Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Today in our ongoing national embarrassment…

Almost as fun as hiking the Appalachian Trail

Gastritis broke my calculator.

It’s always darkest before the other shoe drops.

Our job is not to persuade republicans but to defeat them.

This blog is Obama’s Katrina.

‘Forty-two’ said Deep Thought, with infinite majesty and calm.

The willow is too close to the house.

Reality always wins in the end.

I swear, each month of 2020 will have its own history degree.

Historically it is a little unusual for the president to be an incoherent babbling moron.

Naturally gregarious and alpha

Screw the Judean People’s Front. Splitters.

I’m only here for the duck photos.

Proof that we need a blogger ethics panel.

My years-long effort to drive family and friends away has really paid off this year.

Accused of treason; bitches about the ratings. I am in awe.

Is it irresponsible to speculate? It is irresponsible not to.

Make the republican party small enough to drown in a bathtub.

Shocking, but not surprising

If you tweet it in all caps, that makes it true!

Dinky Hocker shoots smack!

We can agree to disagree, but i’m right.

We survived Breitbartpocalypse!

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‘ghost cat’ and Her Kitties Could Use Our Help

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ghost cat wrote to us with a problem, hoping we could offer advice on how to re-home her 4 bonded cats that she desperately does not want to give up.  With your help, we hope to be able to do one better than that, because rehoming the cats would solve one problem but would most likely create another emergency, which you will understand if you continue reading.

ghost cat did not write asking for money, but if we can come up with $2,500 together, that will get ghost cat on her feet and allow her to keep her family together.

If you want to help, you can use any of the site donation options – look for the *red balloon in the sidebar – and john will send ghost cat a cashiers check.

'ghost cat' and Her Kitties Could Use Our Help 5  'ghost cat' and Her Kitties Could Use Our Help 3
PHOTOS OF LYRA AND PAN

From ghost cat:

I’m in a very difficult position in my life at the moment and need advice about possibly rehoming my four cats. They are my prescribed emotional support animals, and they also play a major role in my therapy for major depressive disorder and complex PTSD from long-term child abuse.

I need to find a new place to live for the reasons listed below, and my current financial situation is very poor, and I’m worried that I can’t give my cats the care they need. As much as I don’t want to, I may need to give up my cats.

I’m asking for advice because it’s highly unlikely that I’ll be able to find a new home locally that would take my whole family of four bonded cats.

After not being able to pay my rent in full for a few months, I got a notice to vacate my apartment, effective November 30, and then I got a summons to a trial. (The eviction moratoriums don’t protect people who have a month-to-month lease.) This was a huge blow at one of the worst possible times.

Fortunately I was able to get an attorney from NM Legal Aid for the trial, and the case was dismissed.

I still need to move, but I do not owe back rent. I’m facing the usual costs of moving—two month’s rent, damage deposit, transfer of utilities and Internet, etc.—and of course, in the category of when it rains it pours, I also need to replace my laptop, which has a bulging battery that has cracked my trackpad.

One property management company has accepted my application, and they’re OK with the cats (with increased rent and damage deposit).

I’m beyond stressed about finances. Regardless of how much I depend on my cats for my emotional well-being, I can’t see when that will improve. Right now, if one of them needed veterinary care beyond required vaccinations, I couldn’t afford it.

Thank you for any advice you guys could give me at this time.


PHOTOS OF OLIVER

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PHOTOS OF NOZOMI

More about ghost cat and the kitties:

I adopted two cats, Oliver and Nozomi, each around 9 months to a year old, from our municipal shelter in September 2019. A few months later I started fostering two 8-week-old bonded kittens who needed some help with human socialization, also part of my therapy.

In New Mexico, community spread of COVID was confirmed and the animal shelters shut down around the time I needed to decide whether to formally adopt these kittens. I work from home as a freelance medical editor and copy editor and was doing OK financially.

By that time, all four cats were fully bonded and acting like true siblings, so I adopted the two kittens. They are Lyra and Pantalaimon. My experiment in building a harmonious cat family succeeded beyond my expectations.

All four usually sleep together in a cuddle puddle on the bed or next to me on the sofa loveseat where I usually sit to work. They all groom each other, and they groom me, which I find quite flattering. I love them all and will have a very difficult time coping if I have to give them up, but I feel obligated to put their needs ahead of mine at the moment.

I never imagined the pandemic was going to be this awful and drag on for so long, and I really underestimated how much it would affect my mental health, which has fallen off a cliff, along with my ability to make a living.

Thankfully, freelance work is picking back up, and ghost cat will be able to afford rent and care for the kitties, if she can just get over this bump in the road.

If you want to help, you can use any of the site donation options – look for the red balloon in the sidebar.   john will send ghost cat a cashiers check.

*I see a red balloon, but Gin & Tonic sees a black balloon.  Gotta love a million device/browser combinations.

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Claire update for the holidays

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Good morning —

Just a bit of good news. Claire got discharged from the hospital late on Monday night after her 4th round of chemo and treatment.  As of last night, her appetite and energy is pretty good.  She’ll get to spend, assuming no setbacks, at least through New Years at her house with her family.  Santa will know where to find her.

From what I’ve been told 4th hand, Claire’s numbers are “good” and stable.  I’m not sure what that means except it is far better than “bad” and “declining” or “not improving”.  After the New Years’ she is due back to Philadelphia for her 5th round of first line treatment.  I think the goal of the 3rd, 4th and 5th rounds of the first line treatment for her type of cancer is to find the hold-outs and 1 in a million cells that are still cancerous and kill them.

One of the things that has made her ability to tolerate these treatment rounds plausible has been blood transfusions.  She has been getting blood products several times each cycle.  A transfusion usually produces significant pain and symptom relief.  Right now, blood is in short supply.  Many centers that typically want to have a three to five day supply on hand are now operating with a twenty four to thirty six hour cushion.  If you want to help Claire and plenty of other kids with cancer, see if you can give blood or platelets over the winter break.  I’m signed up for another platelet session on January 3rd where I can watch a movie and make sure that someone else’s pain is alleviated.

Finally, I am still just blown away by all of your generosity.  The apartment in Philly has been a godsend for Claire’s parents.  My sister-in-law has a respite from the hospital to clear her head, get a good night’s sleep and decompress.  That has been an incredible relief for her especially as they have not had to worry about the immediate financial toxicity of a cancer diagnosis that so many families need to face at the same time.  Whenever I think about this, I tear up.  So again, thank you.

 

 

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Bone Marrow registration

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For many pediatric cancer patients like Claire who have leukemia or other blood diseases, a bone marrow transplant becomes a critical part of their treatment.  While Claire’s doctors hope to continue to rely only on chemotherapy for Claire’s treatments, changes in her condition and the threat of relapse in the months and years to come mean that needing a marrow transplant could become a reality.  We do know that she does not have a matching family donor.  So should she require a transplant she will have to rely on an unrelated donor and hope that one is available that matches her genetic makeup.  In researching her condition and treatment, Megan and Travis learned a lot about the marrow registry and matching process and just how hard it is to find a genetic match.  It’s a scary thought for them and it also made them think of all the families currently waiting to find a match.

With this incredible community rallying around Claire, we saw an opportunity to not only potentially help Claire but to help other patients in need, by hosting a virtual registry drive.  Patients that do not have a matched family donor turn to Be The Match, also known as the National Bone Marrow Registry, to find a compatible donor.

One thing we were surprised to learn, and suspect many others don’t know, is that no one is tested to find out if they are a match to a specific patient. Anyone who submits their DNA is entered into the registry as a potential donor to anyone in need. The more people who join the registry, the greater the chance of finding a match for a patient.

Join the registry

Visit http://Join.BeTheMatch.org/ClaireStrong to learn more and join the registry. There are a few criteria to join the registry:

  1. Be between the ages of 18 and 44 (once entered, individuals will stay on the registry until age 61)
  2. Be willing to donate to anyone in need
  3. Be in general good health

Less than 1% of people who join the registry will end up donating. The donation process is not painful and you could SAVE A LIFE.

My wife and I have gone through the registration process myself and it could not have been easier. You fill out a few questions online; receive a kit in the mail; rub a couple of swabs on the inside of your cheek and mail them back. That’s it! The first step is visiting http://Join.BeTheMatch.org/ClaireStrong

Spread the word!

Whether or not you are able to register you can still help out by sharing this campaign online encouraging others to register and share. There is a particular need for registry members of diverse backgrounds so the broader the outreach the better. Just share the link http://Join.BeTheMatch.org/ClaireStrong

Thank you for reading this long post and for your continued kindness to Claire and family. We would love to share a little of this energy with other families in similar situations. By using our unique Be The Match link, I’ll be able to update everyone on our campaign success. Thank you.

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Claire in for Round 3

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Hi everyone —

Just another update about my niece.

She wrapped up Round 2 of chemo and ancillary therapies at CHOP two weeks ago.  She was able to get back home to see her little sister and grandma for roughly ten days. By the time that she had to go back to the hospital for her third round, her lab numbers were looking good to very good and her appetite and energy came back.  She has helped her parents decorate the Philadelphia apartment that you all kicked in for.  There is quite a bit of art work in the kitchen and several boxes of books that will soon be read.

Claire is starting Round 3.  If I understand things right, the goal of this round is continued suppression.  The cancerous cells are not readily visible at the moment in her labs.  This round is to keep it like that.

Claire has had several blood and platelet transfusions during her first two rounds.  The transfusions alleviate pain symptoms and keeps her healthy enough to tolerate the chemo.  Patients with leukemia tend to need a lot of blood products.

I’ve been giving a mix of whole blood and platelets at the local American Red Cross collection center.  I stay local for whole blood as I bleed fast.  They like me as I’m O+ and CMV- so my blood is quite versatile.  I head into Raleigh for a 7:00AM Sunday morning slot to donate platelets.  I reward myself with coffee and hipster donuts afterwards.  I know that my niece won’t ever get my blood donations.  Instead, I’m adding to the pool so that someone else’s niece can get the platelets that she needs.  I’m adding to the pool so that a burn victim gets the whole blood that they require.  I’m adding to the pool so that someone’s grandson gets better and can be swung from one side of the room to the other in a week or two after the transfusion.

Kids with cancer need blood.  The process is not particularly painful and the Red Cross or any other local collecting agency will give you cookies.  That is a good trade; an hour of time to do good while also getting cookies.  That is a damn good deal.

So please, sign-up to give blood if you are healthy enough to

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Claire update

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Good afternoon everybody.

I just want to give you all a quick update on Claire, my niece.

She is finishing up her second big round of chemo.  It kicked her ass.  She is exhausted and not feeling too well and she has lost her appetite.  Right now, she is getting supportive care to get her stomach stabilized, nausea down and appetite up.  The docs are waiting until she is feeling a bit better for the tests and scans and assessments to figure out what they need to do next.

Her parents have moved into an apartment that is about 2 miles from the hospital.  They are extremely grateful to all you Jackals as what you have given them has been enough to take this problem off their worry list for a year.  I think the plan is for both parents to be based in Philadelphia while grandma and their younger daughter stay in New Jersey so that she can go to school on an as much as normal situation and then visit her parents on weekends.  That might be still up in the air.

We have been amazed at the community support (both here and elsewhere).  Claire has enough books, and art supplies to fit out several school libraries at the moment.  Her parents don’t have to worry about financial toxicity at this time.  My sister-in-law is a high school teacher. Her colleagues have donated enough personal days so that she does not need to worry about her job right now.  We are blown away.

Fuck cancer.

 

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Claire updates

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As the week wraps up, I want to give you all an update on my niece, Claire.
She is wrapping up her round of chemo shortly.  The technical term that can be used around 9 year olds is that chemo is a butt kicker. She is Philadelphia at the moment and adjusting to the changes and trying to work with whatever her new normal is.
Megan, Claire’s mom, knew that my wife has been coordinating fundraising through a couple of different channels.  My wife mentioned to her sister that Dave’s blog community held a stand-alone event for Claire. She e-mailed the back-end recipient link to Megan so that the fund transfer could proceed.   I think Megan expected to see enough money for gas and tolls or perhaps a month’s worth of rent.  She was shocked at what you Jackals have done for her daughter and her family.  You all have raised a year’s worth of rent plus gas and tolls plus plentiful hospital coffee plus several series of books that Claire wants to read plus who knows what else.
Thank you!  Thank you! Thank you!

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Holy Motherforking Shirtballs

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Thank you.

That is all I can really say right now.

Thank you.

You all have made life a bit easier for my niece and her parents.

Holy Motherforking Shirtballs

 

I am overwhelmed and amazed and stunned at how generous you all are.

Thank you. I hope that I never have to come back and ask again as that will mean Claire is in remission and her and her parents will have only the normal worries of life. I knew all of you all are generous as fuck but I never counted on being able to put this ask out before my first cup of coffee and having you all pitch in by the time I finished my lunch.

WOW

Thank you!

As a final note, we’re not going to be upping the goal, even as John has suggested. However, we all will be extraordinarily appreciative of anything and everything you all have given.

Thank you,
Dave

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