Let's help one of ours!
Hey Wizzard,Thanks for the comment about more details about Mike. I agree but with the limited space on an evite, it's only possible through a link. I know you work in the Web business, would it be possible for you to place the following information on a page that I can link to in Evite?
This is Mike's story in his own words and then an update at the end about his employment/financial situation.
Feel free to format it any way you see fit.
Let me know if this is possible.
Thanks,
Tom
Well, in addition, about 6 weeks ago, Mike lost his job and his employer paid health care with it. Mike has sent out over 100 resumes and only received (1) call for an interview. It seems like most companies have adopted a wait and see policy and are either laying off employees or are not filling positions needed until they see clear signs that this recession isn't going to sink them.Renal failure 2008! (from June 27, 2008)
Wednesday, October 29, 2008 at 12:49am I was released yesterday from the hospital after nearly 3 weeks. I don't recommend a long stay in the hospital. It is full of sick people. Actually, the staff at El Camino Hospital in Mountain View are awesome.
Sequence of events:
I had been feeling under the weather for almost a month. I was with many of you at Fire Mountain. I spent most of the event in my RV trying to nap away my fatigue. This was my first inkling of something wrong. I managed to have a great time with friends around the fire, at the shooting range, and riding my dirtbike around.
Still, I felt like shit.
When I returned to work the following week, I made a doctors appointment. I changed jobs a few months ago and my health insurance went from Kaiser to Blue Cross. I still did not have a GP doctor. I had been treated for type 2 diabetes for the last 10 years. I saw a new doctor (Dr. Frank Dopp) and he did a general check and ordered some standard tests that you might give a diabetic. I was nearly out of meds and he needed to get me going again.
2 days later his office gave me a call and asked me if I could come in to the office immediately. When I arrived there was no obligatory 1/2 hour wait, he saw me right away.
For the medically inclined:
UREA NITROGEN 136 (normal range 7-25)
CREATININE 13.82 (normal range .5-1.3)
C02 11 (normal range 21-33)
HEMOGLOBIN 6.7 (normal range 13.2-17.1)
HEMACRIT 19.6 (normal range 38.5-50)
These numbers add up to anemia and kidney failure.
He checked me into El Camino Hospital on the spot.
I was admitted immediately and settled in to my room in critical care. Due to my seriously low red blood cell count, I was given a transfusion. > From there, things get foggy to me. I have really bad short term memory loss. There are several people that had come to visit me, even multiple times, that I do not remember seeing. To those people, I apologize.
I the next few days I went from bad to worse, even having a scary seizure in front of family and friends. I had access tubes placed in my chest so that a could begin kidney dialysis right away. I also had surgery on my right wrist to create a Brecia A-V Fistula for long tern dialysis use. I received dialysis several times in the hospital, every consecutive session seemed to make me feel a little better. Ultrasound tests backed initial findings.
There were very bad things about my hospital stay, needles,catheters, foleys, blood pressure readings every hour, needles,roommates with night terrors and needles....it was a real party..........did I mention needles?
To add to the drama, tests showed that I had contracted an unrelated bug while in the hospital requiring isolation. My visitors had to wear gowns and wash their hands on the way in and out of the room.
I had several in dialysis treatments while at the hospital. The tubes in my chest are attached to my bloodstream. One to an artery and one to a vein. When hooked up to the dialysis machine, a refrigerator sized apparatus, my blood is diverted, run through a filter, water volume is adjusted, and hormones may be added. Basically doing what the kidneys are failing to do.
The secondary virus that I had contracted kept me in the hospital for an extra 2 days. Thankfully those 2 days were spent in a private room.
I will be getting dialysis treatments 3 times a week (M-W-F) for 3 hours a session for the rest of my life or until I can get a kidney transplant. My father received a kidney transplant about a year ago after a nearly 7 year wait. He is doing great.
I was released late Tuesday afternoon and slept in my own bed that night. It was heaven. Quiet and dark. Home I will be receiving my dialysis treatments in Cupertino at a Satellite center. It is high tech, clean, and upbeat.
I have an appointment with my renal (kidney) doctor next week. I will start discussing transplant at that time.
I have had offers from friends willing to donate to me. This is an overwhelming gift that they are offering. These people know who they are and how much I appreciate their generosity. More on that later.
Though all of this I have lost approximately 30 pounds and my pants are falling off me like a white rap artist.
So I'm home, I have no less than 7 different meds to take daily (organized in a plastic box that I call "the rattler"), feeling stronger every day and looking forward to this next chapter.
Thanks to all that have visited, sent emails, gifts, and well wishes It means everything
skid
P.S. A great resource about living donation is located here:www.umm.edu/transplant/kidney/qanda.htm
Mike has been seeking some assistance from Medicaid but they are basing his quote on 2007's earnings as apposed to today's earnings of nearly nothing. Bottom line is Mike finds himself unable to meet his Cobra payments (over $400 a month!) that MUST be met while he is sorting this out. Needless to say, next to food and shelter (or on a par with), Mike's insurance is his most important expense right now.
It is not within any one person's means to take on this task. But I know that together with all the people that Love Mike, we can make a big impact on his immediate future and lift his spirits at the same time. To that end, Jill and I have created a special fund to help Mike out and get at least a few months of Cobra coverage in the bank. We are asking you to send a PayPal donation (through paypal.com), click "send money" and send it to mikeapalooza@gmail.com or you can send checks made out to "Tom Sherry" to the following address:
Tom Sherry
2446 Stokes St.
San Jose, CA 95128
Any questions??? Feel free to call me at (408) 828-2133
And From Sac Dave...
Jennie,
Here's a brief letter, detailing the current status of our friend Mike Aquino, and the fund raising efforts, being made on his behalf. Please help us in our efforts, by forwarding this request, to the four corners of burnerdom.
To all Burners,
I am writting this request, for fellow burner, my friend, Mike Aquino, aka 'Skid'. Many of you know Skid very well, for those of you who don't, let me introduce you.
Skid formed K-SVERT 106.5 FM in 1997 with hischildhood friend, Tom Sherry (PlayaMonkey). A humble one watt of radio broadcast, entertained Black Rock City, and was coined the "One watt Flamethrower". Skid pioneered Burningman radio, and in 1998 was responsible, for assigning broadcast frequencies to other camps, whowanted tofollowed his lead, and desired to start their own radio station. To this day, to broadcast @ BRC, you must receive your frequency assignment from Skid.
In 2002, He co-founded Burning Silicon, the south bay's own region. (name changed to South Bay Burners in 2008). Skid served as the firstCo-Regional, with Sandra McBride (Gidget), until both retired in 2006. His leadership and guidance, enable his region to grow intothe major contributor to the Burningman project, that it is today. Meanwhile, K-SVERT grew into the largest & most powerfulradio station on the playa. Building our landmark tower in 2002, and adding our performance & shadow stages in 2003. Since 2003, K-SVERT been a presence on the Esplanade, with a 60' high flashing beacon,guiding the masseshome during whiteouts. Skid is the Mayor of K-SVERT, and serves on ourBoard of Directors.
Skid's had his hand in helping others with their projects. He designed the mini-golf course for 'Lawngames' in 2002 & 2003. In 2001 he designed & built 'Betelguise the Flaming Art Car' . Skid was a major contributor to Burning Silicon's collaborative project the "Pagoda of Infinite Reflection" in 2004. When in 2005 we were placed next door to Deathguild's Thunderdome, Skid proposed we build our own version, only smaller, and with rabbits. Thumperdome was born.
In June of this year, Skid's life took a turn. He was admitted to the hospital with anemia and kidney failure. (Skid has had type 2 diabetes for the past ten years). His condition was dire, he received blood transfusions, and suffered a very bad seizure. For 72 hours, it was BAD. We thought we might lose him. His short term memory was gone. Those of us who visited him, were forgotten once we left the room (this scared me the most). It took weeks for him to be strong enough to leave the hospital. He will endure receiving dialysis 3 times a week, for 3 hours at a time, for the rest of his life. Or until he receives a kidney transplant. He is currently on a transplant waiting list.
He was determined to attend the burn, whatever it would take. He was there for two days. We shuttled him to Reno, Saturday morning for dialysis, and got him back before the burn. He was very thin & weak, but he was so glad to be home, even if only for two days.
Once back in the default world, Skid had two stints placed into his heart in October (in preparation for the future transplant). Things were starting to falling into place,then, Skid lost his job. Along withhis job, Skid lost his health care. He has sent out hundreds of resumes, but received only one interview. Until he can secure another job, (hopefully with health coverage that will cover his pre-existing condition), he continues to receive the care he urgently needs through COBRA. His COBRA payments are over $400 per month.
To help Skid make these payments, a fundraiser, "Mikeapalooza"has been scheduled for December 29, 2008 @ Britannia Arms, Almaden, San Jose. Skid's close friends, PlayaMonkey & SassyJill, (Tom & Jillian) have set up a "Mike Aquino COBRA" fund (The MAC Fund) to collect other donations, For PayPal: Send money to; Mikeapalooza@gmail.com as Services/Other. To send a check, made out to, Tom Sherry to :
Tom Sherry
2446 Stokes St.
San Jose, CA 95128
Fund Raiser link: http://www.evite.com:80/pages/invite/viewInvite.jspinviteId=OMRJNSKXLYFGBGTXHBFY&li=iq&src=email
On a personal level, Mike has always been there for me, my brother from a different mother. Come out & help us celebrate & help Mike continue on his road to recovery. Mike has devoted much of histime to helping others (and Burningman), now it's time for us to be there for him.
Thank You,
Sacramento Dave
K-SVERT 106.5 FM
sacdave@hughes.net