$1 to save a family, is that asking too much?

[Bloodwhiner]

Normally I avoid this type of thing, but the man being written about is a dear friend and coworker. Everything described in the post is true, I can attest to it. I was with him when the doctors said his wife had died and then again when she smiled at him the next day.

this is not bogus, this could be anyone of us. He did everything right but nothing has gone his way since April 1, 2008 except his wife still being alive.

Please I ask you to read the supplied link and help them if you can. Even if you can't afford it financially, you can still help by passing this along to everyone in your address book or reposting to other forums, for others may be able to help. This is not about politics or religion, it isn't a debate on health care - this is very simply an appeal to humanity to look into their heart and do what they feel best.

http://savestevesfamily.blogspot.com/


Thank you,
Ron

 

[Cakes488]

I'm going to do it! I've given to causes less worthy than this.

 

[ancientone51]

Bloodhwiner, I read the link. Very sad indeed.

Only question I have is, what happened to her to put her in this awful state.

There is mention of an injury, but what caused it. Don't mean to pry, but it would help to have a tiny bit more information.

They are at least on my list of those to send good hopes to.

 

[Bloodwhiner]

After the intial anuersm we found out there was a genetic birth defeat in the vein at the base of her brain that left it weak. It could have gone her lifetime without a problem, but alas it did not.

So, there was no injury to point at as the cause.

We also just found out the paypal link isn't working - it is being corrected and I will post the update information as soon as it is ready.

Thank you.

 

[RJDiogenes]

Bloody Hell, this exact same thing happened to my friend Suzanne a few years ago. She had previously had brain surgery for an aneurysm and did great for a long time, but then was blindsided by an undiagnosed second aneurysm. When I saw her in the hospital the day after, I would have sworn she was done for. But her husband Alex wouldn't give up on her. He did everything he could to get her the best treatment possible (and without insurance, as he was self-employed).

Cut to several months later, and Suzanne is home, getting around on a walker, talking on the phone, even going out shopping with friends. She has some memory problems and she's hard to understand, but she knows everybody and she is able to live her life. That first week, nobody would have believed it.

I'll send a check. I hate PayPal.

 

[Amaris]

I want to help, but I don't use Paypal (long, long, long story). Can she accept a money order (I don't have checks)?


J.

 

[ThunderAeroI]

I'd like to hear about her current status more. is she Terry Shivo or is she expected to walk and serve humanity again?

 

[Bloodwhiner]

The paypal link is now working

You can also make a check out to "Marian Coddington Trust" and send to:

Suntrust Bank
Attention Special Handling VA-RIC-9292
P.O. Box 27572
Richmond, VA 23261

As for the money order... I'm not really sure. If you are comfortable with it, you can send it to me, in my name and I will give it to the trust fund. If you want to do that, PM me for my address.


As to Marian's current condition - she is in no way a Terri Schivo case. Marian is awake, speaking (with a very limited verbal ability) and responds to stimuli. The way it was explained to me -- her mind is very intact but her nerves have been scrambled. The brain is trying to find a way to work. It is like if you have traveled one road your whole life, then a bridge collapses and you have to find a new way with no map in a city with no other direct routes. You can get through but it takes a while to do so on your own.

Therapy (which insurance has denied despite every doctor's backing) would greatly help her learn that new route. Just speech therapy would be a major help. Steve is trying to do this on his own by repeating what he saw being done. But he isn't a therapist and can only do so much.

If anyone has seen the film "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly", Marian has a condition similar to the "locked in" syndrome the moving deals with. Hers is not as bad but very similar.

Hope that answers your question.

 

[pookha]

i dont know if any of the below might be of help and for all i know that might be already checked on.

but while most volunteer work for therapists in school is done in a clinical setting
someone in the programs might be able to give advise about where to go for help.

if the worst get together people who can be depended upon and have a therapist go through with them what must be done each day.

prayers and good wishes..

Virginia Commonwealth University (A4, D6, F1, PU)
Last Updated by Program: 06/09/2009
Address: Department of Physical Therapy
Box 980224
Medical College of Virginia Campus
Virginia Commonwealth University
Richmond, VA 23298-0224



General inquiries should be directed to:
Virginia Commonwealth University
School of Allied Health Professions
Department of Physical Therapy
1200 East Broad Street
P.O. Box 980224
Richmond, Virginia 23298-0224
E-mail: jkendric@vcu.edu
Phone: (804) 828-0234
Fax: (804) 828-8111

Virginia commonwealth Pre-Physical Therapy Club

 

[Bloodwhiner]

Thanks Pookha, I will send it along.

Often there are programs and services available but they aren't advertised or known about. The only way to find out about these programs is by word of mouth.

 

[Bloodwhiner]

I was just told more than $2000 has been raised in the first 24 hours of the posting going up. For that I thank every single one of you who went the extra mile. I wish I could say more, but words fail me.

 

[Captrek]

Steve works for the St. Petersburg Times. I assume the staff there knows him and is sympathetic to his cause. Why haven’t they published this story? (I’m assuming they haven’t because I can find no mention of it on their website, including the archives, and there is no mention on the Save Steve’s Family website of the paper publishing the story.) Publishing the story in that paper strikes me as a good way to put pressure on CIGNA. They reach hundreds of thousands of readers and instantly bring far more credibility to the cause than a personal website. It makes a great human interest story for the paper when they can add the “We know Steve. He’s a great guy. You’ve seen his photographs in these pages countless times” angle.

 

[Bloodwhiner]

The reason there has been no mention in the St. Petersburg Times is two-fold.

First, we ( I work there too) avoid doing any stories on our own staff and their families. It is just a standard policy of the paper. Often when a writer is looking for someone to humanize a story they are working they put out a message on the newsroom messaging system looking for someone "NCTTT" - our shorthand for "Not Connected to the Times." Writing about ones own can e seen as giving them preferential treatment, we truly try to avoid that.

secondly, It would be very hard to be neutral and objective. Virtually everyone in our newsroom has done something to help the Coddington's. They have donated money, taken food to the family, sat with them at the hospital, organized relief funds, etc. This goes from part-time news clerks right up to our publisher. There is no way a story could make it's way through the editing and design process without compromising the paper's standards. Once that standard is compromised it calls into question everything we have done in the past or will do in the future.

That may seem harsh, but those are the guidelines we choose to maintain and everyone who works for us understand them.

 

[RJDiogenes]

Journalistic integrity is a good thing.

 

[ThunderAeroI]

Crop it out to a sister paper then, sitting on your hand, isn't helpful.

 

[Bloodwhiner]

We have no sister paper. We are an independent for profit paper owned by the non-profit Poynter Institute for media studies. We are also the largest paper in Florida and won two Pulitzers last year.

The only other area paper that could have had an interest is our main local competitor, The Tampa Tribune. they are aware of it but have no interest because of Steve working for us.

We are trying to get a TV station interested.

 

[All Seeing Eye]

Would this type of thing be covered for with UHC?

 

[ThunderAeroI]

Would this type of thing be covered for with UHC?

Thats the rub, even under UHC you can't keep trouwing good money after bad. Your going to have "death squads" no matter who provides health care.

 

[pookha]

well i screwed up..
this is what happens when i read something when not feeling well.
i only read the first part of the blog and got the bank adress mixed up in where they actually live.
sorry about that.