A GoFundMe for Brandon (OTish)

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Jim Clipper

climber

Jan 28, 2019 - 05:51pm PT

I just hope Brandon is ok. Of course, if Aaron decides to do something else with the money, apparently Aaron isn't the person he thinks he is. (although I admire him for the phone call to the clinic, and the ride to get hisome friend there. the other stuff maybe not so much).

johntp

Trad climber

By decision or indecision we are where we are.

Jan 28, 2019 - 05:52pm PT

Reflecting on what is going on:

Happie- do you know Aaron? Is he a climber?

Aaron should post up here. For whatever reason, you linked us to his gofundme for Brandon. Is this all a hoax to line his own pockets?

Many questions. If Aaron is a scammer, I'm not happy.

Still don't have enough detail to make judgement yet. Smelling funny.

John M

climber

Jan 28, 2019 - 06:01pm PT

Aaron is a long time Friend of Brandon. Brandon told us that. He also said that back in the day when Brandon was doing extreme skiing Aaron was one of this buddies who he skied with. Aaron is one year sober and is emotionally involved because Brandon is his long time friend and this cuts close to home. I have sent a friend request to Aaron on Facebook and hopefully I will hear from him so we can get this cleared up. This has been very stressful for Aaron because not only is Brandon his friend, but he also went on the hook with the treatment center for Brandons full bill. That was supposed to have been paid in full by the 25th, which since Brandon appears to still be there hopefully means is paid off.

I will let you know more when or if Aaron contacts me.

Happiegrrrl2

Trad climber

Topic Author's Reply - Jan 28, 2019 - 06:04pm PT

I do not know Aaron. He came on Supertopo in the Sobriety thread and that was the first I heard of him. From what I recall in the Sobriety thread, he is not a climber but knew Brandon from years back. I seem to recall Brandon mentioning in the Sobriety thread that his friend was going to help him get into a rehab. That was before Aaron posted here.

I don't know Brandon outside of Supertopo either.
The reason I created THIS thread about the GoFundMe was because Aaron posted a bit if a meltdown in the Sobriety thread that the fund was not going to get the amount due to pay for the rehab. I remembered that people had been willing to help Brandon via work opportunities when he(Brandon) said he wanted to go to CA and give his wife space. I thought those people might not be aware of Brandon's situation if they don't read the Sobriety thread(and why would they follow it, if it didn't pertain to them. It's kind of a personal thread that might seem creepy to be lurking on if you are not an alcoholic or dealing with someone who is.

So, I thought people who were willing to help Brandon with work might also be willing to donate to this GoFundMe. And it seemed to help quite a bit.

Pleae John, don't infer that I am somehow involved in some sort of scam. I went through false accusations with *The Joshua Tree Crowd" a few years ago, if you recall. People said I had been offered a job at the Saloon and turned it down. There were so few people who even knew I had filled out an application there, which was ALL that transpired, that it is a very few people who could have started that rumor, which caused me considerable distress. Don't put me in that kind of place again, please.

Gnome Ofthe Diabase

climber

Out Of Bed

Jan 28, 2019 - 06:05pm PT

STAY THE COURSE, POINT THE TIPS DOWN HILL & RIDE IT OUT.
use the edges on the ice to turn, to do that you lean in...

THE READING IS NOT ALL THAT CLEAR

But everyone falls down a few times while trying to get clean.

Give the 3 people immediately involved the tight belay that they need & deserve
Aaron sounds like he is hard-core in a good way!
The guy is trying to be as stand up as he can be.
yes it would be nice if he stated what exactly he means but it seems clear to me that he is un-clear right now.

It all depends on Brandon, one tuff piece of meat.
The whole thing is on the meat in the pot so to speak; It still needs time to cook.

I Posted it Here so others can read it

Posted by Aaron Tritz
3 hours ago(?@about 4:00pm Cntl)
Share

Terrie - I have every receipt, every penny documented and it will go to the correct person. The one that will benefit most. That is one of two people.

I have all the information and am willing to send to anyone for proof. How? Perhaps I set up an email account specifically for this and can send all information for those that want to see it - the treatment center will receive a copy of it all tomorrow. Every penny is documented and I am good to my word. I am not a thief, this a program of honesty and I take the 12 steps very seriously.

His actions have effected others much more than myself. Every penny will go to the right place. Take a wild guess to who if it's not to him.
Help spread the word!

It sounds like Aaron is saying after his original out-lay has been reimbursed, he intends to give the remainder to the wife.

An honest declarative statement to that affect would be best,
till then hang tight, have hope and send cash, love & light.

The spirit feels strongest when we all pull together
the darkness is deepest before the dawn.
It is up to Aaron & Brandon to make it right

John M

climber

Jan 28, 2019 - 09:39pm PT

It sounds like Aaron is saying after his original out-lay has been reimbursed, he intends to give the remainder to the wife.

This is substantially correct. I just got off the phone with Aaron.

This is a complicated situation in part because Brandon hasn't been completely forthcoming about how far down the rabbit hole he has gotten.

I'm not going to go into it very much because Brandon's wife is concerned that too much information will get out in the small town that she and Brandon live in, so Aaron was trying to keep her out of the donation situation, that is why he wasn't clear on who the money was going to. But it is going to either Brandon if he will do a 6 month sober house, or his wife.

At this point, the center that Brandon is in has asked that Aaron not contact Brandon as it was causing more problems for Brandon then it was doing good. It also wasn't good for Aaron as he is only one year sober himself after 20+ years of heavy drinking which he admits to and has posted on this forum, so I don't feel like I am betraying confidences.

The rehab center total cost was $4900. Aaron got them to offer $1000 dollar scholarship making the cost $3900. They did this because Aaron does volunteer work with them, including organizing a ski trip for alumni of the program. The rehab center usually requires full payment up front as they do not take insurance. Aaron paid $500 dollars. He had to agree to pay the rest by the 25th. That money was raised on the go fund me site. Aaron also spent about 500 dollars helping Brandon get things he wanted while he would be in the center as Brandon arrived with nothing but the clothes on his back. This included Brandon spending a lot of money on chewing tobacco.

Total cost to date. $3900 ( of which Aaron paid 500 ) + 500 ( spent by Aaron getting things for Brandon) = $4400.

Aaron paid 500 of that cost as a down payment and spent 500 helping Brandon get supplies before he went in and while he has been there totaling $1000 dollars spent by Aaron.

Before Brandon went into rehab he called his Boss and got $1000 from a retirement account. which was sent by check made out to Aaron to cover the money that Aaron had spent.

this left 3400 dollars owed for the rehab center.

So far $4305 has been raised on gofundme. Godfundme takes 3.3 percent so they have sent $4161 to Aaron, of which he used $3400 to pay off the rehab center.

This leave $761 dollars.

I hope that is clear. ( as mud ) I know.

.....

I do believe that the rehab center has been paid in full as I do believe that they require money paid in full up front.

Whats next?

Because of how far down the rabbit hole Brandon was and how bad his DTs were, Aaron believes that Brandon needs to do 6 months of living in a sober house where he can help himself further establish his sobriety. Aaron did this himself and knows how much it helps. Before going in Brandon agreed this was necessary as things were difficult at home and he needed to clean up. Please read between the lines as I won't go into further detail online. This is really hard to explain without revealing everything that is going on.

Just the other day Brandon decided that he didn't want to do the 6 months in a sober house, in part because he believes that he doesn't need it, and in part because he believes that if he completes this 30 day program then everything will be ok at home. So I do not know what will happen next.

His wife also believes that he needs to do the 6 month sober house, so we shall see.

As for donating further. Brandon's wife still needs help. Brandon will need money when he gets out of rehab. I don't know the full cost of the sober living house but a down payment is 300. Brandon would be able to work while in the house, so hopefully he would be able to cover that cost.

I do believe Aaron, but even he is hesitant about further donations because things are not good between he and Brandon and Brandon and his wife. But he will either give the money towards Brandon's further recovery or send it to his wife.

Please understand that this situation is fairly complicated and that this rehab is just the first step for Brandon. He will have plenty more work to do once he is out of the center.
.....

Hey Brandon.. I apologize if this feels to you like I am revealing too much about your situation, but a lot of people have contributed to your recovery and they deserve open honest answers. I still believe that you are a good guy, but you have to face where you have been or you will continue down the rabbit hole. I speak from experience because it was difficult for me to quit and I had a lot of work to do on myself to understand why I had these kinds of problems. So I hope that you will understand that I am just trying to help you and that I hope that you will continue on your path of healing.

neebee

Social climber

calif/texas

Jan 28, 2019 - 10:10pm PT

hey there say, all...

thanks for sharing for all of us...

also, brandon... in your corner... prayers and hopes...
hang in there...

may be a hard trail, but, it is worth it...
(shared for you to see this, in the future) ...

Splater

climber

Grey Matter

Jan 28, 2019 - 10:24pm PT

John, thanks for posting.

Brandon, hope you keep making progress!
(same hope for all of us)

Jim Clipper

climber

Jan 28, 2019 - 10:39pm PT

Thanks for the clarification. Aaron is a good dude. Also, it makes me happy to see the support from others here. Be well Brandon.

WBraun

climber

Jan 29, 2019 - 08:49am PT

Good job John M for making this clear ......

johntp

Trad climber

By decision or indecision we are where we are.

Jan 29, 2019 - 04:18pm PT

But everyone falls down a few times while trying to get clean.

Roger that. Seems the gofundme is going defunct.

Truly best wishes for Brandon. I don't know any of the details. Addiction is a beast and it takes a lot of resolve to conquer. Falling down is common. Most addicted persons relapse several time before they "get it".

The cost of the program he is in seems unusually low. Most programs start around $15k a month. I wonder if the program he is in is doing him any good. If all they do is recite AA, it's probably a waste of money.

Brandon, I hope you can get it together.

edit: just as a cautionary side note, sober living is anything but. My family wanted me to go to one after rehab. While in rehab I learned from other residents that while you can't smuggle in booze due to the size of the bottles, one get away with bringing all kinds of drugs in.
Some of the folks that run sober living places sell drugs and booze to the residents. I told my family no.

I didn't want to go from being an alcoholic to a drug addict.

Pleae John, don't infer that I am somehow involved in some sort of scam.

If that is directed at me, I meant nothing of the sort, although can see how it could be seen that way. Come on Happie, you know me better than that.

climber

Just livin' the dream

Jan 29, 2019 - 05:34pm PT

^^^^^+1

John M

climber

Jan 29, 2019 - 06:50pm PT

Thank for your kind words Tad and L, you two are some of the best here on the Taco.

.....

I have a new update. I just got off the phone with Aaron.

Brandon has left the facility and is flying home. A friend of his paid for his airfare. On advice of his sponsor and attorney Aaron has closed out his managerial duties on the go fund me. So no new money will be going into his account. The treatment facility is paid in full. The excess money that is still in Aaron's account of $761 will be sent to Brandon's wife. Brandon created the go fund me, so he now has complete control of it and any new money after today that is donated. Aaron was not the person who started the go fund me, so he could not close it. I left a comment on the go fund me.

I really hoped that Brandon would finish this treatment, but it appears he believes he has it all figured out. Plenty of us have been there, so we know what that is like.

This really messed with Aaron. He is just less then one year sober and so decided that he needs to focus on himself. He wishes the best for Brandon, but hopes that he gets more therapy.

There is more going on, but I won't post it on the internet without all parties permission. Just suffice it to say that this is not in my opinion good news.

I'm still rooting for your Brandon. I hope that you get this figure out.

Brandon-

climber

The Granite State.

Jan 29, 2019 - 06:57pm PT

At Logan right now. Doing 90 in 90 and outpatient at the local hospital. (these two may conflict so it may be less than 90). Have some numbers to call regarding sober living around here so I may be able to do that and go back to my old job, which has been held for me. This deserves more than a paragraph, but I’m beat. Tomorrrow.

And, thank you all! I won’t let your generosity go to waste. That I promise.

Worked up to ten mile runs on the treadmill, half marathon on the elliptical (sp?) and lost ten pounds too. Go figure.

There is a story here, I’m not here for lack of wanting to be there. That place is really special.

johntp

Trad climber

By decision or indecision we are where we are.

Jan 29, 2019 - 06:58pm PT

Leaving treatment before finishing is not a good sign.

The good thing about rehab is one learns they can live without their addiction for 30 days.

On the other hand, the wrong program does more harm than good.

Aaron did a good thing to front it for Brandon. He also risked his own sobriety.

Cheers to you Aaron.

edit: Brandon, doing 90 in 90 is worthless unless you really make the commitment to yourself. It is demoralizing. Frankly, I'm not a fan of AA. What got me finished was SMART Recovery. It is a non-spiritual, logical approach more holistically oriented, focusing on life balance.
The big difference between SMART and AA is that SMART maintains you have power, versus AA which maintains you are powerless. Google it.

Delhi Dog

climber

Good Question...

Jan 29, 2019 - 07:01pm PT

Plenty of us lurkers cheering for you Brandon!

Follow your heart.

And JohnM you're a good man.

edit "Cheers to you Aaron."

Yes! You're a good friend. Best to you.

Brandon-

climber

The Granite State.

Jan 29, 2019 - 07:06pm PT

I have made the commitment, I’m not f*#king around with this.

John M

climber

Jan 29, 2019 - 07:19pm PT

I don't know what to tell you Brandon, other then that I believe you need to call the facility and see if they will take you back. Your time there is paid for. You should consider using it.