At What Point is Crowd Funding OK?

themosthappy91 · November 2014

PrettyGirlLost said:

@PrettyGirlLost, you come in here to say that this thread has been badly derailed...only to further derail it? Lolo asked doeydo about what fantastic thing her cat has done because Doey implied that her reason for paying for life-saving surgeries for the cat would be bigger than kitty cuddles. Her tone in that post read as pretty facetious to me.

The whole reason we're even talking about animals is that doeydo said that people should only have kids if they can afford to pay for catastrophe, just like she can afford to pay for her cat's vet bills - bills which, as several of us have said, will never ever ever in a million years even come close to this family's expenses. No one is saying that pets aren't important and don't deserve to be loved and cared for, but there was no reason for surgery for a pet to even be brought into this discussion because it doesn't remotely compare. At all.
I said off the rails. . . As in ppl are freaking the fuck out. And I'm sorry, I thought the point of a discussion forum was to discuss shit? No? Oh well I'm going to give my opinion any fucking way. I think people are taking shit way too damn personally. . .as usual for this board it seems. Yes, Doey's comments are naive, not well formed, close minded, etc. Most people would choose a human life over another animal. Fine. She doesn't necessarily agree. The point of my comments was that these ethical discussions are not always black and white, and not everyone is going to agree.

I definitely understand what you're saying the abstract. I would be interested in having an abstract discussion about the morality surrounded pet vs human life- I feel pretty confident in my personal beliefs but I think the idea of valuing all life equally is intriguing and I would want to hear more for and against that position.

What I'm not okay with is someone coming up in a thread about an actual person whose actual very close friends have had their kids suffer life threatening and horribly debilitating injuries and comparing them to your pets. That is gross.

PrettyGirlLost · November 2014

lolo883 said:

PrettyGirlLost said:

lolo883 said:

PrettyGirlLost said:

lolo883 said:
So tell me @doeydo‌. I'd love to know what it is that your cat specifically contributes to the world that gives you such a strong belief that s/he is equal (or greater) in value to a human life. You were so offended by my assumption that a person would be motivated to save a pet because that pet makes them happy, so your reasons must not include anything regarding YOUR own feelings or how your cat makes YOU feel. Please, enlighten me. You have the floor.
This is a silly line of logic because it assumes that all human life contributes something fantastic and earth shattering to the rest of society, and that just isn't the case.

I understand the point you are trying to make Lolo, but I don't necessarily agree 100%

Of course not every person does. But every person has the potential to, which was my argument for why a human life has more inherent value than a cat's life. No cat has the potential to independently have anywhere close the amount of impact a person can potentially have. Animals can be instrumental in very important things, sure. But not independently. Animals don't create. They don't invent.

We love our pets for selfish reasons, and there's nothing wrong with that. We love them for the joy they provide to our lives. They make us happy, feel loved and safe and needed. I would go to great lengths to save my dog, for those reasons. But Doey was aghast at my assertion that we make decisions to save our pets for selfish reasons, so I wanted to know what purpose she saw her cat fulfilling, beyond her own needs and feelings. Considering one of the main reasons she gave for staying with her SO was that he kills the bugs, I'm truly curious to hear it.
Psychologists and sociologists would argue that we save our children for selfish reasons as well. . . Cant let our genes die off. In fact some believe that true altruism doesn't exist at all and that our "good Samaritans" are actually fueled by a desire for attention and live via attention.

Why does any life have to fulfill a purpose or contribute anything in order for it to have value? That's where this line of logic points

I'm not saying that anyone consciously goes through that thought process or calculation, but at the end of the day that's what ultimately separates us from animals.

WE ARE ANIMALS! There's no separation!!!

As a biologist those statements annoy me. And there are a ton of theroes as to why humans make the choices that they do, and many of our behaviors don't differ that vastly from the reast of the animal kingdom. It's actually very interesting.

jenajjthr · November 2014

Sad confession.....pre-kids I loved my cat, Sammy, with all my heart and soul. I would have saved him over a human any day of the week. Why, because he got me through my troubled, abused teenage years just by being by my side. I put real human emotions into that cat, made him more than just a cat. I had him for 17 glorious years.

Then I had my first child and I realized that as much as I loved Sammy, he was just a cat. My son was more precious. When we had a house fire my first thought wasn't about my cat, but about getting my 3 kids out safely. Then calling the fire dept. Then saving the 3 cats, if they hadn't ran out already.

So yeah, our "fur-babies" do mean a lot to us. But humans always mean more. As for crowd funding. In this case, no side eying what so ever. This could never have been foreseen. There are going to be so many medical expenses now and long into the future (long term brain damage.....son may have to be taken care of for the rest of his life) that no amount of saving could have covered this. Even crowd funding is going to run out. But if it helps them cover a nice chunk, gets rid of some stress now, they can be more focused on helping their kids heal and recover.

PrettyGirlLost · November 2014

themosthappy91 said:

PrettyGirlLost said:

yogapants said:
@PrettyGirlLost, you come in here to say that this thread has been badly derailed...only to further derail it? Lolo asked doeydo about what fantastic thing her cat has done because Doey implied that her reason for paying for life-saving surgeries for the cat would be bigger than kitty cuddles. Her tone in that post read as pretty facetious to me.

The whole reason we're even talking about animals is that doeydo said that people should only have kids if they can afford to pay for catastrophe, just like she can afford to pay for her cat's vet bills - bills which, as several of us have said, will never ever ever in a million years even come close to this family's expenses. No one is saying that pets aren't important and don't deserve to be loved and cared for, but there was no reason for surgery for a pet to even be brought into this discussion because it doesn't remotely compare. At all.
I said off the rails. . . As in ppl are freaking the fuck out.

And I'm sorry, I thought the point of a discussion forum was to discuss shit? No? Oh well I'm going to give my opinion any fucking way.

I think people are taking shit way too damn personally. . .as usual for this board it seems. Yes, Doey's comments are naive, not well formed, close minded, etc. Most people would choose a human life over another animal. Fine. She doesn't necessarily agree.

The point of my comments was that these ethical discussions are not always black and white, and not everyone is going to agree.

I definitely understand what you're saying the abstract. I would be interested in having an abstract discussion about the morality surrounded pet vs human life- I feel pretty confident in my personal beliefs but I think the idea of valuing all life equally is intriguing and I would want to hear more for and against that position.

What I'm not okay with is someone coming up in a thread about an actual person whose actual very close friends have had their kids suffer life threatening and horribly debilitating injuries and comparing them to your pets. That is gross.

Yes, her comments were tactless at best and off point. . . And she had her ass handed to her.

theartistformerlyknownas · November 2014

PrettyGirlLost said:

PrettyGirlLost said:

PrettyGirlLost said:

So tell me @doeydo‌. I'd love to know what it is that your cat specifically contributes to the world that gives you such a strong belief that s/he is equal (or greater) in value to a human life. You were so offended by my assumption that a person would be motivated to save a pet because that pet makes them happy, so your reasons must not include anything regarding YOUR own feelings or how your cat makes YOU feel. Please, enlighten me. You have the floor.
This is a silly line of logic because it assumes that all human life contributes something fantastic and earth shattering to the rest of society, and that just isn't the case. I understand the point you are trying to make Lolo, but I don't necessarily agree 100%

Of course not every person does. But every person has the potential to, which was my argument for why a human life has more inherent value than a cat's life. No cat has the potential to independently have anywhere close the amount of impact a person can potentially have. Animals can be instrumental in very important things, sure. But not independently. Animals don't create. They don't invent.

We love our pets for selfish reasons, and there's nothing wrong with that. We love them for the joy they provide to our lives. They make us happy, feel loved and safe and needed. I would go to great lengths to save my dog, for those reasons. But Doey was aghast at my assertion that we make decisions to save our pets for selfish reasons, so I wanted to know what purpose she saw her cat fulfilling, beyond her own needs and feelings. Considering one of the main reasons she gave for staying with her SO was that he kills the bugs, I'm truly curious to hear it.
Psychologists and sociologists would argue that we save our children for selfish reasons as well. . . Cant let our genes die off. In fact some believe that true altruism doesn't exist at all and that our "good Samaritans" are actually fueled by a desire for attention and live via attention. Why does any life have to fulfill a purpose or contribute anything in order for it to have value? That's where this line of logic points

I'm not saying that anyone consciously goes through that thought process or calculation, but at the end of the day that's what ultimately separates us from animals.
WE ARE ANIMALS! There's no separation!!! As a biologist those statements annoy me. And there are a ton of theroes as to why humans make the choices that they do, and many of our behaviors don't differ that vastly from the reast of the animal kingdom. It's actually very interesting.

Oh my god, you're splitting hairs. You know what I meant. Humans versus OTHER animals. Our particular type of animal versus a different species.

firebabe6519 · November 2014

I'm not a fan of crowdfunding for any reason. If a friend / neighbor sets it up, meh...

I do find it a bit harsh to say people shouldn't have kids because they can't afford to spend millions on a freak accident. I love my furbaby like a kid, but he is just a dog. Humans and pets are not the same. A dog will never be capable of having the impact a person can. Who are you to judge what impact a child could have had or will have once they got older?

PrettyGirlLost · November 2014

lolo883 said:

PrettyGirlLost said:

lolo883 said:

PrettyGirlLost said:

lolo883 said:

PrettyGirlLost said:

lolo883 said:
So tell me @doeydo‌. I'd love to know what it is that your cat specifically contributes to the world that gives you such a strong belief that s/he is equal (or greater) in value to a human life. You were so offended by my assumption that a person would be motivated to save a pet because that pet makes them happy, so your reasons must not include anything regarding YOUR own feelings or how your cat makes YOU feel. Please, enlighten me. You have the floor.
This is a silly line of logic because it assumes that all human life contributes something fantastic and earth shattering to the rest of society, and that just isn't the case.

I understand the point you are trying to make Lolo, but I don't necessarily agree 100%

Of course not every person does. But every person has the potential to, which was my argument for why a human life has more inherent value than a cat's life. No cat has the potential to independently have anywhere close the amount of impact a person can potentially have. Animals can be instrumental in very important things, sure. But not independently. Animals don't create. They don't invent.

We love our pets for selfish reasons, and there's nothing wrong with that. We love them for the joy they provide to our lives. They make us happy, feel loved and safe and needed. I would go to great lengths to save my dog, for those reasons. But Doey was aghast at my assertion that we make decisions to save our pets for selfish reasons, so I wanted to know what purpose she saw her cat fulfilling, beyond her own needs and feelings. Considering one of the main reasons she gave for staying with her SO was that he kills the bugs, I'm truly curious to hear it.
Psychologists and sociologists would argue that we save our children for selfish reasons as well. . . Cant let our genes die off. In fact some believe that true altruism doesn't exist at all and that our "good Samaritans" are actually fueled by a desire for attention and live via attention.

Why does any life have to fulfill a purpose or contribute anything in order for it to have value? That's where this line of logic points

I'm not saying that anyone consciously goes through that thought process or calculation, but at the end of the day that's what ultimately separates us from animals.

WE ARE ANIMALS! There's no separation!!!

As a biologist those statements annoy me. And there are a ton of theroes as to why humans make the choices that they do, and many of our behaviors don't differ that vastly from the reast of the animal kingdom. It's actually very interesting.

Oh my god, you're splitting hairs. You know what I meant. Humans versus OTHER animals. Our particular type of animal versus a different species.

I'm not splitting hairs, though. I'm stating biological fact and pointing out a statement that annoys the fuck out of me. It's a huge pet peeve. . . You're not the 1st person I've had this discussion with on this topic here, so don't feel bad

I do get the gist and point of what you are saying, though beyond that.

theartistformerlyknownas · November 2014

PrettyGirlLost said:

<snip>

Oh my god, you're splitting hairs. You know what I meant. Humans versus OTHER animals. Our particular type of animal versus a different species.
I'm not splitting hairs, though. I'm stating biological fact and pointing out a statement that annoys the fuck out of me. It's a huge pet peeve. . . You're not the 1st person I've had this discussion with on this topic here, so don't feel bad I do get the gist and point of what you are saying, though beyond that.

OK, well I'm sorry for my scientific inaccuracy. To me it's only semantics but I respect that it's more than that, especially to you. Let's have some wine.

PrettyGirlLost · November 2014

lolo883 said:

PrettyGirlLost said:

lolo883 said:

<snip>

Oh my god, you're splitting hairs. You know what I meant. Humans versus OTHER animals. Our particular type of animal versus a different species.
I'm not splitting hairs, though. I'm stating biological fact and pointing out a statement that annoys the fuck out of me. It's a huge pet peeve. . . You're not the 1st person I've had this discussion with on this topic here, so don't feel bad

I do get the gist and point of what you are saying, though beyond that.

OK, well I'm sorry for my scientific inaccuracy. To me it's only semantics but I respect that it's more than that, especially to you. Let's have some wine.

Red or white? I'll buy 1st bottle.

theartistformerlyknownas · November 2014

PrettyGirlLost said:

PrettyGirlLost said:

<snip>

Oh my god, you're splitting hairs. You know what I meant. Humans versus OTHER animals. Our particular type of animal versus a different species.
I'm not splitting hairs, though. I'm stating biological fact and pointing out a statement that annoys the fuck out of me. It's a huge pet peeve. . . You're not the 1st person I've had this discussion with on this topic here, so don't feel bad I do get the gist and point of what you are saying, though beyond that.

OK, well I'm sorry for my scientific inaccuracy. To me it's only semantics but I respect that it's more than that, especially to you. Let's have some wine.
Red or white? I'll buy 1st bottle.

Red. Preferably something spicy; it's snowing here.

JCbride2015 · November 2014

I would not side-eye this one bit if it's a friend or family member who set up the account. I am a little bit put-off when people make their own GFMs but honestly in a situation like this, I would still give.

One of their kids (the 20 year old I think?) is at the hospital literally down the street from my house. I'll be out of it for the next few days with my oral surgery but if you are going to visit at the hospital and need anything, let me know. Seriously. I'm right around the corner. And if they would eat food from a stranger I bake some mean cookies.

Sending positive thoughts for them. Hopefully the child with brain damage will recover well once they are able to wake him up.

ohmrs2014 · November 2014

I didn't reaize that this was going to spiral out of control. I appreciate everyone's input, both negative and positive.

@JCbride2015‌ thank you very much. The younger one has head trauma not brain damage. They are hoping to take him off the respirator tomorrow and slowly wake him up over the next few days.

The older one had his leg amputated this morning and he is somewhat alert. He opened his eyes when my husband made a joke about our wedding video(he was our videographer). They are hoping to also take him off the respirator tomorrow and ease him out of the sedation.

His older brother go flew up from Florida late last night did set up. Go fund me and we decided we are going to donate to them personally so that the fees aren't taken out.

I do appreciate the kind words and prayers the were offered.

Viczaesar · November 2014

I'm sending them my best wishes for a speedy recovery and that they catch the asshole who did this and throw the book at him. Hard.

bethsmiles · November 2014

What a horrifying situation! I can't even imagine what that family is going through right now. I think it was lovely of you to consider setting up a Crowd Funding thing for them. Sometimes people need help and while we can debate forever what the best way to provide that help may be, the fact that they are getting help is what is important.

My thoughts will be with you and them. I hope their children continue to head down the road of recovery.

PrettyGirlLost · November 2014

I hope the person who did this I caught and brough to justice. Words just can't describe a person who hits 3 kids and doesn't stop.

Poor kids, I wish them well.

theartistformerlyknownas · November 2014

PrettyGirlLost said:

I hope the person who did this I caught and brough to justice. Words just can't describe a person who hits 3 kids and doesn't stop. Poor kids, I wish them well.

QFT.

Thoughts, prayers, love, and Knottie vibes with your friends.

jenajjthr · November 2014

Can a bank account be set up instead, news story done? I know crowd funding can be done and reach further than your city, but at least locally that money can go straight to the bank and not take a cut.

And of course, lots of love, thoughts and prayers to them.

ashley8918 · November 2014

I'm glad to hear that they are doing alright, or as well as can be expected right now. Here's hoping for a speedy recovery and for justice to be seved to that piece of shit.

As far as the original question, I would not side eye this if set up by family/friends and would 100% donate if I knew the family.

Sugargirl1019 · November 2014

Oh my gosh I am so horrified to hear about this family's tragedy. Praying for them. I would donate to them in a heart beat, because I find it beautiful for the human nature to want to give and receive nothing in return because we care for others.

I just took care of a young man who had a sudden tragic leg amputation. I'm still very shaken up about his situation. The beautiful thing about humans is that we feel compassion for others and want to help in any way, whether it's giving money or cooking a dinner.

abbyj700 · November 2014

Aray82 said:

Recent (two kinds of cancer at once right before I was about to graduate and lose my health coverage) survivor chiming in here. I would not side-eye for this type of thing. Without asking for a dime, I was overwhelmed by friends and family who just from hearing through the grapevine sent checks, gift cards for groceries, meals, and care packages. And this even with the fact that my prognosis was excellent and I remained in pretty decent health on chemo. This support made it possible for me not to teach over the summer while in the throes of fever, diarrhea, and other shit-kicking side effects every other week. I would donate to a medical fund for a hit and run in a heartbeat, with whatever I had the means to give.

However, what we also received from friends(and even friends of friends) in the insurance business and medical community was their time and advice in dealing with this bills, what types of options to look into post school insurance, and how to fight bills that were astronomical. I am on a secondary insurance plan for low income residents that has taken so much of the financial strain off me and DH. The only reason I knew it existed was because my office-mate emailed me about it and said it helped her with surgery bills. My concern with these crowd funds for medical bills is that there's a chance it draws energy and focus off the real issue: that health care in this country is laughably, ridiculously expensive to the point where even the better-off and budget-saavy with good insurance can be wrecked by it. What should be happening, along with financial support, is asking questions, looking into payment plans, and pushing back against a system that really is arbitrary as to how much it charges for certain things. I got bills that said basically "You owe us a katrillion bucks yesterday so pay up now, beeyatch!" And then when I called the billing department, they were like, "oh actually you don't owe nearly that much so it's all good." In addition to financial support, what this family could likely use now are folks who are in a better place of mind to decipher insurance jargon, ask questions when bills look ridiculous, and look into what kinds of programs are out there that are already in place for situations like this. It was an immense help to me and my situation was nowhere near even a fraction of what this family is going through, so I'd presume to say that they'd appreciate this kind of help with logistics and navigating a system that is confusing even for folks on their best days.

ETA: Hooray for paragraphs! I reeeeaaaally need to stop posting from my iPad mini and stick to my computer. But yeah, so to sum up: Team Not Side-Eye, but a frequent pinch hitter for Team Also Help Them Navigate the Logistics of the System in the Long Run.

This.

My boss's wife had an accident and had her leg amputated. While financial help would have been appreciated - I know help with the system was what they appreciated most then and continue to appreciate now. Their insurance company ALWAYS tries to screw them over but thanks to having been dealing with the horrible healthcare system for 7 years with this issue - they know what they are doing now.

Money is great. Time and effort can sometimes be of more value in the long run.

And I'm with @prettygirlost - if there are multiple living beings in a burning building - I'm going to try to save the all.

emmaaa · November 2014

This is an awful situation. Praying for all involved and that justice is served.

pinkcow13 · November 2014

Wow what a horrible situation. I'm sending many vibes for a speedy recovery for the 2 brothers. I hope they find the asshole that did this.

[Deleted User] · November 2014

KatWAG · November 2014

Okay, I am late to this. Really late.

Can I tell you a short story?

My H and I decided we wanted to have a baby. We had more than what most would consider an emergency fund. We have retirement accounts, savings accounts, IRAs, etc. We figured we were financially stable and ready to have a baby. I had @doeydo 's mindset about having a baby. You should not have one, unless you can 100% provide for for him/her. (sorry Doey, I am paraphrasing)

Well, then I had Alex. And he was perfect. Until he wasnt. He had to be in the hospital for weeks. His hospital bills broke the million dollar mark. It wasnt anyones fault, he just got sick. Luckily we had great insurance and he got the best care available. However, we are still obligated to pay 20% of all medical bills.

How were we supposed to prepare for that? How are we supposed to save for that? H and I are lucky that we are able to pay the bills and dont have to go into debt.

Before this situation, I would have side-eyed the fuck out of pretty any type of crowd funding. And now I understand them, because as prepared as we tried to be, i dont think anyone is ever truly prepared for an emergency.

Ironically, before this, the only crowd funding I would have considered donating to before this would have been to help an abused animal. Because, its not their fault, right? How closed minded I was.

vegasbride2015 · November 2014

I haven't read through all of the other responses, but will say that earlier this year in late March/April, a ton of GoFundMe's and YouCaring accounts were set up for people locally here in WA state who lost it all in the mudslide in Oso. I work about half an hour from the site and it hit people here really really hard. Everyone did all they could to help support the people of Oso, from driving truck supplies down to the mudslide, bringing food, making food, you name it. I still get really emotional about it. No one I knew was killed in it, but I have friends out that way. The one that got me the most was the woman who lost her husband, and 3 of her 4 kids (one survived). I can't imagine that. I just can't. So people set up fundraisers to help her as she was displaced.

Turned out the Red Cross was giving X amount of money to the families who lost their homes , and it wasn't much, and if they received other funds (through these fundraisers), they would take the amount they were to get out of that amount. It has caused quite the uproar here. I refuse to donate to RC, even before this. I would prefer to donate directly to those affected.

mellowmarshmallow · November 2014

Just stopping in- haven't read all the comments, so I apologize if this is old news. Hit and run is covered by New Jersey's Crime Victims' Compensation statute, so the family may be entitled to up to $25000 in medical expenses for each child. Every state has a program like this, although they vary in what they cover and how much. Here's the link for Jersey: clicky

ETA- Just got through the cluster of comments, so I will PM this to OP as well so it doesn't get lost in the shitstorm.

Viczaesar · November 2014

vegasbride2015 said:

I haven't read through all of the other responses, but will say that earlier this year in late March/April, a ton of GoFundMe's and YouCaring accounts were set up for people locally here in WA state who lost it all in the mudslide in Oso. I work about half an hour from the site and it hit people here really really hard. Everyone did all they could to help support the people of Oso, from driving truck supplies down to the mudslide, bringing food, making food, you name it. I still get really emotional about it. No one I knew was killed in it, but I have friends out that way. The one that got me the most was the woman who lost her husband, and 3 of her 4 kids (one survived). I can't imagine that. I just can't. So people set up fundraisers to help her as she was displaced.

Turned out the Red Cross was giving X amount of money to the families who lost their homes , and it wasn't much, and if they received other funds (through these fundraisers), they would take the amount they were to get out of that amount. It has caused quite the uproar here. I refuse to donate to RC, even before this. I would prefer to donate directly to those affected.

The Red Cross worked (and is still working with) a number of other organizations in determining how to allocate donation money. Why would you be surprised that outside funds would be a factor in the calculations? They (all the organizations involved) have to be the best steward of the donor dollar that they can be. If a family has $20,000 being raised for them on a GFM page and another family has $0 coming in from private donations, why would they be given the same amount of money?

When we go out on a house fire call we don't just give the family $X amount of money. We assess their immediate, disaster-caused needs and work with them to figure out how they are going to start the process of recovery. If they are displaced and they don't have somewhere to go for the night we put them up in a hotel for a couple of days and have them meet with Client Casework to help them make long term plans. If their clothes are destroyed or can't be retrieved we give them a certain amount of money per person for clothing (amount determined by National so that everyone is treated equally). If they cannot retrieve food they're given a certain amount of money per person for food. If their medications are destroyed we can arrange for them to get medicine immediately if needed or arrange for a refill of their prescription if they don't need it immediately. If they don't have a car and need money for a taxi to the hotel we can give them money for that as well. But we always talk to them first and find out 1) what they actually need, and 2) what resources they have that we can help them tap into. That's part of our job as good donor stewards.

LondonLisa · November 2014

Coming from a country with free health care, I am just baffled at how it can be expected for one family to pay for such a catastrophic accident on their own. So yes, I agree that crowdfunding in an extreme circumstance should help, but a better solution is figuring out a way where people don't have to pay for medical emergencies that are absolutely no fault of their own. My cousin has cerebral palsey, and his family had paid nothing (absolutely ZERO) for his care, special schooling, therapy, and medical costs (including experimental treatments).

If someone is stabbed, we don't expect them to pay more for policing to find the criminal. I don't understand how that can be expected of healthcare.

I love visiting the States and I certainly don't mean this as a reflection on everyone (I would never make such a gross generalisation), but the opposition to free healthcare is something I will never wrap my head around. I'm SO thankful for the NHS!

FiancB · November 2014

No I don't side eye this. I hope it all works out for them as well as it can.

I guess H and I better nix our babymaking plans because we live in the US and don't have a few million dollars just sitting around.

I really love and am passionate about animals and fundamentally feel that any life is as worthy as another, but you can still bet that, say, my husband takes precedence over my animals as would any imaginary children.

Besides that, when I first got my dog he got really sick and needed to be hospitalized to get fluids back in him. The overnight care cost us $600, everything in total was about $1k. When I was in high school I got rotavirus and needed comparable care and it cost thousands, even with insurance. Animal and human health care are just. Not. Comparable.

It sounds like one of the kids may end up in a group home type situation, which I work at. Even though the company receives a lot of funding from the government, it still costs a LOT of money to put someone in a home. It's not just the immediate hospital bills that hurt, it's also long term care, extra medications and therapies for the rest of their lives, missed work for the parents, lost earning potential for the kids...

PrettyGirlLost · November 2014

LondonLisa said:

Coming from a country with free health care, I am just baffled at how it can be expected for one family to pay for such a catastrophic accident on their own. So yes, I agree that crowdfunding in an extreme circumstance should help, but a better solution is figuring out a way where people don't have to pay for medical emergencies that are absolutely no fault of their own. My cousin has cerebral palsey, and his family had paid nothing (absolutely ZERO) for his care, special schooling, therapy, and medical costs (including experimental treatments).

If someone is stabbed, we don't expect them to pay more for policing to find the criminal. I don't understand how that can be expected of healthcare.

I love visiting the States and I certainly don't mean this as a reflection on everyone (I would never make such a gross generalisation), but the opposition to free healthcare is something I will never wrap my head around. I'm SO thankful for the NHS!

Your healthcare isn't free, though. Isn't it paid for from the taxes you pay (income, VAT, etc.)?

At What Point is Crowd Funding OK?

Re: At What Point is Crowd Funding OK?

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