A CRITICAL call for support for one of our own (rjm)

[rjm]

I'm very sorry I'm just seeing this now. I'm incredibly happy to see that rjm's donation goal has been reached and I am happy nevertheless to donate. Happy holidays rjm and may your health improve and condition improve very soon!
-Douglas

Hi Douglas and everyone,

Thank you and every little bit helps, still! I posted a video of less than half of the prescriptions called in. (My doctor accidentally asked for a pack of 4 pens. They come in packs of 5. So perhaps tomorrow I can stop using expired packs from 2017. {That happened because I spent all day every day with my dad at Global Chapman hospital here in Orange. I didn't always have a pen with me. Sigh.)

I really can't thank you folks enough! And the other forum too. Thanks all around! "Hee haw and Sam Wainwright." That was in the telegram sent to the George and Mary Bailey home in "It's A Wonderful Life."

And thanks to having friends, it IS a wonderful life!

In a way, you folks are my "Zuzu's Petals."

As I said: I'll be back. Perhaps dipping my toes in the water tonight. (Well, at after 1:30 AM) There has been some astonishingly good news about George's long-awaited book! Gotta check out the reaction to it's release! I was shocked. He left it a surprise!

Uh, the campaign isn't going anywhere; it's still live. Unfortunately, money is still extremely tight as the gears of bureaucracy turn very slowly. Here's a video! I will show you the Humalog and the needles as soon as they are stocked: I hope tomorrow!



Thanks everybody!
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
HAPPY 7th night of Hannukka
Fruitful Kwanzaa
and a HAPPY 2021!!!

Best,
Robin ("rjm")

[rjm]

I'd like to share an update. Before I do, I want to thank you again, especially for your onging support. Even this month's insulin has run into a snag because my insurance lapsed. (I had NO choice but to let it lapse. I need food, heat and lights, and communication while essentially locked down in California.) It seems it wasn't an error in counting the pens in a pack, as a pharmacist told me the other day. They have no prescription. This is so stressful.

I appreciate everyone who has given and shared. I particularly want to thank Jordan for getting the word out!

Screenshot_20201218-235503_Chrome.jpg

Robin (rjm)

P.S. -- You still have the BEST emoticons!

[rjm]

Just wanted to let folks know that the doctor decided to call in the prescription before I got the bloodwork done. I have no vehicle, so the carfare for a special extra trip there is prohibitive, especially during the holiday season.

So she did the right thing and called in my insulin. I had the great privilege of paying almost 500 bucks for what I can no longer live without.

Still, it was a very Christmasy thing to do and I'm grateful she did it. The expired insulin that I was using was starting to basically fail: my blood glucose numbers have been increasingly elevated since I ran out of fresh Humalog. The new kind goes into you like a "zip file"; you use less so it's supposed to last longer. It also seems to work better. Especially since my Humalog has been aging. They switched endocrinologists there; she's new and I first saw her in early March. So my Humalog from the previous doctor got long in the tooth. I very much needed this prescription!

Let me show you the updated update.

Hi friends,

It was delivered just before Christmas. They just charged my account. Here's the receipt for your generous donations to help out in this most difficult time.
Thank you all so much! And Merry Christmas! Joyous Kwanzaa and I hope you win that Boxing match on December 26!

And may we all have a happier 2021!

The campaign is still live. Contributions are still very much appreciated. That's a lot of my money that's coming out of my account. A LOT. If you wish to share the campaign to others, please do. Thank you! And Ho! Ho! Ho! MAKE MERRY!!!

All the best,
Robin
This was shared with Twitter and your donors

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https://gofund.me/7d6fd0e7

Best,
Robin (rjm)

[rjm]

Just seeing this now and donated.
The US health care system doesn't seem right, compared to Europe at least where people are taken care of in situations like this.
Wishing you all the best Robin, looks like you get the support you need and great respect to fellow FECC members who step up and make a difference.

Thank you so very much. And anyone I didn't thank specifically here. It means so much.

The specifics are in the updates that come from the site.

All my best,
Robin (rjm)

[flopez]

Sorry to hear about your situation.

Have you tried this ?

https://californiarxcard.com/

[rjm]

Sorry to hear about your situation.

Have you tried this ?

https://californiarxcard.com/

My doctor has something similar at reception desk. It helps with the non-diabetic medications. Or maybe what I pay is considered "a discount"?

In any event, thank you for the card! Maybe it will help knock the cost down some.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

All my best for 2021,
Robin (rjm)

[rjm]

I keep trying to thank someone who's a member here, and the app keeps messing it up by cutting it short after a parentheses. So, I go to the web, and I misspelled Finland!!! It's not "Findland." smh!

Sorry and THANK YOU!
HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Best,
Robin (rjm)
P.S. -- Well, Finland has the best educational system on Earth. We rely on our spell checkers. I turned mine off about a year ago due to inappropriate autocomplete suggestions. So, I was on my own and wrote "Findland." So very American!

[flopez]

Have you checked this page

https://www.lantus.com/sign-up/savings-and-support

[rjm]

I have set a stretch goal. I didn't want to but now I have no choice until I can get help elsewhere.

Thank you for your understanding and your extraordinary generosity. I thought I could hold out longer until perhaps some other sources of income are available. Right now my life is a dumpster fire, and I'm in the dumpster. It will be a while before I can get a source of income. The COVID-19 situation in southern California has become a dire emergency and there are no jobs except for high-risk front line essential jobs. Diabetics are very high risk of a bad outcome due to the nature of the disease and some medical jargon I don't really understand. (Has to do with "ACE receptors" or something similar. I am not an MD or a healthcare professional. I can analyze a social problem, and there hasn't been a big call for that in a long time.) The virus is more lethal to diabetics.

I'm so sorry to do this after you've been so generous. Currently, I have no choice.

The details are in the link. I can't explain how horrible it is to beg your friends like this. But the situation is now desperate.

https://gofund.me/1770ade9

Thank you and all my best,
Robin (rjm)

[keninlincs]

À small donation has been made this morning,i wish you the best of luck

[rjm]

À small donation has been made this morning,i wish you the best of luck

Hi Ken,

Although I've thanked you through GoFundMe, I want to do so again. I can't stop you from doing what you already did. So, I will just say THANK YOU! You are my hero!

My most fervent hopes for a swift recovery from your terrible ordeal. You are a very brave man. May God bless you my friend.

All my best to you and yours,
Robin
P.S. -- There is a glitch in Instagram DMs. So I will PM the message thread here instead. Already done. I have no idea why Instagram won't send the messages.

[ForeverElvis]

I am late to this party, but happy to help.
being in Canada this situation is beyond my comprehension.
In my Province of BC, Insulin is free to residents of BC. We do pay a small dispensing fee that varies from province to province - the average cost to the Patient is about $35.

The cost in the USA is despicable. Any politician not committed to making Insulin free to Americans shoud be voted out of office.

[rjm]

I am late to this party, but happy to help.
being in Canada this situation is beyond my comprehension.
In my Province of BC, Insulin is free to residents of BC. We do pay a small dispensing fee that varies from province to province - the average cost to the Patient is about $35.

The cost in the USA is despicable. Any politician not committed to making Insulin free to Americans shoud be voted out of office.

Hi Anthony. Thank you so much. Yes, people from other countries are just horrified that the USA is not acting civilized! Iraq, yes Iraq has a national health care system!! And so many more "undeveloped" nations! It's stunning, especially for those from western countries to see what it's like here. In other countries, politics is not involved. I don't know how we became this. But we did.

$35 in Canada? For real? Wow. Well, due to COVID, the border is closed to us. And never having set foot in another country, it's hard for me to imagine leaving here. But who knows? Maybe.

Again, thank you so very much!

Best,
Robin(rjm)

[rjm]

Have you checked this page

https://www.lantus.com/sign-up/savings-and-support

Thank you!!! I missed this one!

Best,
Robin

[ForeverElvis]

I am late to this party, but happy to help.
being in Canada this situation is beyond my comprehension.
In my Province of BC, Insulin is free to residents of BC. We do pay a small dispensing fee that varies from province to province - the average cost to the Patient is about $35.

The cost in the USA is despicable. Any politician not committed to making Insulin free to Americans shoud be voted out of office.

Hi Anthony. Thank you so much. Yes, people from other countries are just horrified that the USA is not acting civilized! Iraq, yes Iraq has a national health care system!! And so many more "undeveloped" nations! It's stunning, especially for those from western countries to see what it's like here. In other countries, politics is not involved. I don't know how we became this. But we did.

$35 in Canada? For real? Wow. Well, due to COVID, the border is closed to us. And never having set foot in another country, it's hard for me to imagine leaving here. But who knows? Maybe.

Again, thank you so very much!

Best,
Robin(rjm)

The reason for those dramatic gaps in cost is simple: Canada’s federal government imposes price ceilings on prescription drugs. Canada's Patented Medicine Prices Review Board, a federal agency that establishes the maximum price that can be charged for patented drugs, keeps the prices affordable.

Under Canadian law, the government can declare high prices an illegal abuse of patient rights. Drug companies can challenge the rulings, but they usually settle without court proceedings. Despite our low prices, the drug companies still manage to turn a profit.

[iplayastrat]

Do you have any updates RJM?
I hope things are going better.

[rjm]

Do you have any updates RJM?
I hope things are going better.

Unfortunately, I do. Thank you for asking. I feel just awful "begging" like this. I question whether I deserve all this love. I am not perfect; I've made mistakes. Medi-Cal has not come through yet. I thought that it would; I really did. I check the mailbox every day, but so far, no approval - but no disapproval. I don't know what's going to happen.

So I have stretched the goal just a little further. If you wish, you can donate a bit more.

Thank you for all you've done for me. God bless you.

https://gf.me/u/zch4c6

It's just a slight stretching of the stretch goal. If any of you can chip in just a little while I wait for the thumbs up or thumbs down from the state of California.

Poverty sucks. And it's only gonna get worse. My real estate guy told the #TMI Queen "not to say anything" () but I am cutting it so close because I need refills of BOTH types of Insulin again . . . I thought they'd inform me by now about Medi-Cal. I got overconfident. But they haven't and the Lantus is in the pharmacy fridge, awaiting the amount you see below.

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My father worked so hard his whole life so I'd have an education and never be poor like my parents both were. Don't be a Ph.D. college professor (except in STEM fields) unless you want to end up like me. I was an adjunct. And then I "Followed That Dream" and my dad helped. A LOT. He thought my school would be a great success. But we served a poor community in Long Beach and without a charter, advertised that "no one will be refused admission due to inability to pay." My dad mortgaged the house up to the eyeballs for this ridiculous "dream." It became his dream, too.

He truly was "The Wind Beneath My Wings." He believed in it 110% as did I. And then 2008 happened. And we were stuck with an over-mortgaged house. We didn't own that building. The rent was $28,000 a month! Paid to a major charitable organization that you can't find on Charity Navigator because they are "a church." They promised us that we'd be the educational center of The Kroc Center, which turned out to be a crock. We were evicted from their building (that my dad remodeled) by the sheriff during the day with students in the building.

After that, if anything happened to him, and it had to, I faced financial Armageddon. Which I do now.

Even my health is now in serious danger. He always made sure I had health insurance.

PicsArt_02-06-07.38.49.jpg

Best,
Robin

[iplayastrat]

Do you have any updates RJM?
I hope things are going better.

Unfortunately, I do. Thank you for asking. I feel just awful "begging" like this. I question whether I deserve all this love. I am not perfect; I've made mistakes. Medi-Cal has not come through yet. I thought that it would; I really did. I check the mailbox every day, but so far, no approval - but no disapproval. I don't know what's going to happen.


Best,
Robin

Don't ever feel that way Robin. You've got a lot of people
here that care about you. You are certainly in my prayers.

Just curios, do you have a lawyer helping you with your case?

[MadTiger]

I would love to donate but I don't have a credit-card. is there another way to donate?

[rjm]

Do you have any updates RJM?
I hope things are going better.

Unfortunately, I do. Thank you for asking. I feel just awful "begging" like this. I question whether I deserve all this love. I am not perfect; I've made mistakes. Medi-Cal has not come through yet. I thought that it would; I really did. I check the mailbox every day, but so far, no approval - but no disapproval. I don't know what's going to happen.


Best,
Robin

Don't ever feel that way Robin. You've got a lot of people
here that care about you. You are certainly in my prayers.

Just curios, do you have a lawyer helping you with your case?

Thank you with my whole heart! Sometimes I feel like that girl Bob Dylan is screaming at in "Like A Rolling Stone." So really: thank you!

As to a lawyer - well, yes and no. A neighbor/real estate agent and an RN (who knew my dad at the hospital and as a neighbor) hooked me up with a lawyer involving my dad's illness and death. It's a very complicated situation; he did not die of old age. I'm not supposed to talk about it. (Can you imagine me not giving out #TMI???)

But do you mean I can get a lawyer to get Medi-Cal/caid???!! Wow.

Anyway, the really cool thing about this lawyer on the other matter is that his first name is . . . ATTICUS! For real! Wow! He born to be an attorney - and a noble one at that. You could have knocked me over with a feather. (I'm Scout!)

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Now if I say anything more about that other matter (involving my dad), somebody please amputate my writing hand!!!

Thanks again ,
Robin (rjm)


P.S. -- Sorry for all the edits. I actually do have OCD. Mistakes make my skin crawl.

[rjm]

I would love to donate but I don't have a credit-card. is there another way to donate?

Well, since you'll need it for other things, first buy one at a supermarket. You can buy a Visa card of whatever amount you would need so you can have a card. I think you can get one online.

https://usa.visa.com/pay-with-visa/cards/prepaid-cards.html

My friends loaned me money that way right after he died because the bank account was frozen for 45 days because the account number wasn't written on the trust. I had NO money except for their loans through the temporary Visa cards.

I think you can get a virtual card online even if you're not in the States.

Thanks

Robin
P.S. -- My dad had no savings. And my account at Wells Fargo was empty, too, because of all the caregiving expenses. The house is mortgaged up to the eyeballs. It was a trust of debt. He never had savings! All his life. And he didn't plan on dying. Ever. He was unique. And I miss him and his eccentricities, too, so very much.

PicsArt_02-08-09.10.48.png

[rjm]

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

It's nice to be loved. God bless you. And you know who you are.





All my best,
Robin

[keninlincs]

Happy Valentines day Robin,take care xx

[rjm]

Happy Valentines day Robin,take care xx

Thanks my friend. And you take care, Ken, okay? It's gonna be okay.

All my best wishes,
Robin

[rjm]

Hi folks. I've been posting sporadically and reading a lot to catch up.

I have posted an update. I wish it were better news, but that shouldn't be too long. Medi-Cal takes 90 days after you wait and wait for even a response. Please read the latest update if you can. The pharmacy made the prescription without asking me. I don't know what to do next.

Medi-Cal is taking many months. Other forms, MANY FORMS, are also taking a very long time. First, I had to sort out which was which, so Medi-Cal doesn't get upset.

I just don't know what to do next to get those insulin pens that are in their fridge.

Thanks for reading it.

https://gofund.me/1770ade9

Best,
Robin (rjm)