Apropos of this, Paul says I missed a few; the actual total is closer to $116k. This is how people who are un- and under-insured go bankrupt and end up homeless. We need healthcare reform NOW.
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Need a fresh pair of eyes
Hey everyone, especially my editor and proofreader friends--do any of you have a few minutes to look over my WomenHeart Symposium application for me, to catch any typos or other embarrassing mistakes?
If so, please ping me at whatever email address you have for me, and I'll send you my application. It's due tomorrow, but I'd like to get it turned in this afternoon if possible to beat the last-minute rush... Thanks very much. :)
If so, please ping me at whatever email address you have for me, and I'll send you my application. It's due tomorrow, but I'd like to get it turned in this afternoon if possible to beat the last-minute rush... Thanks very much. :)
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Are they *trying* to create a repeat customer??
There was a fat-ish envelope from my insurance waiting for me when I got home from work this evening. I opened it up and just about fell over. Unless more bills come in, we're looking at a total cost of right around $100,000 for everything.
If I didn't have good health insurance, that would bankrupt us, really and truly. I read a statistic online the other day that said that something like 65% of new bankruptcies in the US are related to medical costs. I believe it.
And even though the vast majority of it IS being taken care of by insurance, we're still going to have to pay a decent chunk ourselves, and I have a lump in my throat and my chest is a little tight.
Not to sound whiny, but we're going to end up selling some stuff, probably via yard sale. I'll most likely start making jewelry and soaps again and get serious about selling them. Costs will be cut. Whatever 10th wedding anniversary travel plans we've had have gone out the window.
But we'll get through this. Things could have been much worse.
If I didn't have good health insurance, that would bankrupt us, really and truly. I read a statistic online the other day that said that something like 65% of new bankruptcies in the US are related to medical costs. I believe it.
And even though the vast majority of it IS being taken care of by insurance, we're still going to have to pay a decent chunk ourselves, and I have a lump in my throat and my chest is a little tight.
Not to sound whiny, but we're going to end up selling some stuff, probably via yard sale. I'll most likely start making jewelry and soaps again and get serious about selling them. Costs will be cut. Whatever 10th wedding anniversary travel plans we've had have gone out the window.
But we'll get through this. Things could have been much worse.
Progress: I can bike and swim again!
My cardiologist has given me permission to ride my bike and start swimming again, yay! I don't know if I can fully articulate how happy this makes me--please just take it as given. :)
Paul says thanks (and so do I)
Paul's posted a big health update and thanks, so I figured I'd link to it:
http://paulcory.livejournal.com/155724.html
Pretty much seconding what he said. We've really appreciated everyone's support these past few months; it's meant a tremendous amount to us both.
http://paulcory.livejournal.com/155724.html
Pretty much seconding what he said. We've really appreciated everyone's support these past few months; it's meant a tremendous amount to us both.
Monday, June 8, 2009
Call for Submissions: A heart-related fanzine
Since my heart attack and angioplasty/stents, I've been trying to think of a fannish way to get the word out about heart disease. I was pondering this more over the weekend while I volunteered at a health expo on Saturday, at the WomenHeart booth, handing out brochures and information.
Well, on my way to work this morning, a lightbulb went off. Fans don't want to read brochures, we want to read *fanzines*. So I figured I'd try to solicit as many stories from as many fannish heart patients as I could, put them all together in a one-shot, and distribute it far and wide. Maybe even make a nifty, limited-edition button to give to all the contributors.
The last page would be an "In Memoriam" page, or as one my favorite TV shows, Babylon 5 says, "To absent friends, in memory still bright..." with a list of fans who've passed on from heart disease/heart attacks/etc.
Toward that end, this is a call for contributions for my one-shot, tentatively called A CHANGE OF HEART. Stories, poems, letters of comment, and artwork from fans who've had heart-related illness and/or surgery are welcome. If you yourself aren't the heart patient, but an immediate family member is/was, I'd also be glad to hear from you. Emailed submissions are strongly preferred; please send to laurahcory [at] yah00 -- but if you know someone who doesn't do email, ping me and I'll send you my snail-addy to pass along. And I need names for the "In Memoriam" page.
Deadline for submissions is July 24th. That's more than six weeks out and gives me time to put the thing together and send some copies up to Worldcon.
Permission granted to forward this to other fannish places.
Well, on my way to work this morning, a lightbulb went off. Fans don't want to read brochures, we want to read *fanzines*. So I figured I'd try to solicit as many stories from as many fannish heart patients as I could, put them all together in a one-shot, and distribute it far and wide. Maybe even make a nifty, limited-edition button to give to all the contributors.
The last page would be an "In Memoriam" page, or as one my favorite TV shows, Babylon 5 says, "To absent friends, in memory still bright..." with a list of fans who've passed on from heart disease/heart attacks/etc.
Toward that end, this is a call for contributions for my one-shot, tentatively called A CHANGE OF HEART. Stories, poems, letters of comment, and artwork from fans who've had heart-related illness and/or surgery are welcome. If you yourself aren't the heart patient, but an immediate family member is/was, I'd also be glad to hear from you. Emailed submissions are strongly preferred; please send to laurahcory [at] yah00 -- but if you know someone who doesn't do email, ping me and I'll send you my snail-addy to pass along. And I need names for the "In Memoriam" page.
Deadline for submissions is July 24th. That's more than six weeks out and gives me time to put the thing together and send some copies up to Worldcon.
Permission granted to forward this to other fannish places.
Call for Submissions: A heart-related fanzine
Since my heart attack and angioplasty/stents, I've been trying to think of a fannish way to get the word out about heart disease. I was pondering this more over the weekend while I volunteered at a health expo on Saturday, at the WomenHeart booth, handing out brochures and information.
Well, on my way to work this morning, a lightbulb went off. Fans don't want to read brochures, we want to read *fanzines*. So I figured I'd try to solicit as many stories from as many fannish heart patients as I could, put them all together in a one-shot, and distribute it far and wide. Maybe even make a nifty, limited-edition button to give to all the contributors.
The last page would be an "In Memoriam" page, or as one my favorite TV shows, Babylon 5 says, "To absent friends, in memory still bright..." with a list of fans who've passed on from heart disease/heart attacks/etc.
Toward that end, this is a call for contributions for my one-shot, tentatively called A CHANGE OF HEART. Stories, poems, letters of comment, and artwork from fans who've had heart-related illness and/or surgery are welcome. If you yourself aren't the heart patient, but an immediate family member is/was, I'd also be glad to hear from you. Emailed submissions are strongly preferred; please send to laurahcory [at] yah00 -- but if you know someone who doesn't do email, ping me and I'll send you my snail-addy to pass along. And I need names for the "In Memoriam" page.
Deadline for submissions is July 24th. That's more than six weeks out and gives me time to put the thing together and send some copies up to Worldcon.
Permission granted to forward this to other fannish places.
Well, on my way to work this morning, a lightbulb went off. Fans don't want to read brochures, we want to read *fanzines*. So I figured I'd try to solicit as many stories from as many fannish heart patients as I could, put them all together in a one-shot, and distribute it far and wide. Maybe even make a nifty, limited-edition button to give to all the contributors.
The last page would be an "In Memoriam" page, or as one my favorite TV shows, Babylon 5 says, "To absent friends, in memory still bright..." with a list of fans who've passed on from heart disease/heart attacks/etc.
Toward that end, this is a call for contributions for my one-shot, tentatively called A CHANGE OF HEART. Stories, poems, letters of comment, and artwork from fans who've had heart-related illness and/or surgery are welcome. If you yourself aren't the heart patient, but an immediate family member is/was, I'd also be glad to hear from you. Emailed submissions are strongly preferred; please send to laurahcory [at] yah00 -- but if you know someone who doesn't do email, ping me and I'll send you my snail-addy to pass along. And I need names for the "In Memoriam" page.
Deadline for submissions is July 24th. That's more than six weeks out and gives me time to put the thing together and send some copies up to Worldcon.
Permission granted to forward this to other fannish places.
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