Discussion Topic |
|
This thread has been locked |
valygrl
climber
Boulder, CO
|
|
|
Jul 10, 2009 - 01:28am PT
|
Bump!
Tacos flew home on Wednesday and like an idiot I failed to get a phone number in Japan, so we'll just have to wait until she gets back on Facebook or someone with more foresight talks to her.
That huge expense still needs to be paid, please if you can give even a little, the easiest way is Paypal to satoko_715@hotmail.com or you can contact me and I'll tell you how to make a deposit in a major US bank (very easy).
I got home the other day and the AAA Colorado junkmail-I-mean-magazine had an article about driving drowsy. We all do it, but don't -- only takes a second for life to be very different.
Peace, and sympathy to all here who have suffered so many tragedies in the last few weeks.
|
|
Trad
Trad climber
northern CA
|
|
|
Jul 12, 2009 - 09:59pm PT
|
I hope the travel back home went smoothly. Looking forward to an update...
|
|
neebee
Social climber
calif/texas
|
|
|
Jul 13, 2009 - 01:34am PT
|
hey there say... just a bump for any updates.. .sure hope her trip went well....
sure hope she gets all or any equipment, help, etc, there, too, for the months, etc, to come...
here's prayer for you "tacos"... and cheers to cheer you one...
hoping for address to send a card... :)
|
|
valygrl
climber
Boulder, CO
|
|
|
Jul 13, 2009 - 12:43pm PT
|
Hi everyone, thanks for the continued bumps. I don't have any info or any way to get any until Tacos or her family posts for her on Facebook.
Thanks for keeping her in your thoughts.
|
|
neebee
Social climber
calif/texas
|
|
|
Jul 14, 2009 - 01:35am PT
|
hey there valygrl... say, just keeping this from getting lost, until we hear some more news... :)
|
|
Largo
Sport climber
Venice, Ca
|
|
|
Jul 14, 2009 - 02:55am PT
|
A 60 grand transport fee to Japan is really a gross overcharging. I`m amazed anyone pays it. I;d lie to see a breakdown of those expenses before the books get cooked.
Poor girl. Hope she;s kicking aze.
JL
|
|
valygrl
climber
Boulder, CO
|
|
|
Jul 14, 2009 - 03:36pm PT
|
Largo, that includes 2 full time medical caregivers, 3 or maybe 4 (her brother) first class tickets (i searched on that - $9K per or so) from LA to Japan, a chartered plane from Casper to LA.
To be clear, this wasn't a situation where she could sit in a seat or anything. Everyone has been kind of pussyfooting around it, and putting on the old positive spin (not that there's anything wrong with that) -- but she's pretty much paralyzed from the neck down.
:(
Peace
|
|
neebee
Social climber
calif/texas
|
|
|
Jul 14, 2009 - 03:58pm PT
|
hey there say.....
:(
:(
:(
*please keep updates going... maybe someday, we will get a big:
:)
praying and hoping... seems folks do have better hopes these day... i remember back to reading about all the war-vets, so long ago---many did not live long after such injuries... :(
|
|
valygrl
climber
Boulder, CO
|
|
|
Jul 14, 2009 - 04:05pm PT
|
Thanks neebee... you're right. There's lots of hope. :)
|
|
Largo
Sport climber
Venice, Ca
|
|
|
Jul 14, 2009 - 04:47pm PT
|
"Largo, that includes 2 full time medical caregivers, 3 or maybe 4 (her brother) first class tickets (i searched on that - $9K per or so) from LA to Japan, a chartered plane from Casper to LA.
To be clear, this wasn't a situation where she could sit in a seat or anything. Everyone has been kind pussyfooting around it, and putting on the old positive spin (not that there's anything wrong with that) -- but she's pretty much paralyzed from the neck down."
I suspected that the girl was paralyzed (more or less), that's why I winced to see those bills piling up. Still, aside from a charter to LA, which people overcharge like crazy on, the real gouging is what an airline charges for first class. Nine Gs for a first class ticket. Few people grasp how insane this is.
What's more, injured people fly around all the time in other countries (like the one I'm in now - Venezuela). Few folks have 65 grand to spend so what do they do? Only in the US and a few other places do we have these insane fees.
I hope the girl recovers totally!
JL
|
|
valygrl
climber
Boulder, CO
|
|
|
Jul 14, 2009 - 08:32pm PT
|
Largo, thanks for clarifying. I got defensive, not really sure why --- i agree it's an insane amount of money.
|
|
Jan
Mountain climber
Okinawa, Japan
|
|
|
Jul 14, 2009 - 11:03pm PT
|
I'm sure the reason they paid so much to get her back to Japan is the wonderful national health care. Full coverage under the Japanese system is very inexpensive and life long. Many other support systems are in place for her and her family also. For them it will definitely be worth the $60,000.
|
|
Largo
Sport climber
Venice, Ca
|
|
|
Jul 14, 2009 - 11:22pm PT
|
It feels almost vulgar to be haggling over fees when this girl is so gravely injured, but it underscores how terribly behind the curve our country is per healthcare, and how thee whole shebang is tied to profit.
The 65 grand she is having to pay to get back home would not cover her care here for very long at all. The fees charged to care for spinal cord patients here in the US are so astronomical that even doctors (like my dad and daughter - a 4th year med student) canīt fathom them. I`m sure she returned home where the coverage is free, as it is in all modern western countries - except here.
You can hear all kinds of justifications about not having socialized health care but thee current system is not sustainable. It`s totally ridiculous. So hat if taxes go higher. It`s about people`s lives.
JL
|
|
Jan
Mountain climber
Okinawa, Japan
|
|
|
Jul 14, 2009 - 11:46pm PT
|
fatrad-
What are you saying here? That if her family couldn't afford the $60,000, she deserved to die?
|
|
dmalloy
Trad climber
eastside
|
|
|
Jul 14, 2009 - 11:54pm PT
|
"it's a matter of allocating resources and usually the free market does it best"
prove it...
|
|
kunlun_shan
Mountain climber
SF, CA
|
|
|
Jul 14, 2009 - 11:59pm PT
|
"usually the free market does it best"
well, with health care here in the U$ it amounts to a massive ripoff.
(edit) sorry, but that "free market" statement is ridiculous.
I hope Tacos can start working hard at rehab soon. I've never met her, but from what i read she has lots of dedication and strong will. She can do it. Lots of people have recovered from initial injuries like this, and she'll be one too!
|
|
Fluoride
Trad climber
Hollywood, CA
|
|
|
Topic Author's Reply - Jul 15, 2009 - 12:23am PT
|
"usually the free market does it best."
At health care??? Are you insane? It's completely *for profit* in this country. At the expense of lives. A million dollars A DAY is being spent right now in DC by big pharm, insurance companies, et al to make sure the public health care option doesn't go anywhere in congress. It's not in their best interests. Cause pure *profit* is their ONLY interest. Not the health & well being of their paying customers.
If you want to start a public healthcare pissing match, please start a new thread about it and leave this thread to be about the updates on our friend Tacos.
At least she's now somewhere that her expenses and rehabilitation will be taken care of and won't bankrupt herself or her family for life. Sadly, if she was American, we couldn't say that.
|
|
valygrl
climber
Boulder, CO
|
|
|
Jul 15, 2009 - 01:23am PT
|
If anyone wants to send a card, she is in this hospital
Tokyo Kosei Nennkin Hospital
5-1 tsukudo-cho,
Shinjuku-ku,
TOKYO 162-8543
JAPAN
Cara said she might be moving to a hospital in Osaka soon.
That's all I got.
|
|
Fluoride
Trad climber
Hollywood, CA
|
|
|
Topic Author's Reply - Jul 15, 2009 - 01:38am PT
|
Thanks for the address valygrl. Going to get a card in the mail to her.
|
|
|
SuperTopo on the Web
|
Let us know!