Hot Damn!
FINALLY!!!!!!Lee has an appointment with the ENT group in Baton Rouge on January 31st!!!!!!
There's over $10G in the bank, waiting to cover everything that Medicaid doesn't (although it still might not be enough, depending on what, exactly, Medicaid covers), and we FINALLY might have an answer.
Lee's disease is progressing in much the same fashion as it has been all along. The one eye out of which she can still see somewhat is getting dimmer, her legs are going out from under her more and more often, and she's less and less able to work.
I wish to hell that we had gotten to this point a whole lot sooner, 'cause there is such a thing as "too late," y'know?
Great thanks go out to Feliciana Pharmacy and Ricky's Bar/Audubon Liquor for helping collect a nice chunk of that money in the bank, as well as the independently-owned BP station here in town, whose very compassionate owner has collected and donated almost two grand. He never tells me his name, he just keeps telling me to get ahold of Maury Povich... I never did get the end of that story --- somebody had called the show about Lee's story, Susan communicated with the producers, but then, nothing. So I don't know what happened there. I have personally written to Oprah and Montell Williams, but never received any response from either.
So cross yer fingers, light yer candles, rub your lucky whatever --- let's just all hope together that we have FINALLY found the doctor(s) who can fix Lee's brain tumor for good and bring her back to herself.
Thank you all, so much, from the bottom of my heart, for your love, your compassion, and your help. Just being lucky enough to witness a modern "miracle" of sorts like this has been a life-changing experience for me. Not a conversion, mind you, but it has restored a small glimmer of hope for the human condition.
FINALLY! An update!
Oy.
Okay, here's what I found out from Susan today:
1. Together, with the online efforts and the people here in town (including a really really great guy who is an independent owner of a BP station), y'all have raised about $10G!!!!!! With the reinstatement of Lee's Medicaid, it looks like we'll be able to swing whatever solution that the ENT group will come up with. And I hope to hell that it's SOON.
2. The ENT group in B.R. hasn't contacted Susan since Dec. 23rd, so Lee's still waiting for an actual appointment. I know that there's a lot of information to deal with about her case, it's not exactly lancing a boil here, but the longer they take, the more afraid that I get.
3. Lee, of course, is still doing the Mizz Bravado thang, and won't give me a straight answer about any of this stuff, when I ask about her health, her doctor appointments, etc., but Susan says that her headaches & fatigue are getting worse and worse, and she hasn't been able to work nearly as much since the holidays because her legs are going out from under her more and more often. I actually witnessed her legs failing her not too long ago, and it scared the hell out of me, but of course, Mizz Bravado played it off as just "tripping." Her eyesight doesn't seem to be improving or even stabilizing at this point, so it's just pure willpower that keeps her going and working.
4. With all of the wonderful and truly helpful offers and suggestions that we've received from great people at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, Tulane's Neurofibromatosis Clinic, and other medical facilities, I've been trying to push for Susan to get into contact with any and/or all of these places, but she & Lee seem determined to stay close to home. I just hope that all of you know how much I appreciate the kindness, the expertise, and the advice that y'all have sent our way.
5. As soon as Susan hears from the ENT group, I will let you all know what's happening next. I'd have posted about these issues sooner, but y'all know how it is when you work retail at the holidays --- Susan was harder to pin down than a hummingbird. And why post when you have no news? No one who wanted to help Lee got into this for entertainment or filler, so I didn't want to insult y'all with blank words.
6. I'm especially thankful that Lee has gotten her Medicaid back; I know that it won't cover *everything*, but hopefully the money that y'all have helped raise will be able to cover any gaps. I will always be grateful for and amazed by the response to our efforts here --- when so much else in the world seems so hopeless, real live human beings blow you away with the size of their hearts and their giving souls. And hopefully, we will still get Lee to the help that she needs IN TIME. Time is what scares me the most, for her sake, because tumors don't wait for anyone.
Thank you all, so much, for all that y'all have done and continue to do for Lee --- you have made such a difference in her life, in my life, in the world, period.
More news as it happens.
