The Red Dragon Inn - home of the Audalis campaign setting.  Online D&D gaming, art, poerty, stories, advice, chat, and more

Support the Inn! If you are doing holiday shopping online, please use this affiliate link for Amazon.
You pay the exact same prices, but the Inn earns a small referral fee. Thanks!

We currently have 4063 registered users. Our newest member is Hammeyaneggs.
Online members:
Username Password Remember me
Not a member? Join today! | Forgot your password?
Latest Updated Forum Topics  [more...]
Q&A Threads - Return to Charadun - Q&A (posted by Chessicfayth)Return to Charadun - Q&A
Posting Games - The Morphing Game (posted by TannTalas)The Morphing Game
Posting Games - The One Word Game (posted by TannTalas)The One Word Game
Recruitment Threads - Return to Charadun - Recruitment (posted by Eol Fefalas)Return to Charadun - Recr
Personal Creations - Miniature Painting (posted by t_catt11)Minis!
Latest Blog Entries
Revenge of the Drunken Dice
Latest Webcomics
Loaded Dice #80: Priorities
RPG MB #15: Master of the Blade
Floyd Hobart #19: High School Reunion IV
There are currently 3 users logged into DragonChat.
Is the site menu broken for you? Click here for the fix!

You are here: Home --> Forum Home --> General Forum --> Spamvertize --> Asking for charitable help...
Jump to:    1   
    Messages in Asking for charitable help...
RDI T-shirts!

Trust the DM
Price: $17.00



RDI T-shirts!

Outrun the Dragon
Price: $18.00

t_catt11
Fun is Mandatory
RDI Staff
Karma: 371/54
7067 Posts


Asking for charitable help...

Some of you are active on FB, so you've seen these posts.  For those of you who aren't, or who don't love me enough to friend me there, read on (or ignore as you see fit).

You may remember that we had a really scary time with Kalani's pregnancy and birth (she was born February 19th).  Donna had a condition called "placenta percreta", where the placenta basically acts like a tumor.  It grew out of the uterus and into the abdomen.  The doctors were unsure that the baby would even make it to viability (24 weeks); we were so very fortunate, and she got to 32 weeks.  Donna had extensive surgery which resulted in a hysterectomy and loss of almost half her bladder.  Kalani did really  well, all things considered - she spent 19 days in the NICU, went home without ever having to go fully on the ventilator.

While we were there, we met Caitlyn.  Caitlyn had the same condition as my wife, but she started bleeding uncontrollably at a mere 23 weeks, 3 days gestation.  Her baby was large and strong (for his age), so they elected to give him a chance.  Well, he did really, really well - all things considered.  He made it to the step down unit, was on the countdown to go home... then got an infection. 

Baby Oakley is still in the hospital today.  He has come very close to death several times, and has had a tracheotomy to allow for long term ventilator access.  They have been told that it will be after his birthday before they can even consider letting him go home, but the exact timeline is up in the air.

Caitlyn has a two year old and three year old daughter staying at home with her husband; they live 3.5 hours away.  She spends a few days here, then goes home for a few days.  Rinse and repeat. 

Her husband was a U.S. Marine who fell out of a helicopter during a training exercise on deployment.  He broke his back in the fall, lost full use of his body (the injuries are permanent).  His medical discharge disability is what they live off of; Caitlyn (age 23, without a college degree) was working as a waitress until she went into the hospital... she obviously has not worked since then.

Folks, these people are truly destitute; they have NOTHING.  The need is raw, and real, and ugly here.  And it's likely going to stay that way - odds are overwhelming that with the setback and such, baby Oakley is likely going to have moderate to severe developmental and healthcare issues; they just don't know yet.

My wife is organizing a drive to give these people Christmas.  We have gifts for the girls mostly covered now.  She is wanting to do at least a couple of gifts for mom and dad, some cash, grocery gift cards, gas cards, etc.  She's trying to see if we can get a local business to donate/discount a set of tires and brakes for the car.

So, here we are.  I know that there this siteis full of quality human beings, some of which are charitable.  So if you have the capacity, please consider giving here. 

Donna has a facebook event set up for this - let me know if you'd like an invite.  We're running donations through my paypal - [email protected].  If you donate that way, please choose to give to friends/family so as to save the fees.  If you have any creative ideas on how to help, please let me know.

Literally ANYTHING is appreciated.  Sure, we'll take those C notes... but $5 at a time adds up, especially to a family that again has NOTHING.

If you'd like to discuss further - but don't want to do it on the list - hit me up directly. [email protected] or 205.876.4145.


Thank you for your consideration, folks.



Posted on 2019-11-19 at 11:42:28.

t_catt11
Fun is Mandatory
RDI Staff
Karma: 371/54
7067 Posts


bump

Bumping this for visibility.



Posted on 2019-11-21 at 10:30:50.

Eol Fefalas
Lord of the Possums
RDI Staff
Karma: 470/28
8758 Posts


Bump, again!

It's a more than worthy cause, my dear Innmates and, as we get closer to a particular time of the year, it puts me in mind of one of my very favorite "Christmas songs."

Old City Bar - Trans-Siberian Orchestra

 

In an old city bar
That is never too far
From the places that gather
The dreams that have been
In the safety of night
With its old neon light
It beckons to strangers
And they always come in
And the snow it was falling
The neon was calling
The music was low
And the night
Christmas Eve
And here was the danger
That even with strangers
Inside of this night
It's easier to believe
Then the door opened wide
And a child came inside
That no one in the bar
Had seen there before
And he asked did we know
That outside in the snow
That someone was lost
Standing outside our door
Then the bartender gazed
Through the smoke and the haze
Through the window and ice
To a corner streetlight
Where standing alone
By a broken pay phone
Was a girl the child said
Could no longer get home
And the snow it was falling
The neon was calling
The bartender turned
And said, not that I care
But how would you know this?
The child said I've noticed
If one could be home
They'd be all ready there
Then the bartender came out from behind the bar
And in all of his life he was never that far
And he did something else that he thought no one saw
When he took all the cash from the register draw
Then he followed the child to the girl cross the street
And we watched from the bar as they started to speak
Then he called for a cab and he said J. F. K
Put the girl in the cab and the cab drove away
And we saw in his hand
That the cash was all gone
From the light that she had wished upon
If you want to arrange it
This world you can change it
If we could somehow make this
Christmas thing last
By helping a neighbor
Or even a stranger
And to know who needs help
You need only just ask
Then he looked for the child
But the child wasn't there
Just the wind and the snow
Waltzing dreams through the air
So he walked back inside
Somehow different I think
For the rest of the night
No one paid for a drink
And the cynics will say
That some neighborhood kid
Wandered in on some bums
In the world where they hid
But they weren't there
So they couldn't see
By an old neon star
On that night, Christmas Eve
When the snow it was falling
The neon was calling
And in case you should wonder
In case you should care
Why we're on our own
Never went home
On that night of all nights
We were already there


Posted on 2019-11-21 at 18:40:32.
Edited on 2019-11-21 at 18:42:09 by Eol Fefalas

t_catt11
Fun is Mandatory
RDI Staff
Karma: 371/54
7067 Posts


yep

It is for a really, really good cause - a family that has basically nothing. 

Thanks to those who have helped or expressed interest in doing so.  It means a lot to me.



Posted on 2019-11-22 at 13:17:10.

   
Jump to:    1   


  Partners:       Dungeons and Dragons resources, from 2nd to 4th Edition gamegrene.com | for the gamer who's sick of the typical Dungeons and Dragons Adventures, #1 resource for D&D Dungeons and Dragons 4th Edition  
View/Edit Your Profile | Staff List | Contact Us
Use of the RDINN forums or chatrooms constitutes agreement with our Terms of Service.
You must enable cookies and javascript to use all features of this site.




Page loaded in 0.059190 seconds