Drew's Fun-times Head Tumor Fund!
Donation protected
INTRODUCTION
Hi! My name is Drew Day Williams. I'm a tabletop miniatures sculptor. You can find out more about myself and my work using these links (Note: Some groups are limited to registered members of my personal and professional networks. Feel free to apply for memberships if you're associated with my field or my market.).
WHAT'S HAPPENED?
For the past few years, my friends, colleagues, and even my fans, have heard me complain about a non-stop ringing in my left ear (tinnitus).
Well, back in October of this year, that ringing was accompanied by a sudden loss of hearing in the same ear. So I went to get an MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) of my head. What we found was not inner ear damage, but something else.
I've been diagnosed with a small tumor (acoustic neuroma, aka festibular schwannoma) located between my left ear and the base of my brain.
We're going to continue to monitor it through 2023 to see how fast it is growing. If it's showing signs of growth, I will probably need to undergo major surgery to have it removed. Because, if left unchecked, this tumor could cause degenerative symptoms that could ultimately lead to my death (symptoms listed below).
WHAT WE ARE LOOKING AT
The cost of the procedure for removing this tumor will be roughly $160,000 to $200,000. With luck, a great deal of that cost will be taken up by our newly upgraded medical insurance, but certainly not all. And even if the tumor does not show signs of growth, the increased level of medical coverage needed to monitor it will exceed our personal budget for 2023.
THE FUNDRAISING GOAL
The "$20,000" we're setting as the goal for this GoFundMe is roughly the cost of the new insurance premium plus the policy's out-of-pocket maximum that we are certain to exceed with all the continued testing and monitoring. If we should move forward with the surgery, it's almost certain we will learn of other uncovered expenses such as surprise "out-of-network" bills etc..
YOUR SUPPORT
This GoFundMe is mostly targeted to my colleagues and fans within the tabletop gaming industry and market. Beyond your sympathies for my well-being, there is also a practical interest in keeping these new financial burdens for my health care from stealing from a budget meant for maintaining my business. I'd prefer to continue to produce more fun products through 2023, and contribute to the joys of our hobby. To that end, any moneys given to this fund would go directly to my health care, freeing me to use my studio earnings for further work, and to not let my condition slow or pause any development.
Were ALL of my mailing list supporters and social media followers to contribute just $10 each, this fund's $20,000 goal would be exceeded. Naturally, that is unlikely to happen. But any amount would be gratefully received.
Thank you!
A PERSONAL NOTE
As a vocal advocate of Universal Health Care, I find the current state of health care in the United States, relying on such crowdfunding as this, to be abhorrent. Even the CEO of GoFundMe recently acknowledged that, in spite of his own goals and expectations, nearly 1/3rd of this sites fundraising campaigns are used for the covering of medical expenses. I firmly beleive that this is not a viable solution. This is a glaring sign of a systemic failure.
In the UK, the once revered NHS is being slowly dismantled and privatized by many of the same industry forces that have preyed upon the United States. Proponents of such privatization play an insidious game of lobbying to defund public resources, and then point out the insufficient services brought about by such defunding as an argument for privatization. I hope that all of my friends in the UK vote for the continued support and funding of their NHS, and to reject those disingenuous arguments against it.
THE SYMPTOMS
The tumor is an Acoustic Neuroma or Vestibular Schwannoma, and is between my left ear and the base of my brain.
I've already got the 1st two symptoms:
tinnitus
hearing loss in one ear
At any time, I might also develop these symptoms:
regular bouts of dizziness
numbness, pain or weakness on 1 side of my face
We detected the tumor at 7 mm long.
If it grows larger, I could suffer these symptoms:
temporary blurred or double vision
problems with limb coordination on 1 side of the body
voice changes or difficulty swallowing.
Facial twitches.
Visual disturbances, such as double vision.
Eventual death as the functioning of the brain stem is impaired.
It should be noted that the procedure to remove the tumor, even if "successful" is not ideal, as it includes strong probabilities of permanent deafness in the affected ear, as well as a constellation of other QOL (Quality of Life) issues caused by facial palsy.
Organizer
Drew Day Williams
Organizer
Lansing, MI