Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

The fundamental promise of conservatism all over the world is a return to an idealized past that never existed.

They were going to turn on one another at some point. It was inevitable.

The cruelty is the point; the law be damned.

I desperately hope that, yet again, i am wrong.

We can’t confuse what’s necessary to win elections with the policies that we want to implement when we do.

Fight them, without becoming them!

Perhaps you mistook them for somebody who gives a damn.

The most dangerous place for a black man in America is in a white man’s imagination.

When you’re in more danger from the IDF than from Russian shelling, that’s really bad.

Teach a man to fish, and he’ll sit in a boat all day drinking beer.

Sadly, media malpractice has become standard practice.

“The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits.”

The press swings at every pitch, we don’t have to.

The desire to stay informed is directly at odds with the need to not be constantly enraged.

But frankly mr. cole, I’ll be happier when you get back to telling us to go fuck ourselves.

Take hopelessness and turn it into resilience.

Everything is totally normal and fine!!!

You can’t attract Republican voters. You can only out organize them.

Republicans seem to think life begins at the candlelight dinner the night before.

If America since Jan 2025 hasn’t broken your heart, you haven’t loved her enough.

A sufficient plurality of insane, greedy people can tank any democratic system ever devised, apparently.

The “burn-it-down” people are good with that until they become part of the kindling.

Come on, media. you have one job. start doing it.

Every one of the “Roberts Six” lied to get on the court.

You are here: Home / Anderson On Health Insurance / Holy Motherforking Shirtballs

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

Reader Interactions

93Comments

  5. 5.

    Baquist

    Wish your niece and your whole family all the best.  You mean a lot to us here, even us mostly lurkers ?

  7. 7.

    Mel

     

    Hugs to Claire, her family, and her friends.

    Children’s Philly is a remarkable place.

    My dear friend works there, and is so thankful to be working in a place where the doctors and nurses care so much about the kids and the families.

    Would it help if we periodically sent cards or notes to Claire, her parents, and her sib? I can say from experience that sometimes getting a little note to let you know that you have people in your corner when things are tough can make such a difference.

  9. 9.

    Steeplejack (phone)

    Gave a little early this morning, went back to bed for a while and had other stuff to do. Come back and see this. Way to go, Juicers! ✊

  11. 11.

    Chacal Charles Calthrop

    I’m also impressed to see that this was finished before I even logged in for the day…

    reminds me of early Eschaton blog.

    Atrios spilled a cup of coffee on his computer and put out a request for donations to buy a replacements, indicating what kind of laptop he wanted to buy.

    Next time he checked not only had enough viewers donated more than enough for his new laptop, someone had just gone and bought it online and ordered it sent to him.

  12. 12.

    Desargues

    Get well soon, Claire! All these good peeps are rooting for you. Sending you lots of good energies and healing vibes. :-)

  13. 13.

    Gravenstone

    AML makes it intensely personal to me. Unfortunately I’m at work and without access to the card I’d normally use for such transactions. Will chip in a bit later this evening.

  15. 15.

    oldster

    I have to say that I am relieved to see the commentariat here is as generous when it comes to Homo sapiens as when the needy are members of felis felis or canis domesticus.

    I have always been amazed at the outpourings of support for lost and injured cats and dogs, and now I see it at work for a human. Good work, everyone.

    (She is a human, right? Not a pet in a suit? Am I missing something?)

  17. 17.

    Tom Levenson

    So glad this one stress has been removed from you and your family.

    All good thoughts to Claire.

  19. 19.

    WaterGirl

    This is an amazing place!

    I respect the decision by David and his wife not to up the goal, but I am super happy to see that people are still contributing.  Because Cole was right in the earlier thread when he said that no family anywhere should have to worry about money when trying to help their kids.

    And we all know from experience that in spite of near-perfect planning, there are going to be things they haven’t thought about yet, and it will make me happy if we can help with some of those, as well, by continuing to donate.  Especially the west coast peeps who might right now be sitting down with BJ and your first cup of tea, and will have missed the earlier flurry.

    We love you Dave, and your family by extension.

  22. 22.

    zhena gogolia

    Although I have to say, I thought the headline was going to be followed by “Trump resigns to enter an assisted-living facility in Ekaterinburg,” so I’m a LITTLE disappointed. //

  23. 23.

    Nelle

    @WaterGirl:   Absolutely.  Saw that the goal was met and thought, man, can we help a little more and threw some in the pot.

    (Just a by the way, when we lived in New Zealand, my son’s best mate was in a catastrophic accident with brain injuries and in a coma.  I wanted to do something to contribute, at the least, for hotel costs in the city where they flew him.  His family looked at me strangely – it was all covered, not only the health care but the housing and food for the family during his hospital stay.  ACC – Accident Compensation Corporation.  You don’t sue people for accidents – we all put in government pot and they pay it out when necessary.  I’m not sure about long-term illness, though.)

    Keep filling the pot.  If they can’t use it, I’m sure that they will find someone who needs it.

  27. 27.

    dnfree

    I kept clicking to watch it reach over $20,000.  I can now resume my previously scheduled activities.

  28. 28.

    CapnMubbers

    Glad to support your family, partially as a thank you for all the excellent, well-informed posts you’ve done. Equally important to me is contributing to something positive (NOT Claire’s illness of course) and seeing tangible results. It lessens the stress and feeling of impending doom from our current circumstances.

    All my best to Claire and loved ones.

  29. 29.

    FlyingToaster

    Take the extra.  It will cover the flat tires and the smoking laptop and the inadvertent charge for internet access that will get refunded 6 months later.

  32. 32.

    John Cole

    Dude. Up the goal. Spend the extra on getting cable and internet. Buy flowers for the apartment once a week. What they are going through is hell.

  37. 37.

    Amir Khalid

    I wish I’d been able to contribute, but I’m not on Paypal and all I have to offer is my good wishes and positive energy to Claire and all her family.

  39. 39.

    Mike in NC

    Best wishes to Claire. I had a high school buddy back in the 1970s who had leukemia and he never got to graduate.

  41. 41.

    Hildebrand

    This place continues to be one of the brightest spots on the internet. What a spectacular collection of good people. Right now, that feels revolutionary. You all fill me with hope.

  43. 43.

    SiubhanDuinne

    Completely O/T, for which I apologise, but Joe Biden is bringing it.  Let’s all make sure that Claire will grow to maturity under a Biden-Harris administration.

  46. 46.

    wvng

    So glad the community pulled together to meet and exceed your goal. I’m betting it will get past $30,000, all of which we know will be put to good use.

  49. 49.

    arrieve

    I think we all know it, but this community is just amazing. And at least for me, being able to help Claire’s family a little is a tangible good when so much of what we try to do — politically, say — may or may not pan out.

  55. 55.

    MisterForkbeard

    @Amir Khalid: I was hoping to see it live, had to miss it (work stuff).

    It seems liked it went over well. Don’t really need to see what Trump is going to say in return: It’s bad, Trump is going to keep egging on the violence, and he’s going to attack Biden for not going to Kenosha when he will – despite the fact that both the Mayor and Governor have told him to stay away.

  59. 59.

    Royston Vasey

    @Nelle: ACC is a wonderful thing (though it can have it’s relatively minor issues). If you have an accident, you just don’t need to worry – you are covered. The very concept of no blame, no sue, government ran and backed accident cover is, I believe, unique in the world.

    If you have an accident in NZ, you won’t go bust ‘cos of the health care costs.

    One of the many advantages of living in New Zealand.

    RV in NZ

  60. 60.

    psycholinguist

    Just when I’m settled in to believing people just aren’t worth a damn, along comes a bunch of Juicers providing empirical evidence that my hypothesis is falsified.  This is a valuable community.

  67. 67.

    JMG

    Dave, I am happy to have helped, and happier still to be part of a group that believes in helping all living things as best it can.

  71. 71.

    Nelle

    @Royston Vasey: Where are you?  We had hoped to be back there by now.  Things have taken a different turn, unfortunately and it’s all uncertain.  We were in Taupo (husband was with GNS).

  72. 72.

    D Gardner

    Long-time reader who admires both your intellect and your humanity. Your family is lucky to have you, as are all of us.

    Hope my tiny contribution helps ease some of the logistical worries that accompany such a scary time.

    Best to all of you.

  74. 74.

    Tim C.

    Balloon-Juicer,  aka Jackal (Noun):

    Cranky, opinionated jerks who frequently bicker and argue and split hairs and act pedantic… who are also the best “Foul-Weather Friends” you can imagine.

    It takes a village,  a cranky bad-ass village.

  75. 75.

    Royston Vasey

    @Nelle: Livin’ the dream in central Wellington.

    Today is the first day of spring! Hurrah!

    (It’s already Monday 1st, 7:54am)

    RV in NZ

  76. 76.

    J.

    May Claire get better soon, and may her parents worry a little less.

    This is why I still believe in America, or at least the power of Balloon Juice.

  77. 77.

    Damned_at_Random

    David,

    if you don’t need another fundraiser, great, but be sure to post a Claire update from time to time or expect nagging.

  78. 78.

    J R in WV

    Such a great group of people, so glad I stumbled across Cole, I think from D Kos way back in the day. A little uplifting news of people helping people to counteract the bad news we can’t avoid.

    Please keep us posted Dave.

  79. 79.

    Mary G

    Just came online and put in a bit. Wish it was more. Couldn’t sleep last night stressing about the state of the world, but Balloon Juicers remind me that compassion and decency still live in the world. I still remember my mom driving too many miles for too many years to see my dad in the hospital and glad that Claire’s family won’t have to do that.

  80. 80.

    HumboldtBlue

    Money could not be tighter but if I can afford beer I can afford $25 bucks to fight cancer, particularly child cancer.

    Fuck cancer!

    Go Claire!

    Philly will take care of you.

  81. 81.

    Wakeshift

    Bumping my comment from the late lonely end of last thread to the (likely) end of this one, and laughing at myself for it. But still:

     

    I’m never up to date with today’s threads, because I always want to read what everyone has to say.
    As a result, I post very little but have read here for several years.

    I tearfully and happily donated to Claire and her family today, as a small part of paying forward the support we received about 8 years ago when my daughter was diagnosed and treated for ALL.

    She’s fully recovered, for which I’m incredibly grateful to Hasbro Children’s Hospital and the Tomorrow Fund.
    With good insurance, the bills still accumulate quickly, and as noted there are lots of other expenses involved in living and working through and around treatment. It’s a huge burden fo so many people, and we’re very fortunate to have fully recovered both medically and financially.
    I fervently wish for the same result here, and will watch for additional opportunities to contribute.

    Strength and love to the family

  82. 82.

    Seanly

    @John Cole:
    This. There is so much downtime and if she’s neutropenic (even pre-COVID) she won’t be able to go out much. My wife was told to stay away from plants.
    I see the jackals have given almost $24k so we’re shooting for John’s goal regardless.
    And yeah, no family should have to do this. Period

    Also, one of the best gifts we got from a coworker of my wife (herself a breast cancer survivor) was weekly maid service. It was a great benefit and I highly recommend having that for the apartment. It’ll free up the family and greatly reduce stress. Wife & I hate housework so we kept the service (switched to biweekly).

  83. 83.

    Odie Hugh Manatee

    Caught this late but I tossed some bucks into the hat and my best wishes to Claire and her family. Good job all! :)

  84. 84.

    MissMimi

    Delurking to say “ditto” to all the above about the generosity of Juicers.  I kicked in a bit now that my bills are paid for the month.

    Thank you, David, for all you do for the community.  I work for a company that supports post-acute/SNF/LTC facilities…explaining CMS to laypeople ain’t easy!

    Bestest of wishes to Claire and her family.

  85. 85.

    RaflW

    Just made it a nice, round $24K. I’d imagine it’ll keep going from here. Glad to support more than just the rent!

  86. 86.

    JAFD

    Wow!  I Am impressed.

    But, you know about the mythological creature that visits your in-laws’ daughters in the Springtime …

     

    well, mayhaps ’twas an out-of-season call ….

     

    from the Niece-ter Bunny

  87. 87.

    grandmaBear

    Just donated, somewhat late to the game. We went through this last year with my granddaughter – lymphoma in her case, but I imagine it must be so much more difficult in the age of Covid. We were put in touch with a number of services, some local, like Bree’s blessings that bought her a piano and earphones for her hospital room, and Make-A-Wish that sent her to Hollywood after her treatment regimen was done. We used CaringBridge as a way of posting a journal that is available for whoever you want to be on your list – they also help with fundraising and scheduling (people can volunteer for various tasks, like bringing dinner over).  We used customink.com to make team sweatshirts – also to raise money. Your hospital’s liaison will have a list of such services – take advantage of them. We also found a wig maker that would use hair we donated to construct a wig for her (I think it’s no longer in business now, but there are probably others). We live about an hour from the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital where she stayed, and took shifts of a couple of days, staying in her room, rather than renting a place nearby – her parents needed to keep working, at least mostly full-time. We also found it was important to 1) schedule some time for the caregivers to do something for themselves – keep up with a hobby or maintain a project so that all life isn’t about the child for everyone all the time – that is very stressful; and 2) make sure the sibling also gets some gifts and attention. My grandson’s face the first time his sister came home with 3 garbage bags filled with presents was devastating. Let your friends help, and while you will probably get lots of help initially, this is a long-haul project so encourage some to come back in 3 or 4 months when the initial wave of attention has died down.

  88. 88.

    Chris Wolf

    I come here many times throughout the day. I never comment because someone else has already said what I was thinking. You’re all good people. Maybe I’ll go to the next NYC meetup. What a wonderful outpouring of love.

  89. 89.

    Mel

    @grandmaBear: Such a good point. In addition to feeling scared for their sib,   unsure about what to expect, and upended by all the travel, schedule changes, etc., it’s easy for sibs to feel forgotten or left out because there is naturally a great deal of focus on the little one who is fighting an illness.

    Making sure that sibs get enough attention, reassurance, and fun things to help keep them busy in a positive way is essential.

  90. 90.

    Mel

    In addition to the hospital’s  support efforts, check out cancersupportphiladelphia.org.

    They have programs for kids and teens. The organization is the result of a merger between Gilda’s Place and The Wellness Community.

    Hope this helps a little bit.

  91. 91.

    Yutsano

    @Chris Wolf:

    Maybe I’ll go to the next NYC meetup.

    Challenge accepted! I want to get back to NYC once Covid has become a thing of the past. Not to mention my adorable Guatemalan friend and I need to nosh on pupusas again.

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