moya moya and family support

• By caringcounterparts
• Posted January 11, 2007 at 7:53 am
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I would suggest contacting a newspaper or radio station and asking for donations, or contact a helicopter company / airline / travel agent directly and ask for donated seats.

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• By Sharon
• Posted January 11, 2007 at 1:25 pm
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You might also want to check around to see if there are business people in your community who do a lot of business travel. They may be willing to purchase plane seats with their frequent flyer miles. My husband travels a lot in his job - we get tons of frequent flyer miles, hotel points, rental car points, and have used those for many causes. Since he travels so much, when we take a vacation - we tend to hang out at our house. And keep only the amount of miles, points...that we know we will use.
Also, I am not sure how much you need to raise, but in a small community you might think about this one. The youth group at my church is frequently raising money for trips and activities - their most successful fundraiser is - a take and bake sale after church - with the supervision of some real cooks the youth cook meals that are sold after church - that are either already fully cooked or just need to be popped in the oven for a little while. I have been amazed at the success of this popular fundraiser. You may even find a local grocer that is willing to donate items to be prepared in exchange for putting up their sign or logo. Our youth is doing the "take and bake" sale for Super Bowl Snacks to. If there is a community center or place where many gather - you might want to think about it.
All of the best to you and to your friend,
Sharon

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• By suzQ
• Posted January 12, 2007 at 3:00 pm
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THanks for the suggestions from both of you.

She is from NYC and in SF.... not the small town kinda community spirit...but we are a big community of artist and performers and lawyers and hairdressers and (well you name it!) and an auction is being planned, a dance marathon!, and a paypal account was set up.

The "chasing" after airllines, etc. is exhausting, however....so many redirection of calls.

Any ideas or direct lines would be greatly appreciated!

ANyone know of any tv shows that do this sort of thing (other than oprah on occassion?)

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• By royerma
• Posted May 27, 2007 at 8:14 pm
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I just joined NORD, so you probably have already found help, but in case you haven't or if this helps someone else: there's a wonderful organization called Angel Flight, I think, that helps either patients or family needing transportation for medical reasons. They're very supportive of family or companions either accompanying patients or just going to visit seriously ill paitents somewhere else. It's free, and all they asked was that I give the pilot a small gift, like a coffee mug, to show our appreciation. They were so wonderful. I believe there are several regional branches of AF, although they mention another link for further travel distance. There is some mention of "compelling human need" which usually refers to the family traveling, and there is some mention of "ordinarily" requiring financial need, too, although they are "willing to meet a variety of needs", and we certainly weren't poor at the time (we are now!!) so you can call & ask more questions even if the FAQ don't seem to apply to you; we did. So sorry for your struggles. Here's the links: (copy this & paste it where the addresses go, or do a google search for "angel flight"
http://www.angelflightne.org/index.php?submenu=FAQs&src=faq northeast
http://www.angelflight.org/flights/requirements.asp west
Here's a quote from their financial need FAQ: we were able to honestly say that we didn't have credit cards with available credit (all maxed out by med. bills), nor did insur. cover, nor could we pay for the the necessary family to meet me, the patient, at the Mayo Clinic. They were ok that REALISTICALLY there's no way we could have the desired family come for one visit...
"We ask that this form be completed by a professional person, such as a social or case worker, member of the clergy, accountant, attorney, employer or staff person of a charitable organization. If the patient’s doctor is personally familiar with their financial status, he/she may also confirm the financial need. Generally we need to know that insurance won’t cover travel expenses, that the family doesn’t have savings or credit cards to use for this purpose or that their income is insufficient to bear the cost of a plane ticket(s). (at this time...it's sometimes critical that family get somewhere; they had to take some different flights within days of each other, but they all made it. We are eternally grateful. sorry it's so long!!

warm regards

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• By lbefort
• Posted August 18, 2008 at 4:58 pm
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I am trying to find help for a family of a 17 year old with moyamoya who has had a stroke and who needs assistance with medical expenses for equipment. Is there any organization that you no of?

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• By Noreen6
• Posted August 19, 2008 at 10:01 am
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I am from a smaller comunity in Ontario Canada, and people here are very generous to families that are experiencing illnesses, and have had tragic experiences in their life. It is common to ask for free use of community centre and some local musicians offer their talent for free. There is a freewill offering at the door. Usually there is a silent auction of donated articles, crafts, painting, power tools etc, as well as an auction. Knock on doors of businesses in the local and surrounding towns, and ask your local artists and craftsmen, friends for donations. I have seen the generosity over and over again, where the bids well exceed the cost of the item. If there is a car club, or motorcycle enthusiasts in your area...perhaps they would have a "ride" for your friend. A girl I know here, has a ride every year, and helps one disabled child's family do the necessary renovations to their home. Again you pay to go on the ride, and then if you wish to eat at the end of the ride, there is a reasonable fee. Place freewill offerring jars in your local community, and the surrounding communites, and don't forget the truckstops..lots of traffic and generosity!! If there has been media attention, it is amazing the amount of money that can be raised, especially if the businesses make a point of asking the customers if they would like to "donate", and know the full story of your friend. Contact any and all social service type programs, ask at your local hospital for referrals to help, your local goverrnment representative, and rely on the love and good will of people. Ask someone to organize a list to, provide necessities to the family on certain days, whether it be food, house sitting, lawncare, so that it is one less worry when they are away. It is truly amazing how generous people are, once they know of someone's plight. Suz'q you can't do it all alone, so ask for help from your community!! Suz'q, you are a wonderful friend! I will keep you and Donna, family and friend's in my prayers.

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