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What Dreams May Come

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Re: What Dreams May Come

#181

Post by 300bps »

darthclue wrote: post #74

Jonathan here. Being woke up by my wife crying because the donations just aren't stopping is both heart-breaking and comforting. For those of you who haven't seen the 'Bucket List' post, here's what it says at the very top: As I try to deal with the reality that is my impending death I can't help but wonder how many things I might have been able to accomplish given just a little more time. When I was diagnosed, I had…

I was happy to make a donation. This hits close to home because my wife was diagnosed with Stage 0 Melanoma-in-situ when she was 35 years old. We have three kids of our own and imagining them growing up without their mother is terrifying. Fortunately, we caught it at Stage 0 though which has a 100% cure rate. So let me stand up on the soapbox for a minute:

Everyone should go to a dermatologist every year for an all-over skin check starting when you're in your 20s. That's what my wife did and it's what I started when I was in my late 20s. It's literally the difference between dying young and growing old.

To stay on the soapbox for a minute, everyone should really have at least $500,000 in life insurance when your wife is pregnant with your first child. I pay about $1,500 per year for $2.0 million in life insurance above what my employer supplies me (3x salary). You really, really need term life insurance outside of what your employer offers. Just think - if you get very sick and lose your job, you don't want to lose your life insurance as well. Don't get whole life - it's generally a rip off. Just get term life insurance. I have a ladder of 10 year, 20 year and 30 year policies that expire as I get older and need less life insurance. In fact, my 10 year term policy just expired a couple months ago (my oldest son is 9.5).

Also, get disability insurance outside your employer's policy as well. Policies supplied by employers are typically worthless. It's generally good to get an "own occupation" policy because otherwise you can be denied payment because you're able to work a McDonald's drive-through even though you've been a surgeon your entire life.

Re: What Dreams May Come

#182

Post by jkochis »

Whatever you do, don't eat the food at Casa Bonita! They require you to purchase a meal in order to go in, but DO NOT EAT IT.

You can eat the sopaipillas though.

Re: What Dreams May Come

#183

Post by robinhoode »

darthclue wrote: post #74

Jonathan here. Being woke up by my wife crying because the donations just aren't stopping is both heart-breaking and comforting. For those of you who haven't seen the 'Bucket List' post, here's what it says at the very top: As I try to deal with the reality that is my impending death I can't help but wonder how many things I might have been able to accomplish given just a little more time. When I was diagnosed, I had…

Have you considered cryonics at all? This woman was diagnosed with a brain tumor, and funded her procedure with donations:

http://www.themarysue.com/woman-cryogenic-sleep/

Re: What Dreams May Come

#184

Post by taybin »

theknown99 wrote: post #28
melling wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There are over 7 billion people on the planet. A day doesn't go by without a story like this. We just don't hear about most of them. Someday a person like this will simply go to his doctor, get a prescription, and go on to live a normal life. Rather than dwelling on sadness, maybe we should ask if there isn't something we can do, as a group, to make that day arrive sooner. What would it take to cure, or at least trea…

Without sounding unfeeling, do we really want to add to the overcrowding and population explosion problem that much? Earth is full. Our population has doubled in the short time I've been alive. Doesn't that scare the shit out of anyone else? Imagine what would happen if you suddenly cured all forms of cancer. People would live even longer. Population would shoot up. Lack of housing, lack of jobs. More pensioners... e…

Because you're a jerk.

Re: What Dreams May Come

#185

Post by gallamine »

johnward wrote: post #150
MisterBastahrd wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Life insurance is something that you have to purchase for sums of that magnitude, and a lot of people are too busy buying other things to worry about spending the 10-20 bucks a month that it costs. Usually an employer will give you an additional survivor's benefit, usually between 10K to up to a year's worth of salary.

Everyone keeps saying this. Where can you spend 10-20 bucks a month and get 100-200k coverage? I pay way more than that for like 50k coverage and I got the plane when I was 23.

20 year term life should be <$20 for a "normal" young person. Try Zander (broker) or Amica (insurance company that I recommend). Make sure you get term life.

Re: What Dreams May Come

#186

Post by ilovecookies »

melling wrote: post #12
bherms wrote: post #2

It's sad that when we find out something this devastating (you're dying), that we have to spend our last weeks/months/years worrying about, of all things, money. Nobody deserves this sort of thing happening to them, and when it does happen, it hurts me to think they can't spend their last months on earth focused on enjoying time with their loved ones and instead have to live in fear that their family is going to be a…

There are over 7 billion people on the planet. A day doesn't go by without a story like this. We just don't hear about most of them. Someday a person like this will simply go to his doctor, get a prescription, and go on to live a normal life. Rather than dwelling on sadness, maybe we should ask if there isn't something we can do, as a group, to make that day arrive sooner. What would it take to cure, or at least trea…

This is also what I'm thinking. Yes, this is probably a terrible experience he is going through, but if people 'really' wanted to help maybe giving to a cancer research institution or donating to people that have 'real' needs, like putting food on the table or access to fresh water. Wouldnt that honestly be more fair and better than to a guy who needs to pay of his mortgage today?

I mean the average time to pay of a loan is something like 15 years, and given his situation he could probably try to apply for a better deal from the company where he took his loan (decrease monthly amortization costs but increase loan period for example?).

Personally, I will not get hooked by this story and give him money. But point me to the nearest cancer research institution that has made tangible results and I would be happy do donate.

But also, out of personal reasons due to the crappy humans nature we all have, I guess I'm kind of jealous that this guy will be making tons of money on something so bad. I'm a young guy, my girlfriend (my first real love) died last year, and honestly, noone gave a fuck about that.

Re: What Dreams May Come

#187

Post by zerohm »

naner wrote: post #75
VMG wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

can't miss an opportunity for pointless snark, eh?

Not really pointless... guy is dying and worried about the financial security of his family, which I completely understand, but then outlines some financially irresponsible expenses? How about posting on facebook "I'm dying, here's a fund we started to help support my wife and children in my absence" and leave it at that. This comes across as entitled and unrealistic. That being said, his situation is extremely shitt…

After he's gone, will his wife regret not having a slightly smaller mortgage or will she regret not having memories of Disneyworld.

Yes, I'm all about financial responsibility, but experiences can't be bought later, a little debt can be paid later.

Re: What Dreams May Come

#188

Post by hueving »

Blahah wrote: post #103
hessenwolf wrote: post #96

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's the other way around, actually. HIV gets a massively disproportionate amount of funds. Cancer gets disproportionately little. Also, as we are eliminating competing risks, cancer is emerging as a huge source of death in developing economies.

That's true only in the specific case of HIV in the USA - the funding in the USA for cancer vs HIV is about right for the global number of deaths from those diseases. Especially if you consider that cancer is showing no sign of being a curable problem, while HIV is. For other diseases - malaria, dengue, hepatitis, typhoid etc., not to mention malnutrition - global spending is massively disporportionate in favour of c…

>Especially if you consider that cancer is showing no sign of being a curable problem, while HIV is.

"We haven't found a solution to this problem" is possibly the worst reason I've ever heard to cut back on research.

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