As I’ve talked about in the last few weeks, I have cancer.
It’s not the worst thing in the world. The cancer and treatment I can deal with. The key is to stay positive, focused and understand that, while life can intrude in the worst of ways sometimes, there is a lot to be thankful for even under the direst of circumstances.
Sadly, the worst thing in all of this, is the fact I don’t have health insurance. I own my own business, I freelance webmaster for authors Terry Brooks and Naomi Novik, and I freelance write for the amazing blog you are currently reading. It’s a free life but one that has a dark side—having to pay for all medical expenses out of pocket.
Cancer is an expensive disease to treat. When I’m all said and done with my treatments and follow-up tests, I will likely have to pay near $100,000 in bills.
That’s no small amount.
I have some plans to counteract the cost, plans that will appeal to a great many of you when they are announced, I think. That’s for later. But for today’s post, when I told Terry I had been diagnosed he immediately decided to donate his own personal Advance Reading Copy of his forthcoming book, The Measure of the Magic, to be auctioned off and signed however the winning bidder liked.
It’s not the first time Terry has held an auction for charity purposes. Several years ago, he held an auction where the winning bidder paid several thousand dollars to have his name put into Terry’s novel A Princess of Landover. A fan named Langdon Shoop won. Terry immediately fell in love with his last name and used it to create the troublemaking G’Home Gnome named Shoopdiesel.
What happened with the auction for The Measure of the Magic ARC? It went for several hundred dollars, all of which will go to paying for clinic labs. Who won it?
Langdon Shoop.
The financial aspect of Langdon’s generosity can’t be denied. But it speaks to a characteristic I have found in the geek culture that we all inhabit. A sense of care, of understanding, of giving of oneself for complete strangers. I see it at every convention. The comaraderie. The openness. The ability to talk to anyone and everyone because you know you automatically have something in common with that person. I’ve even seen it on my Twitter and Facebook, complete strangers who follow my work here on Suvudu and elsewhere interested and worried after my well-being.
Even as I sit here, overwhelmed at this generosity from Terry and Langdon, I hope that you go into your weekend with a warm, fuzzy feeling inside for the great community that we all associate.
I know I will!
Shawn,
Thank you for being so open about your cancer. I am definitely interested in your future plans to counteract your health costs. Fifteen years ago, my husband was diagnosed with cancer. It has been an ongoing battle and he is grateful for every day. Treatment is absolutely necessary and I believe, should be universally accessible regardless of ability to pay. (Well, maybe someday. . .) Your post about your benefactors is very touching and reminds about what we can do to help.
Janet