Proof is in the Pudding!

For the Cynics and Skeptics Out There (especially Redditors):

So it was brought to my attention by Jonathan that for complete strangers, who don't know me, the veracity of my 'story' may be called into question.

So, I went to the doctor's office and got the transcription from Dr. John T. Wey's dictation during the office visit.

As some of you know, I am now getting a second opinion from Dr. Christopher Hanssen tomorrow morning.  Once I've seen him, I will post a note from Dr. Hanssen as well.

The following is a scanned copy of my records from L&W Orthopaedic Associates:

Just skip down to "ASSESMENT" AND "PLAN" and you'll find your answer.

Since this fundraising campaign was originally only meant for family and friends, it didn't even occur to me that people would have that suspicion.  I guess I am just too naive.  Anyways, I hope this settles all doubt.  If there are any more concerns, feel free to post a comment.
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P.S.:  So much sh*t went down yesterday that even thinking about writing an update on it makes me weary.  I promise to provide an update on Day 4 & 5 (Today) later tonight though.  Bear with me.  Organic Chemistry II and dealing with hospital bureaucracy is very tiring.

One thing I will bring up now though is the shady game that hospitals apparently are playing at.

Methodist Richardson Medical Center to be specific is extremely shady (and yes I am tagging Methodist Richardson because I don't wish anyone to go through what I had to go through and I want as much media exposure as possible about their greedy policies).

I have not filed an official complaint yet but I spoke to Eric, the financial counselor over at Methodist Dallas, about my grievances and he is a wonderful individual, who is caring and conscientious.  I can't say the same for Mike Dowling, who is the sole person in charge of finances over at Methodist Richardson Med. Center.  L&W gave me Mike's number to ask about the price of using their facility for 35 - 40 min., which is how long this outpatient surgery takes.  He told me it would be $9,300 but since I'm self-pay he can offer a maximum discount of 30%, coming out to $7,210 (this is hospital alone, not including the surgeon's fee and the anesthesiologist).  Later, I was told that I was required to pay 1/3 of this amount the day of my surgery.  Anyways, I told him that I don't have that kind of money and he said he can't help me and that was that.

Then I met Kathy at Medical Center of Plano, who told me that Methodist Richardson was charging ridiculous prices and that she will find a reasonable price for me.  She did, so naturally I cancelled my surgery with Methodist.  Well, now they are pleading for me to go back and offering to match Medical Center of Plano's price.

Talk about too little, too late! Beg all you want, but I'm not crawling back into your greedy paws. Oh and I'm going to make damn sure everyone knows what a rapacious, rude individual Mike Dowling is over at Methodist Richardson. He's the one person in charge of billing AND financial counseling at Methodist. Talk about a corrupt system. (Don't get me wrong, not all Methodist Medical Centers are like this; Methodist Dallas seems to have a decent system, with the 2 branches kept separate.)


I've been talking to my CrossFitting friend, Stacey, about this situation.  (Basically it would be cheaper for me to go to Methodist now since the wonderful Dr. Wey is only charging me a Medicare rate (unbeatable) and very low anesthesiologist fees, but I refuse to go just because the hospital is shady.)  She made a great comment that sums it all up:

"It's the mentality of realizing that it's a machine thats gonna try to churn you into pink slime, lol....when you need to remain true to being organic grassfed you!"
-Stacey Hiller

Indeed.

Day 3 Update

FREE BEER:

Alex Holliday, my brother from another mother, has agreed to provide FREE BEER to anyone who donates to the cause! Definitely take advantage of that amazing deal. (Unfortunately for us stateside folks, his restaurant, "The Drunken Monkey," is located in Taipei, Taiwan near Guting MRT station. So as for you expats and locals on the island of debauchery and hedonism — I'm definitely jealous!)
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My (Pathetic) Personal Efforts at Paying Off Surgery Expenses:

I went to the Collin County Health Dept.'s Indigent Health Services this morning in McKinney and was basically told that I would most likely qualify due to my income level but a case worker can take up to 14 days to evaluate an application. And then after approval I would have to see their approved physician and then that physician would decide whether or not I needed surgery; I can't afford to wait that long.

I then had to rush off to class in Frisco but there was a traffic accident on the highway on US-75 and traffic crawled to a halt. Took nearly an hour to get to Frisco. I forgot about that one stretch of 35 mph zone though a neighborhood and these Frisco cops were OUT of their squad cars hidden in the bushes by a small neighborhood road with their radar guns! They caught me going at 47 mph in a 35 mph zone. I didn't even realize what happened at first when they signalled me to pull over... When it rains, it pours.

Then, that afternoon I went in person to Plano Medical Center today (since the financial aid folks were not answering their phones) and found out that their hospital fees are dramatically cheaper than Methodist Richardson Medical Center; however, this would mean I need to find another orthopaedic surgeon all over again (one that can operate at PMC) and then have a consultation and then schedule a surgery date. Delaying the surgery may not be wise though.

Currently, I have this Thursday morning as the surgery date but if I choose to save $ and go to PMC that means the Methodist doc won't be available for surgery (if things fall apart) until April 17th (ironically my birthday) and that would be too late. That would mean about 5 weeks from the time of my surgery increasing chances of complications.

It's a lot to think about.  I honestly cannot wait for this to end.  It's ridiculous that Methodist Richardson Medical Center is charging nearly 3x the price as Plano Medical Center when I believe they are both owned by HCA. Also, that they don't even have a process to refer specialists for patients.  I was even pushed in a wheelchair by a PMC greeter to the ER to ask for a referral to an orthopaedic surgeon and they just told me to look it up myself online (even though the website doesn't list sub-specialities for orthopaedic surgeons; they told me to call them then).

Oh even worse, I was coming downstairs when I accidentally stumbled and hurt my injured foot. Now I'm wearing the ankle brace again and it hurts to walk (there wasn't much pain before).  I'm hoping another minor tendon wasn't ruptured.  Hence, I accepted being wheeled around in a wheelchair when offered hah.
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Well, enough depressing issues to discuss.

Moving on to Why This Fundraising Effort is Still Alive and Kicking!


(Tentative*) Fund Goal Amount: $7,500

 (*Dr.'s office still hasn't given me the exact cost of the anesthesiologist and I was too busy running errands and getting speeding tickets to call and ask before they closed at 2 PM.)

Current Fund Amount: $1,560.00 (as of 6:50 PM)


The donations have slowed somewhat but I'm still keeping hope as larger donations are coming in just at a slower rate.

Also, the T-shirt design is going to take longer than expected since the talent has informed me, rather brusquely, that the deadline I set was unreasonable and inhumane.  I guess I'm not dealing with sweatshop laborers. :-p  So designs will most likely be submitted one week from now.  This means that donations and T-shirt sales will most likely continue post-surgery due to the imminent surgery date and postponement of T-shirt sales.  (Obviously, the top contributors will be mailed T-shirts after they are made.)  In the meantime, donations are still encouraged.


Updated list of Top Contributors (Triple Digit Donations):


*
Jorge Salhuana
David Wu
Jonathan Ko
Alexander Holliday
Kyuha Lee
Siby Spurgeon


(*Once again, let me know if you wish to have your surname removed or wish to remain anonymous.  I will eventually post everyone's names even those donating $5, unless there are objections.  There were also quite a number of contributions that were very close to triple digits and I may post those names for recognition as well.)


I cannot thank y'all enough!  This has been a very trying process and I'd think I'd have a nervous breakdown if not for the support and love I feel from my friends and even strangers.


When Push Comes to Shove:

I'm really impressed and honored by how my friends are pulling through by contributing with their unique talents.  Laura Ng has decided to contribute not with her purse but with her artistic talents.  Alex Holliday has decided to show his generosity through a substantial donation as well as using his successful restaurant in order to raise awareness as well as create monetary as well as gastronomic incentive.   Even another close friend, Ted Glomski, who used his tech saavy to introduce me to the notion of fundraising with PayPal.  Jonathan Ko, another tech whiz, helped raise awareness for the cause by posting on Reddit (click on that hyperlink, and 'upvote!' =)).

The creativity and ingenuity of my friends never ceases to amaze me, which is why through this sh*tstorm, I can still keep heart.

Fundraising Kick-off Day 1! (The Lowdown)

I'm totally new to this so bear with me.

I'm one of those statistics you hear about on the news made real.  I had health insurance just last year and I will have health insurance again in September but as of now I am uninsured.  Lo and behold, I get a debilitating injury in the one gap year that I am uninsured.


What Did You Do?  

Completely Ruptured Achilles Tendon (Right).

Long story short – plyometrics; specifically, from doing high-rep box jumps while participating in WOD 12.3 of the CrossFit Games Open Qualifiers (2012).

Now just mentioning those 2 syllables either brings confusion or causes an inadvertent gut reaction to defend the exercise regimen.  I completely understand both sides since I've been doing it for around 3-4 months (known about it for 6 months or more) but still remember the days when I was skeptical of exercise/training as a competitive sport.

I'm not here to criticize or defend the protocol.  I just want to want to be back on my two feet again!

4 Days After Acute Injury

The Issue:

It's been nearly 3 weeks since my acute injury and I haven't taken care of it yet.  Why?  I was told initially that it was a sprain.  After seeing an orthopedic surgeon 2 days ago and describing classic textbook symptoms of feeling a sharp pain in the back of my heel/calf during the injury and then having a positive test for the Thompson test, the doc said—without a doubt and without an MRI—that it is indeed a completely ruptured achilles tendon that requires immediate surgery.

So I don't have time to apply for Indigent Health Services at Collin County Health Dept. (though I'm still going to give it a shot on Monday), which takes a minimum of 2 weeks.  I don't know if I would qualify for that in any case as there are many, who are probably much worse off than me waiting in line.


Why Do You Deserve My Hard-Earned Money?!

I'm only 26 and I can't foresee a life ahead of me without sport or intense activity.  Try and think back to a time you've been down and out and wanted some support.  If I don't get the surgery, I'm told a re-rupture of the achilles is a constant and apparent threat.

I believe Karma is real.  What comes around goes around.
When I'm a head honcho, calling the shots I won't forget ya, brotha/sista!


The Breakdown (Give me the Dadgum Numbers!  How Do I Know You Won't Pocket This Yourself?!):

The surgeon is taking a measly $667.60. The anesthesiologist is pocketing approximately $300. The lion's share of the total amount comes down to the hospital fees (originally $9300 with a 30% discount) $6,550. So around $7,500 total. I will know an exact amount on Monday when the receptionist tells me the anesthesiologist fees.

On the off chance that this fundraising event is wildly successful and it went over the cost of the surgery, then I will gladly pay each of you back in CASH, in person! I will even upload a photo of the surgery receipt on this website when it's all said and done. I'm all for transparency and frankness.

The orthopedic surgeon will be John T. Wey, M.D. from L & W Orthopaedic Associates and he had a fellowship trained in foot and ankle surgery, which is why I would like to have the surgery done at this place (Methodist Richardson Medical Center).

I have yet to schedule the surgery as my father would like me to explore more affordable options but I would like to get this done hopefully as soon as next week.  I will post an update with more details as I get them.


Why Don't You Get Help From Official Charities or Companies?  I'm Poor, Yo!

I've tried.  I reached out to some Catholic Charities and are waiting for their response.  I think a measly achilles tendon surgery isn't even a blip on their radar. They want the sad leukemia child with the shiny, bald head.  All I can do is hobble around and look pathetic (or in my book, totally badass with my pimp limp).  No one would even bat an eye.

Oh yeah and a good friend of mine told me it would be great if I could get CrossFit HQ to provide a substantial donation or pledge to match the amount that is raised from this fundraising effort, especially since there have been a large number of identical injuries related to the Open WODs both last year and this, involving high-rep box jumps and I believe I could raise awareness in preventing future recurrences. (If you are interested in this, you can read a (controversial) article by Beast Modal Domains here.  I won't delve into that here.  Beware, it's a hilarious article but it's got some language.)

I would hope that CrossFit HQ would want to make a strong effort to show they want to prevent future injuries in the sport and to shed the negative media attention surrounding the controversy over its safety.

I am planning on writing a letter seeking assistance from HQ but if anyone has any connections with HQ that would be of great help.

For those who would like to contact CrossFit HQ:

CrossFit Inc
1250 Connecticut Avenue, N.W.
Suite 200
Washington, DC 20036
202-449-8533


CrossFit HQ Doesn't Give Two Sh*ts About Your Injury!

I don't want this to seem limited to CrossFit though.  Any other foundations, charities, or even companies that may be interested.  I'm all ears!


OK STFU Already!  How Can I Help?!

See that "DONATE" button at the top right?  0_0  ---------------------->

*Click* on that and you can donate any amount you want to a PayPal account.  No one will know how much you donated, so don't be shy.  No one will judge.  Any amount is a worthy contribution.  St. Peter at the pearly gates will cross out that little menial sin you committed last week for your generosity.

(FYI:  PayPal deducts $0.30 + 2.8% for every transaction that is made for their service.)


Go To Hell!  Everyone Needs "Assistance" in This Economy!  Where's My Charity?

If you don't want to help and think I'm an ingrate, that's fine.  Just know that angels will cry and doves will fall from the sky in mourning.

J/k.  Jesus and I still love you. =)


Was There Something I Didn't Address?  Have More Questions?

Shoot them in the comments below or send an e-mail.