
Tell HN: Jonathan Dale's Cancer Fundraiser isn't Doing Well & Time's Running Out - rpm4321
This was posted on HN a few months ago and got a lot of attention at the time (751 points), but I figured I would post a reminder to everyone about Jonathan Dale&#x27;s cancer fundraiser. There&#x27;s less than a month remaining and they only have about 10% of their goal:<p>https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.giveforward.com&#x2F;fundraiser&#x2F;w704&#x2F;beating-cancer-one-dollar-at-a-time-with-jonathan-dale<p>Original post:
https:&#x2F;&#x2F;news.ycombinator.com&#x2F;item?id=7390638
======
NotOscarWilde
European here; I've clicked the link and read the introductory text but I am
still not fully informed, so here I ask.

Why is Jonathan's health insurance not covering the treatment? Is it because
of the terminality? Or because of the way the US health insurance system
works?

I have very little experience with American insurance systems, but it seems
that the public is asked to fund the costs of a family which was let down by
the insurance system, and which desperately asks for more time with Jonathan.

Personally, this makes me less inclined to donate; donating would feel like I
am throwing money at a problem which a foreign country (one of the richest in
the world) is not able to fix itself.

~~~
hluska
Unfortunately, issues like this are not confined to the United States. Both my
Aunt and Stepmother are currently fighting cancer. We're Canadian, thus we
have universal health care, but each province is responsible for administering
its own prescription drug plan. Thus, depending on where you live and your
income, you may or may not have decent coverage for cancer drugs. Complicating
the situation, there is often a gap between when a drug is approved and when
that drug is available for coverage.

In our case, we are very lucky. Both my Aunt and stepmother have good drug
plans that refund their expenses. However, their treatments still cost
thousands of dollars out of pocket. They're relatively lucky - they're both
seniors who were well prepared and highly insured. Even luckier, they don't
have dependents.

I can imagine many, many circumstances under which someone with a family, even
in our relatively good health care environment simply could not afford many of
the drugs they need. For example, in many cases, complete drug coverage is a
premium offering through private insurers. I'm not sure how many healthy
people in their mid-30s would really consider premium health insurance a huge
priority, especially if they have families. Rather, the tendency could be to
assume that their good health will hold and they won't need insurance.

In response to your valid criticism, I do agree with most of what you say.
But, I would also argue that cancer is an asshole and, if I were in a
situation where saving my life could bankrupt my family, I'd sure pray that my
community put helping me out above making a political statement about the
quality of prescription drug coverage in Canada!!

~~~
jimmydddd
US citizen here.

I have friends and family in Europe and Canada. One relative in Canada was
told that they would have to wait several months for an x-ray needed for
diagnosis (and might die by that time), so came to the US for treatment
instead. A relative in Europe was told that he was too old to qualify for
treatment, so he came to the US for treatment instead.

From what I've been told, some treatment options that are expensive or not-
fully covered in the US may not even be available at all in Europe or Canada.

So, while the US has much work to do, I think the more socialized systems of
some other countries are not better in all respects.

~~~
hluska
Good comment. In my province, there is a very long wait for an MRI. The wait
is so long that, in many cases, it makes more sense to go down to the United
States (or to a province with private MRI facilities) and just pay for the
test.

I was raised with Medicare, but I see nothing but problems with how it is
administered. And, I hope that your country doesn't follow our mistakes...

------
BenC88
Clickable: [https://www.giveforward.com/fundraiser/w704/beating-
cancer-o...](https://www.giveforward.com/fundraiser/w704/beating-cancer-one-
dollar-at-a-time-with-jonathan-dale)

------
throwaway26454
Here is $15. It isn't much and I would give you more but my Irish income per
year is erm, peasant level.

Despite many members of HN being wealthy and/or well connected there are just
as many of us that struggle to pay rent let alone for medical expenses. At the
same time I and I'm sure others appreciate that this kind of thing is a very
lonely and depressing experience with many dark thoughts. So here is a bro
shoulder squeeze. Any of us could be in the same situation as you, it is a
fact. Good luck man.

Aside:

I think it would be nice if us geeks/hackers had a healthcare plan for our
community. A HN healthcare fund that both covered the basics in different
countries and also pulled together contacts and information about new
treatments for illness/disease, some holistic approach to be intelligently
hitting the 'big killers' that are likely to strike.

If you think about it, many of the things likely to 'whack' us are going to be
similar due to lifestyle. Overweight, back problems just as a typical example.
If somebody out in SV thinks it a good idea then mention it to PG. Then
ycombinator could not just be a incubator, but take us from cradle to grave!
:)

~~~
darthclue
From my family to you and yours, thank you. While you may have only given $15,
you gave it and that in and of itself means just as much as any donation if
not more. I wish there were better alternatives available to help offset
medical expenses, however, despite being considered one of the wealthiest
nations on the planet those that control that wealth see no need to share it.
Our politicians vote in favor of those who have the money to keep them elected
and see no need to actually care for the rest of us. Honestly, one of the
statements I made to some friends and family earlier today was that I a) hope
to survive and beat this cancer and b) win the lottery so that I can give away
millions to help others who have found them in similar situations. I see no
need to accumulate material possessions or wealth while others suffer. It's
not in my nature to condone suffering and in the last few months I've found so
many others who have had their own series of unfortunate events similar to
mine which have left them in horrible places. Whether me meet our goal or not,
the world will eventually know my story and those that have helped me. So once
again, thank you for both the donation and the shoulder squeeze. I am humbled
to know you and honored to benefit from your kindness.

------
darthcluespouse
Tell HN: Jonathan Dale's Cancer Fundraiser isn't Doing Well & Time's Running
Out 74 points by rpm4321 1 day ago | 29 comments This was posted on HN a few
months ago and got a lot of attention at the time (751 points), but I figured
I would post a reminder to everyone about Jonathan Dale's cancer fundraiser.
There's less than a month remaining and they only have about 10% of their
goal: [https://www.giveforward.com/fundraiser/w704/beating-
cancer-o...](https://www.giveforward.com/fundraiser/w704/beating-cancer-one-
dollar-at-a-time-with-jonathan-dale)

Original post:
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7390638](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7390638)

------
darthclue
I am quite honestly at a loss for words here. When this originally made it to
HN I found out about it because I was awakened by the sound of my wife sobbing
on the couch next to me. I had only been out of the hospital a few days and
was sleeping on the couch at that time because I lacked the energy to do much
of anything beyond sit there and force food into my mouth. At that time, we
saw a huge amount of support from the HN community and I was humbled and
honored that so many people stepped forward and demonstrated what I believe is
the most important thing in this world. That is, that if we are to survive as
a species we must unite and cooperate and, whenever and wherever possible,
help those in need.

Over the last few months, I've finally found a good balance between food and
the medicines I must take to simply survive. I am still paying ongoing medical
costs which insurance is paying a large chunk of, however, insurance doesn't
pay for everything. Just some rough numbers based on costs submitted to
insurance shows that a single day in the hospital is roughly $3,000/day and a
single gamma knife treatment is roughly $100,000. The gamma knife treatment is
the best available option for treating tumors in my brain, however, getting
that approved by insurance isn't easy. The last time it happened, the
neurosurgeon had to submit a written statement indicating that my life
expectancy was at least 6 months beyond the time of treatment or they wouldn't
pay.

The money from the fundraiser is being used in one of 3 ways: Medical
expenses, Putting food on the table, or final expenses which include funeral
costs and paying off the house and car debt so that my family will have a roof
over their heads when my time comes. For those that have given, I will never
be able to say thank you enough nor will I ever be able to repay you. I do
hope that your generosity will be repaid to you ten-fold in some way. I've
seen many of you give small amounts and many of you give large amounts,
however, the common theme is that you are giving what you can while also
wishing you could give me. From me to you, whatever you give is precious. Even
it is only $5 it is precious because you have taken the time to give and
demonstrated that you believe in providing hope and compassion to others and
because those $5 donations add up quickly when it is thousands of people
giving.

I lost my grandmother this month from cardiac arrest. Because of my health, I
couldn't attend her funeral. That was and continues to be a very painful thing
for me. She was always there to make sure I was taken care of and even spent
several weeks with us helping to keep me fed and motivated despite her own
health failing her. She passed at 80 years, 8 months, and 8 days of age and
the legacy she left me was to help others as much as you can. Even though my
own health is failing, I am doing whatever I can to bring attention to others
whose situations are just as bad, if not worse, as mine.

At this point, even though my prognosis has not changed, I am feeling better.
I still have trouble moving around as I run out of energy quickly and fight
pain constantly. There is still no cure for the type of cancer I have and the
treatments I am on will likely cease to be effective at some point. While
there is likely to be a point at which all treatment options have been
exhausted, I continue to have hope that a cure may be found before that
happens. Quite honestly, even if it meant that I was physically unable to do
anything and even if it meant that I had lost a substantial amount of my
cognitive function, if I was alive I would be fine. That is truthfully the
only thing that I have ever wanted. I simply want to live, to watch my
children grow, and to die of old age with my soul mate by my side.

I want to bring your attention to some other individuals whose situations are,
I think, worse than mine.

First, there is Nathalie. She is a 15 year old who is battling a rare form of
cancer. She is trying to get access to a drug which could very well save her
life and might even save mine one day. She meets all of the requirements
except for her age. Because she isn't 18, she can't get the drug until it's
been approved by the FDA. You can learn more about her situation at
[http://www.4nathalie.com/](http://www.4nathalie.com/)

Second, there is Ben. He is a father of 4 who was diagnosed with cancer of the
Brain and central nervous system in December and given weeks to live. He's
fought an impossible battle and managed to exceed doctors expectations. At
this point, he has exhausted all available treatment options and may soon meet
his end. I'm not entirely sure what the needs of his family are at this time,
however, he does have a fundraiser at [http://www.gofundme.com/ben-fights-
brain-cancer](http://www.gofundme.com/ben-fights-brain-cancer)

If you feel the need to give but are unable to give to more than one of us, I
would ask that you give to either Nathalie or Ben. Although my family does
need the help, I want to leave this world better than I found it and that
starts by helping others. If my time comes, I would rather that my legacy be
that of someone who helped others rather than that of someone who begged for
help as others in need were left standing alone.

Thank you again for all that you have done for me and my family. I know that I
will never be able to repay your kindness.

Jonathan Dale

------
darthcluespose
Still could use all the help we can get thanks to all so far that have found
it in there hearts to pay it forward and help out our family in this time of
need thankyou from us is not a lot but it what I have to give hope to some day
give it forward to someone else in there time of need

------
themgt
His blog:

[https://d4l3.com/blogs/darthclue](https://d4l3.com/blogs/darthclue)

------
darthcluespouse
Here's to hope you still have it in your heart to help out thankyou to all
have given so far look beyond the systems we have so payitforword and may u be
blessed beyond your years

------
fnordsensei
Donated.

