On September 17th, 27-year-old Melissa Wilkins was diagnosed with brain cancer. Since then she’s been in surgery a few times, including last week when doctors had to remove a bone that may be infected and has been in the hospital for weeks at a time. With the insurance limit of $100,000, friends and family are trying to raise money to pay the bills.
Conor Byrne is holding a benefit on Friday evening to help cover Wilkins’ medical bills. “Three amazing local singer/songwriters will be performing throughout the evening – one of which is Melissa’s sister, Leanne,” Rachel Parrish writes on the Keep Singing: A Benefit for Melissa Facebook page. “There will be a HUGE raffle for more items than you can imagine – haircuts, massages, huge Mary Kay baskets, and gift cards to local coffee shops and restaurants galore. These raffle tickets can be purchased for either $5 or $10 depending on what you’re trying to win!”
The benefit starts at 7:30 p.m. with a $15 suggested donation at the door. If you can’t attend, but would like to donate, click here.
I wish the local community put more into services that help cancer patients instead of all these homeless ventures in Ballard. I bet more of us know someone that has been effected by cancer than someone who is homeless.
I hope the benefit raises lots of money.
This is a great idea. My dad had glioblastoma, and it’s brutal. Best wishes to Melissa!!!!
It’s a tragedy that the United States is the only developed country without universal health care. I’ve been caring for a relative with serious health problems and our health insurance system is disfunctional, inadequate, and generally a horror. People who are healthy don’t realize that until they get sick and then the whole horrid situation comes home.
And, Shane, we need to pull together to help both cancer patients AND homeless people. The support systems are inadequate for both.
Let’s do more to help those who get in situations beyond their control.
Having lived most of my life under a universal healthcare system, I can tell you they ration too.
This to me sounds like a costs problem. Maybe if 70% of US healthcare costs weren’t being consumed by chronic problems – caused by bad diet, lack of exercise and smoking – and if Americans didn’t think they should have every whiz-bang fix up to repair those bad choices (now they want to have stomach stapling paid for rather than learn to control their diets!), maybe they’d be more health care for the rest of us who live well and get struck down by bad luck.
Because things like cancer, rhematoid arthritis and aging can be cured if we would all just run. Maybe if we wouldn’t give junkfood out as lunches to children in schools they would have a fighting chance. I am overweight and an ex-smoker and still have better cholesterol and blood pressure than most who are physically fit. Genetics go a long way so maybe you should check your numbers and not just believe one report.
or anecdotal evidence.