Help Lee

Click here.
(And consider posting on her situation on your blog, too.)

Help Lee

Because "the system" is failing her.

As Anntichrist writes on Blondesense:

This is Leola "Lee" Kinchen, one of the most amazing human beings that I have ever met. She works part-time at the local Fred's Super Discount Store, and when I was dragged here three years ago, Lee was the first person here who actually BEFRIENDED me in this whole snotty-ass pretentious little hick town. To her, I wasn't a "freak" for my tats or my piercings or the bumperstickers on my truck. She was just as kind and funny and sweet as all get-out, with a huge dose of cayenne-hot smartass to balance it all out.

Contrary to popular belief, Neurofibromatosis is not "Elephant Man's disease." John Merrick actually had a combination of about 6 other diseases. But the NF-1 has suddenly blossomed a huge brain tumor in Lee's head that is pressing down on 8 of the 15 major nerve branches and blocking most of the major blood vessels. And she's still working.

That's how she lost her SSI/SSDI, Medicaid and Medicare, and if she waits until April or May when they MIGHT be able to work her into what's left of the Louisiana state hospital system, she'll be dead of a massive stroke.

There are many more details about Lee's story, and about Susan, her manager at Fred's and guardian angel, at the fundraiser blog.

We talk a lot on the internet about the need for social change, including health care for everyone, regardless of bank account size or employment status. However, you and I can only get that done through indirect action, such as blogging, letter-writing, and voting. And in the meantime, many people go without health care. In some ways, however, it's all a little abstract.

For Lee, it's not abstract. Here's a real person in urgent need of health care and who can't sit around waiting for politicians to finish posturing and take action.

If the blogging community has any power, and I think it has, there could be no more better way to wield that power than to save a life.

Five bucks, ten bucks each. It wouldn't take much money from any one of us if we instead have a huge number of people lining up to drop their spare change into the PayPal account.

I've donated.

Let's get Lee that operation.