, diabetes, mild dementia or other cognitive disorder or disability, thereby reducing depression and complications as people learn to improve self-management of their medical conditions.
Patient Pals help alleviate feelings of isolation and frustration. They can help people develop a list of questions to ask the doctor and then accompany the person to the doctor to make sure all the questions are answered, taking notes to be sure the person understands the doctor’s answers.
Our trained volunteers also accompany their “Pals” to art exhibits, movies and walks outdoors, meet for coffee, call to check in and more.
Our Pals have experienced weight loss, improvement in diabetes, HIV, psoriasis, depression and more, just because they have someone who cares about them. Some relationships develop into longer-term friendships; other Pals move on to more independent lives.
Family Friends are there to help caregivers and other family members grow into their new role.
We need volunteers, who are asked to donate a minimum of one hour a week. Training is free and includes information on active listening, ways to help and when to know more help is needed.
And of course, we need funding.
To learn more, call Leslie Boyd at 828-243-6712 or e-mail lifeomike@gmail.com.
Start From Seed
Life o' Mike has a new program- Start from Seed (SFS).
SFS is a volunteer doula program aimed at providing non-medical, comprehensive support to low income, high-risk women and families of Buncombe County focusing on three areas:
1. We help new doulas with certification and training in return for their participation as a volunteer doula for SFS
2. We mentor volunteer doulas with their first few clients
3. Our volunteer doulas provide birth and postpartum doula services to low income, high risk moms, providing support and tools to empower them as a new parent.
A birth doula is a trained and experienced professional who provides continuous physical, emotional and informational support to the mother before, during and just after birth; a postpartum doula provides emotional and practical support during the postpartum period.
Start from Seed clients are referred to us from the Buncombe County Department of Health’s Nurse-Family Partnership Program, Western North Carolina Community Health Services, and Mission Hospital. The Program is intended and designed for growing clients’ inner strength and helping them gain empowerment to help them cope with the emotional, physical and mental challenges of childbirth, labor, and motherhood.
Our new moms and their infants have many needs. If you would like to help them get off to a good start, please visit our Start from Seed web site: Start from Seed, or call Program Director Chelsea Kouns at 804-814-9946.
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