Hoping for a BIG weekend!!!

Hi everyone!!

I hope everyone has had a good week. For me, today is Friday as I took tomorrow off from work. One, I could use more than one day off about now just to rest, but I will hopefully be able to do that once my treatment is reality.

On Saturday, 8/28/10 in Prescott on Fair St., there will be a collaborative effort between an old friend I met here in AZ over 10 years ago when first moving here. She and her mom, and one other partner, hope to open a store in which the purpose is to "Re-Purpose," with proceeds to go to a local charity here in the area that helps disabled/mentally handicapped individuals become more independent. A good purpose all by itself. But, this weekend, they have agreed to place me as the "special project" with proceeds going to help defer the cost of my stem cell treatment!!! How wonderful is that? It is going to be a win/win situation for both of us. I help them launch their store, I reap rewards in donations, and the opportunity to educated the public not only on diabetes, but the prospects of stem cell treatment on my disease as well as many others. I will also be promoting the International Stem Cell Institute, whom I am going through to receive my treatment.

There have been many stories on the news this week that have really taken my frustrations to a whole new level. First, the judge that stopped stem cell research here in the US. COME ON PEOPLE..... let's get educated on the science before you go shooting your mouths off on the "rights and wrongs" of what you THINK is the issue. I guess that people who have never been touched by a devastating, chronic, degenerative disease such as diabetes, neuromuscular, Parkinson's and even heart disease, will never know what this scientific advance could do for society, they will never open their minds to the usage in the US. The second news story I saw this week was that the cost of name brand prescription medications has increased as much as 41.9% in the past year, in spite of the economy. Let's do the math here, and I know this for fact as I dealt with this issue when my mother was ill in that last 2 years of her life. The elderly live on fixed incomes (at lease a good portion of the country), some of these drugs run hundreds of dollars a month, and that is with the Medicare D portion of the so-called retirement "benefits." When a person spends $2800 out of pocket on medication they fall into what the government calls the "donut hole" in which you are basically .... for lack of a better term, shit out of luck, as your Part D benefits will no longer pay for your medications. In my mother's case, it was $1200 out of pocket for one medication, and a six week supply at that!!! That can be devastating to an elderly person/couple who have very little to work with and are already dishing out upwards of $350/month on medications alone. Add in your rent, utilities, food, gas, etc., and it leaves very little if anything at all for "extra." Pretty sad ..... given what the US is suppose to represent. Now, place that same sort of scenario on a young couple, with a child who may have had an accident, or God forbid, a diagnosis of cancer or any other debilitating disease, unemployed, no insurance, etc .... what are we to do if our own government doesn't want to see us surviving????? I do believe it is our government that has too much say, and their way of thinning out the population so that the rich get richer, and the poor .... middle class ..... well .... they go broke and die!!! ..... Sounds like my idea of the American Dream...... NOT!! !

I am going to be out this weekend in hopes of raising not only funds so that I can undergo this treatment and hopes of voicing my outcome .... LOUDLY, but to also make awareness of what is out there that our government seems to be holding back on. It is not right in today's society.

Please help if you can ..... If you live in the Tri-city area, come on by the Fair Street location across from the rodeo grounds and see what we have to offer. The account for donations is located at the Arizona State Credit Union, Chino Valley office. I will post address information next round, of I think .... it is still available on my FB page.

Wish us luck!!!
Have a wonderful and peaceful weekend!!!

Love and Light
et