
Richard Lynch, an awesome PHP community guy and former colleague needs our help - janeto
http://richardlynch.blogspot.com/
======
amix
I donated $50, but I really wish US (and other countries) would reconsider
their broken healthcare systems. My dad died of cancer a few years ago and I
am really glad we lived in Denmark when he got it - - with a great public
healthcare system. He lived 2 years with his cancer, which is a lot when you
are counting days. Not many normal people can afford these things (as each of
my dads treatments cost about 20.000USD+ and he had a lot of them).

Also, just yesterday DHH posted this: "Top income tax rate for California
residents is 51.6%. Top for Danish residents is 51.7%. (Kicking at $500k+ vs
$70K+, though)."

Which puts things in perspective.

~~~
colechristensen
I don't particularly see this as being a strong problem with American
healthcare. You can buy health insurance to pay for any and all medical
expenses. The healthcare system is broken if you do an honest day's work and
can't afford insurance, but that's not what we're talking about here. There is
a reason that most of the best hospitals in the world are American, and the
way we fund our healthcare is that reason. Yes there are plenty of
efficiencies to be improved, and much in the way of helping everyone access
affordable care. However, you're never going to have Americans shifting away
from exchanging dollars for doctors.

~~~
doktrin
> _The healthcare system is broken if you do an honest day 's work and can't
> afford insurance, but that's not what we're talking about here._

Isn't it, though? If you replace "insurance" with "appropriate medical care"
that does in fact sound like what we're talking about.

This individual was a programmer, who based on his blog only quit his job once
he was _physically unable to perform the duties required_ \- and yet, is
clearly unable to cover all his medical expenses.

The system is broken. Anyone who says different is either delusional or
selling something.

~~~
colechristensen
You can buy insurance which covers home health care and doesn't cost a cent
after a deductible of a few thousand dollars. You can buy insurance which
provides income if you can't work because of an illness... there are also
several government programs that help the disabled.

You can also save money for emergencies and not live in debt beyond your means
your whole life as too many Americans do. Sometimes bad luck strikes and
you'll need to ask for help from friends, family, and the community and
there's no shame in that.

If you get sick and can't work, is the health care system supposed to pay your
mortgage too?

The American system is based on choice, and Americans will not give up that
choice no matter how many discussions are had calling the system broken. It is
not a broken system in which a person with appropriate means choses risk over
safety.

If we were talking about people without the means to pay for insurance then
this would be an entirely different discussion.

~~~
secstate
The problem with your Rand-esque proposal that if we all saved and lived below
our means would be rolling in it, is that we don't all have the privilege of
living in state or region that provides reasonable healthcare.

Any guesses what a family policy with a $10,000 (?!) deductible goes for in
Maine? $1,400. Say what? That's if you don't get insurance through your
employer, which is becoming more rare everyday as insurance negotiations for
employers gets stupid expensive everyday too. That's approaching 30% of my
annual salary, and we'd have to pay up to $10,000 before anything kicks in.

Oh, and routine medical visits aren't covered either, so that just encourages
you to not see a doctor unless you really need to. Who honestly wants to drop
$200 annually to have someone with 5 years of med school tell you you're fine,
but could lose a little weight.

The system is broken. If you're covered by insurance you have no right to
speak to any of this. If you live in a state where individual policy pools are
cost effective, you have no right to speak to any of this.

The state of the matter is that the rest of the world has figured this out.
And while there will always be challenges figuring out when $84,000 for open
heart surgery on a 90 year old man is warranted, we can do better than right
now.

TLDR; Health care that's twice as expensive and general health that's not even
in the top 25 in the world anymore. And no, people go to Thailand for really
expensive experimental surgeries (done by American doctors, granted), these
days.

~~~
natrius
The Affordable Care Act requires routine medical visits to be covered by your
insurance provider without a copay. If you aren't seeing a doctor every year,
you're throwing away money.

[http://www.webmd.com/health-insurance/insurance-
plans/health...](http://www.webmd.com/health-insurance/insurance-plans/health-
care-reform-and-preventive-care-costs)

~~~
secstate
That's new in the past 45 days. For what it's worth, under the ADA the
insurance subsidy I get from taxes is enough that I actually am insured, but
it doesn't bring the monthly cost of an insurance plan down any ... just
pushes the cost off to taxpayers.

The miserable irony of this is that then the government winds up making a deal
with FOR PROFIT insurance companies. Companies which would be failing their
investors if they weren't wringing every cent out of the policy holders to pad
their own pockets and generate wealth off the suffering of others.

My personal opinion is that the ACA is a stepping stone to a single payer or
something close to it in the USA. Meanwhile it is absolutely the worst of both
government spending and private corporations. Now we just have to wait a whole
other oscillation of the liberal-conservative pendulum, which tends to take
10-20 years.

~~~
natrius
Insurance companies generally have to spend 80% of premiums on medical
expenses[1]. The profit and marketing expenses aren't that much of your
premiums. What you seem to be asking for is price fixing the way much of the
rest of the world handles healthcare, which will reduce the incentives to
advance medicine. I prefer our current approach, where those who can afford to
pay are left to pay as much as they're willing to, which increases the number
of smart people who are willing to solve everyone's medical problems.

I grew up in Houston, where people from around the world go when they want to
be treated for cancer at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. It's not cheap, but the
best doctors in the world head there because they can make the most money.

Single-payer healthcare is worse than the Affordable Care Act.

[1] [https://www.healthcare.gov/how-does-the-health-care-law-
prot...](https://www.healthcare.gov/how-does-the-health-care-law-protect-
me/#part=10)

~~~
secstate
But 90% of the world doesn't die from exotic cancers, at least not below the
age of 50 (or 60 ... keeps creeping up). The idea that advanced medicine is an
justification for for-profit medicine is a straw man argument.

The reality is that there are many more nuanced single-payer healthcare
systems in the world than the one where the government tells you who gets to
live and who gets to die. In the U.K. for example, there are still for-profit
health care insurers and if you're wealthy enough you can buy their policy and
have quadruple by-pass surgery when your 75.

I'm not going to pretend we don't live in a capitalist world and that at some
point rich people are going to live better than poor people. That would a
fool's dream. But to argue pure Smith-style market economics will help keep
people healthy is a joke.

Even worse than that, while you laud the MDA Cancer Center in Houston now,
wait 20 years and the cost of operating it will have sent it out of the
country. In a globalized world you are competing with everyone, and while the
USA has been sleeping the rest of the world has been getting very good at what
we believe makes us special.

~~~
natrius
I don't fear the rest of the world getting better than us at medicine. Money
motivates most people. The best doctors will go where they can get the most
money. That is here.

If I had to pick between the UK's system, where price controls help pay for
healthcare for those who can't afford it, and the Affordable Care Act, where
wealthy people pay for healthcare for those who can't afford it, I'd choose
the Affordable Care Act.

Price controls have such a terrible track record that we should prove why
healthcare is different from the failures we've seen in housing, food and gas
before trying again. Price controls give us less of what we desired so much in
the first place.

~~~
andyjohnson0
_"...the UK's system, where price controls help pay for healthcare for those
who can't afford it..."_

I'm not sure how much you know about the UK system, but it doesn't use "price
controls". Its funded by National Insurance Contributions [1], which are a
form of payroll tax. The more you earn, the more you pay. People on low
incomes pay nothing but still receive health care.

[1]
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Insurance](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Insurance)

~~~
natrius
The vast majority of the UK's health expenses flow through the NHS. This gives
NHS the power to demand prices that are lower than they would be if there were
many competing insurers. That is effectively a price control. If you don't
agree to accept the NHS's price, you're left with few, if any customers.

------
bestham
It's so sad that the country where Richard lived, worked and paid taxes for
about 30 years can't provide for him. I'm glad to be able to help. But what
happens to those that don't reach the front page of HN? No one enduring the
stress of a terminal cancer should have to stress about getting ends to meet
during their last months alive. EVER

~~~
joshmn
My family is one of them (stressing about getting ends to meet).

My momma, 55, otherwise ridiculously healthy, has terminal brain cancer among
other things. She was diagnosed five days before her 55th birthday (10/25)
this year -- [seemingly] out of the blue.

While her and my father have insurance (through United Health Group), there's
no smooth sailing because her treatments are so "specialized".

I, at 22, cleaned out my savings and checking just to make sure that her
treatments will be paid for, and additionally hire a wicked-awesome in-home
PCA to make sure that she's living comfortably when I'm not able to be there.

I won't get into the logistics of why my father / her husband won't pay for
things.

Never been so proud to eat Ramen Noodles.

Edit: you guys make me tear up. Thanks for the support and kind words.

~~~
gamblor956
You need to contact a lawyer. If you're clearing out your savings to pay for
her treatment (but not for the in-home PCA), there's a good chance her insurer
is committing a number of violations regarding her coverage. For many
insurers, having a lawyer breathing down their necks about coverage decisions
also tends to be a good way to get them to approve treatment without giving
you the runaround.

~~~
coherentpony
So they would have spent that money on a lawyer instead. It doesn't matter
what you do, you can't escape the astronomical cost of healthcare in the US.

~~~
shadowwolf007
As someone who has been in this situation, I can attest the only difference
between the two situations is that if you go to a lawyer your mom doesn't get
all treatments in the meantime.

Fortunately for me, the people at Mayo Clinic are amazing and gave treatment
they knew we couldn't even start to dream to pay for. Not everyone is so
lucky.

Ended up dropping the whole thing though. And lawyer said it was slam dunk
malpractice, but reality bites and it's amazing what hospitals can do.

------
radicalbyte
Just read his series of post over his ordeal. He really has had a rough time.

Guys (and gals) of HN, let see if our little community can get to together to
help Richard enjoy his last days (and maybe provide a bit for his family if we
do really well).

Most of us can miss $20, and Richard and his family need it more than must of
us do..

~~~
donohoe
Done - and anyone else reading this should do.

It takes seconds and you won't even miss the 3 lattes it could buy you.

~~~
atwebb
I was pretty surprised at how easy PayPal has made it. I know that people
prefer other services and the reasons they do, but at least PP has been moving
forward in their ease of integration. Noticed it on Bandcamp recently as well.
Just type amount, enter email and password then confirm and done (assuming
you've got PP setup already).

~~~
Trufa
I work with PayPal and to be honest my dislike doesn't come from the user
experience but the developer side, the api, the tools, the interface, they are
all broken, it is amazingly demotivating.

~~~
atwebb
I worked with it years ago and had a similar experience. I guess I was try to
say the recently I had a few pleasant, easy transactions. Upon further
inspection, that might not be something to be too excited about.

------
akassover
Oh jeez... seeing Rich's name made my heart jump. I worked with him in the
late 90's. He's a great guy, smart dude, and he wrote some hilarious poetry
about Microsoft in his code comments during his late night coding sessions. I
hate to hear about what he's going through.

During the year we worked together, Rich was probably the #1 driving force in
PHP support worldwide. This was a time when PHP was still gaining traction and
it really needed champions like Rich. He answered thousands of questions,
posted sample code, responded to emails from strangers, and basically wouldn't
leave his desk night day until he'd helped everyone that came to him (often
wrapping up at 2 or 3 am).

Rich is also a huge supporter of local music and when I knew him, he was as
much a driving force in the Chicago music scene as he was in the PHP scene. He
happily fronted the $$$ to bands to cover the costs of recording and touring
with zero expectation of getting paid back and even bought a van to loan out
to bands that wanted to go on tour.

Needless to say I kicked in some cash. I'm glad to see he's getting some
support here. He truly deserves it.

~~~
girvo
I've looked up to Rich since I learnt PHP back in... what, 2004? I haven't
seen his name around in a while, and I guess I know why.

I'm completely broke (dealing with my own circumstance, but it's got nothing
on his) but I still kicked in $20AUD -- I'd rather it help Rich as a thanks,
no matter how little.

You're right, Rich truly does deserve it.

------
Harkins
Rich ran the Chicago PHP Users Group for something like a decade, getting a
lot of people into web coding or writing better code. He's a generous, kind
person who could really use a little generosity himself.

------
benwerd
This should absolutely not be necessary in a civilized society. I don't know
Richard or his work, but I donated. I'm proud to do so, and ashamed that the
nation I call my home does not provide adequate support.

------
mgkimsal
It took me a while to actually see there was a paypal donation button on the
right. Perhaps ad-blindness, perhaps just taken in with reading recent updates
- in January, Richard was given 3-6 months to live
([http://richardlynch.blogspot.com/2014/01/end-
game.html](http://richardlynch.blogspot.com/2014/01/end-game.html)). Donation
sent - I hope every little bit helps.

------
Stal3r
Can someone who knows this guy set up a Crowdtilt page for him? Charitable
campaigns do really well there.

~~~
mlebel
I work for Crowdtilt -- if someone who knows Richard can contact me (lebel at
crowdtilt dot com), I can help get a campaign set up with all fees waived.

~~~
ryanmerket
For anyone who wants to contact Richard directly to setup a Crowdtilt page, he
has asked you to e-mail him at richardlynchchicago@gmail.com

------
jmadsen
"PayPal does not currently support Donation Payments from buyers in JP. We
apologize for any inconvenience this may cause."

 _Sigh_ Someday the govt & banks will catch up with the 21st century.

If someone can put a little extra in the bin on my behalf, I'll look for a
chance to pay it forward. Thanks

~~~
agumonkey
I gave less than the average here so went for a second round this time with
your HN pseudo mentioned.

~~~
jmadsen
thank you!

~~~
agumonkey
you're welcome, the more names, the more love

~~~
teja1990
Just logged in to up vote your comment. Really nice of you.

------
joshfraser
The fact that this is currently #1 on HN makes me really proud of our
community. I don't know Richard, but I chipped in a few bucks anyway. Let's
get this guy a chair lift.

------
elviejo
My father's best friend (a friendship of over 60 years). Got 3 brain tumors...
They all were removed with brain surgery. And he lived for another 3 years
with good quality of life. Thanks to the biweekly physical therapy he had.

Then he passed away.

His kids didn't lose their house. His kids didn't lose their opportunity to go
to college.

Not to too bad for pretty small city in the middle of nowhere in Mexico.

I wonder how one of the richest nations on earth, with the biggest army, can't
provide for the healthcare of its citizens when much poorer nations (mexico,
uruguay, etc.) can.

A matter of priorities I guess...

~~~
adventured
To answer your rhetorical question, America is coming from being a hyper free
market system, in which both culturally and legally people were expected to
fend for themselves. This approach was extremely ingrained into American life
for 200 years. Culturally the attitude was all-pervasive, and it was regarded
as something that made Americans distinctive: self-reliance.

Given America is by far the world's largest economy, and possesses a fairly
complex sociocultural system (significant diversity in most every respect,
many competing large interests), I'm not sure why anybody would think
transitioning to a soft-Socialism or "modern welfare state" model would be
fast or easy.

------
toomuchtodo
Is there any way to help Rich in addition to cash?

EDIT: I live in Chicago and believe Rich does as well. Looking to help.

~~~
fencepost
You may be able to contact him (and family) via comments on the post in
question - potentially less intrusive than unsolicited personal email,
particularly if he's not necessarily reading his own email these days.

------
markbao
Wow. Can't even imagine what that's like. My $20 are a drop in the bucket, but
hope that bucket is getting more full.

He mentioned that he suffered a seizure and that led him to be taken into the
ER. Does he mention any other previous symptoms that might have led up to it?
In general, what symptoms do exist for this sort of thing?

~~~
stephencanon
The brain is remarkably plastic, and can compensate for all sorts of damage
... right up until the point that it can’t. This is a tautology, but the point
is that there usually aren’t any symptoms until these are fairly far
developed, which is a big contributor to the fairly terrible prognoses, and
the fact that deterioration after the first noticeable symptom is rapid. The
effect is magnified in the young and those otherwise in good health, as they
have more effective reserve.

------
jey
What's the device that he describes as "funny-looking headgear that makes me
look like an Irish Rabbi"? From [http://richardlynch.blogspot.com/2014/01/end-
game.html](http://richardlynch.blogspot.com/2014/01/end-game.html)

~~~
mikeyouse
It looks like a Novocure TTF System. A fairly brilliant piece of technology
that unfortunately is only useful in patients with glioblastomas that are past
the point of surgery or chemotherapy.

Good video: [http://www.novottftherapy.com/patients-
about.php?ID=3](http://www.novottftherapy.com/patients-about.php?ID=3)

It applies an alternating electrical field to the brain to prevent cellular
replication. It must be worn for 18 hours/day for several months to see
'better' outcomes. I scare-quoted 'better' since the therapy improves a 0%
survival rate at 36-months to a 10% survival rate, which is obviously an
improvement, but just highlights how awful glios are.

Paper which led to FDA approval:
[http://www.virtualtrials.com/pdf/Stupp_NovoTTF.pdf](http://www.virtualtrials.com/pdf/Stupp_NovoTTF.pdf)

------
Markinhos
I am really sad for this guy...

Can someone explain to me why is he asking for donations? Doesn't the
insurances cover with these expenses in USA?

~~~
incision
_> "Doesn't the insurances cover with these expenses in USA?"_

Insurance companies are like ISPs. You're fine until your usage pattern
significantly exceeds the average.

At that point, the insurer will do any and everything in their power to drop
your coverage and/or hasten your demise by denying or delaying treatment.

On a related note, this is why some of the people who are unable to keep their
misleadingly cheap plans post-ACA should actually be happy. They would simply
have been dropped anyway - when they actually needed that coverage.

~~~
Markinhos
Still confused...this is a terrible reputation for the insurance of this
fellow. Aren't any insurance provider covering these kind of things? If so,
why anyone would take a insurance that doesn't?

Sorry, but I cannot understand how a high skilled worker in a high income
country has to beg for money because medical problems.

~~~
incision
It's a whole range of things. I don't have a comprehensive link at hand and
these questions are so heavily politicized right now in the US that searching
is all but pointless.

 _> Aren't any insurance provider covering these kind of things?"_

On paper, yes. In reality, no. I'm not aware of any sources of data on which,
if any insurers are better in this regard. The insurers obviously have no
reason to divulge this and the folks who experience are likely dead or dying.

 _> "If so, why anyone would take a insurance that doesn't?"_

As the other comment points out, most people receive insurance through their
employers, limiting their options. It's possible to self-insure, but
prohibitively expensive for many people.

Even among those who are well-paid. The costs are high enough that it's quite
common for married couples, particularly those who have or plan to have
children, who could otherwise live on one income to maintain a one job "for
the benefits".

Finally, there's an incredible amount of misinformation about how these things
work in practice and about legislation like the Affordable Care Act aka
"Obamacare" which aims to address some of the worst parts of it.

 _> "Sorry, but I cannot understand how a high skilled worker in a high income
country has to beg for money because medical problems."_

Medical care in general and cancer treatment in particular is atrociously
expensive. Paying out of pocket you'd be looking at several thousand per month
for drugs, thousands per day for hospitalization and tens of thousands for
major surgery.

Even with insurance the co-pays and deductibles (amount the insured is
required to pay) can range up to a significant percentage of those costs.

Unless you're fabulously wealthy, a terminal illness generally means living
exactly as long as your insurance and/or the generosity of others allows.

------
tptacek
Is there a way someone might donate without using Paypal?

------
ndesaulniers
I was so excited, my digital album had it's first sale today. When I saw this
post, I donated the album's proceeds. Here's to making the world a better
place!

------
rubiquity
Could someone he trusts and someone capable of setting up a cryptocurrency
account do so for him? I imagine a community like Dogecoin would help any way
that they can.

~~~
fencepost
Are Dogecoins sufficiently valuable and liquid/convertible to be worth it? In
particular, how reasonable is the process of converting them into US$?

~~~
adventured
In a large enough sum, almost any crypto-currency is worth the hassle involved
in conversion. For Doge's current position, I'd argue that it is worth it.

In fact, if HN really wanted to make a dent, maybe 'mining for Richard' would
be a worthy campaign given the mining power likely at the community's
disposal.

------
tonyhb
Don't have much to give right now, but it's a great cause. Such a shame to see
anyone like this, especially someone as kind and active in the community
(judging by people who know him). Wishing him all the best.

~~~
peachepe
I had $6.14 on my bank account, and sent $5. ANYTHING helps.

~~~
tonyhb
Absolutely. Currently overdrawn, but sent all I could at $17.50.

------
superflit
Sorry to read about that.

I am Not in good $ituation now but as someone who had similar problems in the
past(medical bills and no money) I do feel it.

Life sometimes sucks but we can make it a little better.

Donate if you feel like it is ok to donate even small amounts.

------
Mz
I don't have money to give but it pains me to see stories like this. I think
there is more that can be done to prevent this type of suffering (though I
don't know much about cancer per se). I have a different serious medical
condition, as does my oldest son. We have figured out how to get well. What I
can't seem to figure out is how to constructively share info on what we did.
Any suggestions?

(Please consider emailing me. I am not trying to derail this discussion. It is
just that I have spent years talking about this and I am usually pilloried. It
is very frustrating.)

------
antirez
I donated in order to help this specific person, but I can't feel well while
many others are in the same troubles.

------
jonthepirate
I have coded with PHP for a long while now. Thank you for your contributions,
Richard. +1 donation made.

~~~
rosenjon
Ditto. I have benefited immensely from PHP and very much appreciate the
contributions from people like Richard. Very sorry to hear this happened to
him and hopefully donations help take some of the stress off his family in
this very difficult time.

------
mildtrepidation
Does anyone know how to contact Mr. Lynch or someone associated with him? I
attempted to comment but don't want the extra accounts created, and would
happily create and host Stripe (or whatever other payment gateway) donation
forms might help people that can't or won't go through PayPal (assuming, of
course, someone on the other end creates the appropriate accounts and provided
they're legitimately associated with him).

I can be reached at: reportemp@gmail.com

------
HackyGeeky
True - I missed the donation button the right on the first pass as well. Sent.
Take care bud..

~~~
PetrolMan
This definitely deserves a little more visibility than HN alone.

~~~
agumonkey
Hesitated to push it to reddit but well, finally did it, hopefully not being
off limit there.

~~~
jtreminio
Don't worry, I've approved it and will let the other mods know.

~~~
agumonkey
Thanks a lot, is there a sticky option in reddit instead of upvotes ?

~~~
jtreminio
I think this only applies to mod-made self-posts.

~~~
agumonkey
oh ok, too bad

------
bhartzer
So sorry to hear. Prayers.

~~~
trvz
…won't help him. Money does.

~~~
mildtrepidation
Normally I'd jump in on the practicality bandwagon, but this really is not
constructive. People who are going to pray will; people who are going to
donate will. Your denigration of their faith, justified or not (and we'll
never really know until we die), helps no one, particularly in this context.

~~~
CamperBob2
Nobody's denigrating his faith, as much as his transparent attempt to leverage
it for social credibility by advertising his piety on Hacker News while
(evidently) doing nothing actually helpful.

If that's not worthy of denigration, take it up with Jesus himself, who said
pretty much the same thing.

~~~
vezzy-fnord
Relevant verse:

"When you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand
and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners so that they may be seen
by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. But you, when you
pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is
in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you…"

Matthew 6:5-6

~~~
mildtrepidation
Not all prayers are offered to that particular god, and not all
interpretations of that particular god adhere to that particular book.

There's just so much assumption and ill will in this subthread. Get a grip,
people.

------
Legend
I am still a student so donated $50. I know its not much but neverthless.

PHP is the first language that I ever learnt and it has had a great influence
on my life. Thank you for everything you've done Richard. Please spend the
rest of your days peacefully.

~~~
annasaru
You donated more than me.. and I am employed , shame on me.

------
kostko
Is he a part of any organisation that could recieve funds for him? Someone
living in the US can fill out this donation forms:
[http://www.redhawkcasino.com/community](http://www.redhawkcasino.com/community)

[https://www.barona.com/about/community-relations/donation-
ap...](https://www.barona.com/about/community-relations/donation-
application/index.cfm)

[http://www.themillcasino.com/about/donationsform.cfm](http://www.themillcasino.com/about/donationsform.cfm)

And maybe there are other sites that sponsor charitable organisations.

------
SeanKilleen
Happy to donate.

The button was a little hard to see for me on the site (particularly on
mobile).

The URL that the button sent me to (I forget whether Paypal makes this useless
or not, but I'm hoping it works):

[https://www.paypal.com/us/cgi-
bin/webscr?cmd=_flow&SESSION=Q...](https://www.paypal.com/us/cgi-
bin/webscr?cmd=_flow&SESSION=QuPzKFB7Ca8slBWjgeu3LOyo9d-UiU8ow_22ftoLXKJzjvkJICcSU1gxhqO&dispatch=5885d80a13c0db1f8e263663d3faee8d7ff5e1e81f2ed97dd1e90bd72966c40c)

------
conradfr
I donated a small amount, hopes that helps. I hope it's not some "Save Walter
White" scheme :)

My grand father got diagnosed with cancer recently and my mother got cluster
headaches. We are in France so everything is mostly taken care of and I
couldn't imagine what it would have been otherwise.

FWIW it's retirement homes that broke family around here.

------
rparsad
The "problem" in America used to be that not everyone paid into the insurance
programs. "Obamacare" aims to fix that problem but Congress is full of
assholes who tend to use the Constitution as a political weapon to fight the
so-called "tax" for universal healthcare. Tough a myopic lense, e

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mildtrepidation
I attempted to donate with a credit card and was rejected; I'm not sure if
it's because it was previously (and not currently) registered with PayPal or
whether a donation request can't be filled by credit (my successful donation
was via debit). Just something to be aware of for others trying to donate.

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cromulentarian
I wish that there was a sufficient safety net in the US so that people who get
catastrophic illnesses didn't have to negotiate stressful financial situations
while dealing with extreme medical problems.

I am really glad this made to the front page of HN, it is great to see people
helping him and his family out.

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ausjke
I donated $25, don't know this guy, but thanks for all he did on PHP that all
my websites run on. As a separate note, php.net probably can have some
donation button, that it can use to boost PHP community, including helping key
contributors like Richard too.

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imagex
Lost my mom to a series of complications, including cancer a couple years ago.
A donation to help with Richard's quality of life and his family is a truly
kind thing. I'm in.

Richard, thanks for your contributions.

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rok3
Gave what I can right now. It's sad when I look at what I'm paying per year on
health insurance and realize that most of us are a few stray cells away from
being in the same situation as Richard.

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naveensky
Wishing him all the luck.

I have been coding in PHP and other open source languages for ages but never
donated to such open source organisations. I feel should do more. This is my
start. Did my bit of sharing :)

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adventured
Donated. Best wishes to Richard. I had never heard of him, but I used PHP for
years, and I suspect in some way he has contributed to my well being, so I
consider this returning the favor.

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kostko
Don't really know anything about the guy, but I donated too.

~~~
kostko
This is really keeping me up. Kinda offtopic:Tomorrow I'm going to donate my
ps3 to the local fire department.

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narrator
Can we pay him to get treatment in another country? I'd do that if I was in as
bad of shape as this guy. At least there'd be some money left over for my
heirs.

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runamok
The other question is could we just build him a wooden ramp for a lot less
than 20k or would the city he lives in et all have a problem with that?

~~~
adventured
The process would normally go like this in modern hyper regulated America:

Do the smart, logical thing: build cheap wooden ramp, problem solved.

Local regulation thugs ("zoning enforcement" or similar) come around and
destroy ramp or otherwise take it away / require its removal, fine you for
daring to violate their rules. You can sometimes avoid this step if you pay
into their bribery system (more common in some locations than others, eg Los
Angeles runs strictly on a bribe system).

If you're lucky, then there's an outcry in the community, some local
government thug's feet are put to the fire, and they relent. Said thug then
holds a community celebration anointing the new ramp, noting how it was all
just a misunderstanding, and said thug is not really against people with
cancer or disabilities.

This whole process will take weeks or months to play out.

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dingdingdang
donated $5 - in the crowdfunding sense this thread will hopefully come
together to make a difference for Richard and his family

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UncleCarbs
I'm so sorry $25 is all I can spare right now. With prayers from Cape Town,
South Africa.

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vvatsa
Done, added my drop into the bucket. Hope we all can add enough drops to make
some difference.

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ronnier
I've never heard of him, but I trust you all. Donated $50; I hope it helps his
family.

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glenntnorton
10 bucks. Wish it could be more.

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bitcycle
I'm very encouraged by this post, and I hope everyone reading it will donate.

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kartman
:-(. i have seen a loved one go through this, my best wishes to you and
family.

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bkamapantula
I donated $20 and shared the story with friends. hopefully, more will donate.

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inovica
Just donated but I'll also push it to the 8,000 subscribers we have.

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2810
You are a good man. I have sent you love. Don't give up

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lmueller
Lurking mostly, but I got this done. Your turn.

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zenocon
why can't we re-direct some of the trillions we spend on war and defense
toward cancer research. seriously.

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krstck
Dropping a little bit into the bucket.

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jayturley
Glad I had a little to give too...

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madengr
$25

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annasaru
Donated a lunch (15)

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pr0filer__
+$20

