Dear Starfish Friends and Family,
Last night we tapped the magic of social networking to reach all of you with a request for help in identifying hospitals/cancer centers that could help Amanda in her battle with cancer. The response has been overwhelming and we have several viable options that we are pursuing. On behalf of my entire board of directors please accept my enthusiastic gratitude for your passionate efforts.
As I reviewed the replies last night, it became evident that I need to provide more specific information on Amanda’s condition, the current treatment plan, etc. It is important to note that the details I am sharing below are coming to me from friends of Amanda in Xi’an who are at her bedside.
I have not had a one-to-one discussion with the attending physician. I am working hard to make that connection to have more confidence in the news being presented to me.
Amanda has cancer of the uterus with evidence of movement to both lungs and skin. The stage of the cancer has only been described as “advanced stage”
Amanda is 50 years old, white female from South Africa. I include this data as several physicians need this for their analysis
Chemotherapy and drug therapy are scheduled to commence no later than Friday, February 10th
Regarding our efforts to find a hospital/cancer center in the US/Canada/Europe that would consider admitting Amanda, here is information that may aid you in your search for a solution:
We got a good dose of reality as we spoke to hospitals in Utah, Illinois and New York when we learned that a deposit of $200K to $500K is required to gain admission.
We are not limited to securing “free” care only for Amanda. We have an “Amanda Care Fund” of $40,000 US that has been donated to Amanda in China. It is our intention to give this money to the care provider on the way in the door. Of course “free” is better, but I think our plea for help is much more appealing when they know are putting our money on the table, as well.
We have initiated contact with several institutions including Mayo Clinic, Vanderbilt University, University of Michigan, Intermountain Health Care to name a few
Based on the information above, I want to focus our attention on two items:
1. Let’s fill up the Amanda Care Fund: I believe the more money we can “show” to potential care providers the better our chances will be at gaining admission. Spread the word about our need for funds and direct them to www.thestarfishfosterhome.org to make a donation. Use the "In Honor of" and put "Amanda medical/flight fund" in the description.
2. Qualify potential care providers: I need help qualifying the “leads” being submitted to me. If you have a legitimate candidate hospital I need you to do the legwork in getting the key facts together.
Think of it in terms of interviewing the hospital: do you offer free/discounted care, what are rules of eligibility, is there an application, who makes the final decision, name/phone of decision maker, etc.
Your “vetting” of the hospitals will ensure that I don’t waste the limited resources on my end.
Starfish’s mission is to make a difference in the life of the one, and Amanda has been doing that for hundreds of children. Now it is time for us to make a difference in her life. Let us move into action by donating money to help get Amanda the care she needs.
Let us together say, “For this one life – Amanda’s – we will make a difference.
Sincere thanks,
Patrick and the Starfish Board
917-494-7691
paddymac0130@gmail.com
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