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Richard Lynch, an awesome PHP community guy and former colleague needs our help

richardlynch.blogspot.com

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Re: Richard Lynch, an awesome PHP community guy and former colleague needs our help

#51

Post by piyush_soni »

bestham wrote: post #9

It's so sad that the country where Richard lived, worked and paid taxes for about 30 years can't provide for him. I'm glad to be able to help. But what happens to those that don't reach the front page of HN? No one enduring the stress of a terminal cancer should have to stress about getting ends to meet during their last months alive. EVER

In USA it's still much better. In many countries including India for example, people pay taxes for their whole life but if they lack money in the end, there's no health/food/shelter security - you are basically on your own. Legislative Bills are there, but they are just that - dormant bills. Nothing exists in reality.

Re: Richard Lynch, an awesome PHP community guy and former colleague needs our help

#52

Post by jmadsen »

agumonkey wrote: post #46
jmadsen wrote: post #38

"PayPal does not currently support Donation Payments from buyers in JP. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause." Sigh Someday the govt & banks will catch up with the 21st century. If someone can put a little extra in the bin on my behalf, I'll look for a chance to pay it forward. Thanks

I gave less than the average here so went for a second round this time with your HN pseudo mentioned.

thank you!

Re: Richard Lynch, an awesome PHP community guy and former colleague needs our help

#53

Post by mikeyouse »

jey wrote: post #42

What's the device that he describes as "funny-looking headgear that makes me look like an Irish Rabbi"? From http://richardlynch.blogspot.com/2014/01/end-game.html

It looks like a Novocure TTF System. A fairly brilliant piece of technology that unfortunately is only useful in patients with glioblastomas that are past the point of surgery or chemotherapy.

Good video: http://www.novottftherapy.com/patients-about.php?ID=3

It applies an alternating electrical field to the brain to prevent cellular replication. It must be worn for 18 hours/day for several months to see 'better' outcomes. I scare-quoted 'better' since the therapy improves a 0% survival rate at 36-months to a 10% survival rate, which is obviously an improvement, but just highlights how awful glios are.

Paper which led to FDA approval: http://www.virtualtrials.com/pdf/Stupp_NovoTTF.pdf

Re: Richard Lynch, an awesome PHP community guy and former colleague needs our help

#54

Post by miles_matthias »

sliverstorm wrote: post #37
donohoe wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Done - and anyone else reading this should do. It takes seconds and you won't even miss the 3 lattes it could buy you.

Side note - is that really what people are paying for lattes now?

No, $3-$5 last time I got one.

Re: Richard Lynch, an awesome PHP community guy and former colleague needs our help

#55

Post by miles_matthias »

radicalbyte wrote: post #19

Just read his series of post over his ordeal. He really has had a rough time. Guys (and gals) of HN, let see if our little community can get to together to help Richard enjoy his last days (and maybe provide a bit for his family if we do really well). Most of us can miss $20, and Richard and his family need it more than must of us do..

I don't know Rich but anyone who makes as much of a commitment to the web as he has deserves a lot of respect. I donated and am looking forward to see how the HN community helps out in a few weeks.

Re: Richard Lynch, an awesome PHP community guy and former colleague needs our help

#56

Post by betenoire »

piyush_soni wrote: post #51
bestham wrote: post #9

It's so sad that the country where Richard lived, worked and paid taxes for about 30 years can't provide for him. I'm glad to be able to help. But what happens to those that don't reach the front page of HN? No one enduring the stress of a terminal cancer should have to stress about getting ends to meet during their last months alive. EVER

In USA it's still much better. In many countries including India for example, people pay taxes for their whole life but if they lack money in the end, there's no health/food/shelter security - you are basically on your own. Legislative Bills are there, but they are just that - dormant bills. Nothing exists in reality.

That sucks in regards to India, but not an excuse for our politicians not to get their shit together.

Re: Richard Lynch, an awesome PHP community guy and former colleague needs our help

#59

Post by stephencanon »

markbao wrote: post #33

Wow. Can't even imagine what that's like. My $20 are a drop in the bucket, but hope that bucket is getting more full. He mentioned that he suffered a seizure and that led him to be taken into the ER. Does he mention any other previous symptoms that might have led up to it? In general, what symptoms do exist for this sort of thing?

The brain is remarkably plastic, and can compensate for all sorts of damage ... right up until the point that it can’t. This is a tautology, but the point is that there usually aren’t any symptoms until these are fairly far developed, which is a big contributor to the fairly terrible prognoses, and the fact that deterioration after the first noticeable symptom is rapid. The effect is magnified in the young and those otherwise in good health, as they have more effective reserve.

Re: Richard Lynch, an awesome PHP community guy and former colleague needs our help

#60

Post by CamperBob2 »

mildtrepidation wrote: post #22
trvz wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

…won't help him. Money does.

Normally I'd jump in on the practicality bandwagon, but this really is not constructive. People who are going to pray will; people who are going to donate will. Your denigration of their faith, justified or not (and we'll never really know until we die), helps no one, particularly in this context.

Nobody's denigrating his faith, as much as his transparent attempt to leverage it for social credibility by advertising his piety on Hacker News while (evidently) doing nothing actually helpful.

If that's not worthy of denigration, take it up with Jesus himself, who said pretty much the same thing.

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