ALS GoFundMe Account for Larry Meredith - Day One

This is Day One of the GoFundMe account I created for my friend Larry Meredith. 

I was curious how effective that would work.  I've had this blog for twelve years now never posted one ad or asked for money for a good cause. However, I am doing that now. 

Larry's medical bills are piling up since he was diagnosed with ALS last December. 

Larry does have Medicare and supplemental insurance but they don't cover all the bills that have now been generated since he was diagnosed with ALS.

I talk to Larry almost every day on FaceTime. He lives in upstate Delaware and I live in lower state Delaware. 

Larry and I have known each other since 1951 when he outed me on a book report in our third grade class with Miss Ezrah. I had stood in front of the class and given my 'book report' which was actually a synopsis of a Scrooge McDuck comic book.  At ten years old I didn't realize I was plagiarizing.  After I gave my book report Larry raised his hand and told Miss Ezrah and the whole class 'I know that story! It's from a Scrooge McDuck comic book!' Gee, thanks Larry.  After he said that he feared going to recess because he thought I would beat him up.  As we emptied out of the East Ward Elementary school for recess, I did seek Larry out.  Much to Larry's surprise I approached him and said 'You have Scrooge McDuck comic books?'  I had comic book I wanted to trade. Larry did too. Thus began a (now) sixty-six year friendship. 

You know it's funny but I don't remember this instance but it is something I would do.  I am that kind of opportunist, at least when it came to my treasure trove of comic books.  I had a Mary Worth comic books I wanted to get rid of. 

Since Larry was diagnosed with ALS last December, I have watched him slowly lose his ability to get around. Like me, Larry likes to walk. He still walks but needs the help of a cane now. Eventually he will not be able to walk. 

I have never once heard Larry complain about his diagnosis. He has accepted his condition as part of his life's journey. I admire him for that. I'm not sure how I would react if I was given the same diagnosis.

Larry and his family never were rich. Actually, who is? Most folks in our social class, beginning when we grew up on Washington Avenue in Downingtown, have always lived pretty close on the edge.  There was a period in both of our lives when we had some surplus funds. Coincidentally we both worked for banks, different banks. We didn't plan our careers that way but that's the direction our career took when we couldn't afford college. Neither one of us had parents who could afford to pay for our college educations. Nor did either of us have enough confidence to work our way through college, having both having fathers who didn't encourage us that we could. Not to put all the blame on our fathers but a little encouragement would have helped with our self-esteem.

Both Larry and I have worked for everything we have in life. Coincidentally, even though both of our fathers were truck drivers who were indifferent to us and we grew very low middle class, one step from white trash (I would like to think), Larry is straight whereas I am gay.  But they my regular followers already knew that about me but I've said and written about it often enough (ad infinitum for gosh sakes).

Larry and I are both of an age that we know our time on this earth is coming to an end sooner rather than later. We have often talked about how we're going to go. We both agree that we're not afraid of death but we are rather concerned how we get there.  Neither of us wants a long and protracted and painful death, dependent on others. Sad to say this is what it looks like it going to happen to Larry.  

As I said before, Larry doesn't complain about his situation but I know Larry well enough to sense that his ever increasing medical bills are starting to cause him some real concern. It's a shame that someone who has ALS facing them in the future has the extra stress of worrying how to meet his family's bills. 

I suggested to Larry yesterday to start one of those Go Fund Me accounts. I've heard about them but didn't know too much about them.  Larry seemed reluctant to start one for himself, it's asking for money which doesn't come naturally to our upbringing. Even though Larry's family and mine were very poor, we never collected state aid (welfare) or any other kind of assistance. We always worked for whatever we had. In fact I continue to work albeit part-time so I can stay a little ahead of my bills and have my four times a year holidays with my friend Pat.  A little luxury that I allow myself in my senior years before I am stricken down with some fatal illness, which will surely be my fate. I only hope that my illness will be quick and painless. Something Larry and I often talked about. My friend Bob McCamley and I also talked about how we would die.  Bob said he would 'never die that way.'  But die he did, a long and protracted and humiliating illness of Parkinson's Disease. Fortunately for Bob he had enough money saved and full medical coverage to cover his final decline.

So how is the Go Fund Me account going?  We already have eight contributors for $225.  Pat and I have contributed $50 each. Some other kind ladies have contributed as well as one of my blog followers Andy.  Thank you folks.  

We have a goal of $45,000. Just an arbitrary figure that should help substantially with Larry's debt during this time of his life.  You know how those medical bills are, they just keep coming in. I had a taste of that during Bill's medical emergency last year.  Bill only has Medicare Part A. The rest of his coverage is from the VA.  The VA paid most of his bills but believe me, I had to jump through a LOT of hoops to get that done and yet we still had bills of thousands of dollars. 

I've always avoided putting ads on my blog and I have never solicited for funds on my blog. But this time I am making an exception for my friend Larry. Larry is a good soul. He has raised a find family of two daughters and one son after losing his first seven children to miscarriage and medical conditions.  Yes, seven children who he and his wife have named. 

For the sixty-six years I have known Larry he has always been a gentle and peaceful person. Larry is one of the Good Guys. He deserves some help at this time of his life. And if I can help in any little way, even if I have to do some as uncomfortable for me as asking for monetary help for him, I will. It is the right thing to do. 

Now if he can get about 4,500 hundred people to donate $10 or more we can quickly reach our goal of $45,000 and thus put Larry's mind at ease so at least he doesn't have to worry about where he is going to get the money to pay for the latest bills that arrive in his mailbox every day.

Thank you for indulging me on my stream of consciousness here. And bless you all.