Sunday, April 5, 2009
Friday, April 3, 2009
Let us be of Benefit!!
This blog is dedicated to helping a sweet man - Mr. Rowan Laing - rafting and wilderness guide extraordinaire - as he faces monumental medical bills to enable him to keep walking. There is a paypal on the left - please consider donating - no sum is too small a token. As we're reminded in the Starfish story, even the smallest gestures make a difference!
Thank you for reading, and for your kindhearted consideration.
Ariana Saraha - website coordinator
Thank you for reading, and for your kindhearted consideration.
Ariana Saraha - website coordinator
In his Own Words...
Regarding his current medical situation and needs, Rowan writes...
I went to see a specialist in Salt Lake City. The medical term for my condition is post traumatic vascular necrosis. Which translated into lay mans terms is degenerative bone damage. The Talus bone is dying and collapsing, as it collapses it cause more vascular damage leading to progressively more dead tissue in the talus bone. Eventually it will lead to amputation. Right now every time there is a collapse in the bone it is extremely painful and makes it difficult or impossible to walk depending upon the severity of the collapse, and pieces of bone breaking off.
They can perform an operation to fuse my ankle preventing further collapse and the resulting vascular damage. However the surgery costs $80,000.00. I have very little money and no insurance so this is an overwhelming situation that I find myself in. I have contacted and searched every possible public and private agency for help. There are virtually no resources available in the state of Wyoming for a person in my position. I have been looking for 6 months. There are no government or public programs to help me.
My only option is to try to raise the money via fund raising and benefits. And that is a daunting task because the sum is very large.
I went to see a specialist in Salt Lake City. The medical term for my condition is post traumatic vascular necrosis. Which translated into lay mans terms is degenerative bone damage. The Talus bone is dying and collapsing, as it collapses it cause more vascular damage leading to progressively more dead tissue in the talus bone. Eventually it will lead to amputation. Right now every time there is a collapse in the bone it is extremely painful and makes it difficult or impossible to walk depending upon the severity of the collapse, and pieces of bone breaking off.
They can perform an operation to fuse my ankle preventing further collapse and the resulting vascular damage. However the surgery costs $80,000.00. I have very little money and no insurance so this is an overwhelming situation that I find myself in. I have contacted and searched every possible public and private agency for help. There are virtually no resources available in the state of Wyoming for a person in my position. I have been looking for 6 months. There are no government or public programs to help me.
My only option is to try to raise the money via fund raising and benefits. And that is a daunting task because the sum is very large.
About Rowan
Rowan Laing has been in and out of Jackson Hole since the first visit he can remember in 1969. His parents Charles and Ann Laing were research biologists in Grand Teton National Park in the late 50’s and early 60’s. Growing up tagging along with his parents doing field research he developed a lifelong love of the mountains and nature. Much of his childhood was spent in the outdoors camping, hiking, canoeing and rafting.
After a summer job in Yellowstone National Park in 1982 he moved west permanently in January of 1983. The last 26 years has been spent throughout the Rocky Mountain west primarily in Colorado and Wyoming . Working in the field of outdoor guiding for the last 17 years he has shared his love of the outdoors with the general public as a rafting guide and tour guide. He has been working summers in Jackson since 2001 with Lewis and Clark River Expeditions. In 2004 he relocated permanently from Steamboat Springs Colorado to Jackson . Since then he has been guiding Snowmobile and snow coach tours in Yellowstone and like many of us who belong to the “Poverty with a View program” has had many part time jobs here in Jackson . Unfortunately the jobs in seasonal employment don’t have insurance benefits. Now with his ability to walk and work threatened he needs surgery on his ankle or risks eventual amputation due to a degenerative condition in his ankle.
After a summer job in Yellowstone National Park in 1982 he moved west permanently in January of 1983. The last 26 years has been spent throughout the Rocky Mountain west primarily in Colorado and Wyoming . Working in the field of outdoor guiding for the last 17 years he has shared his love of the outdoors with the general public as a rafting guide and tour guide. He has been working summers in Jackson since 2001 with Lewis and Clark River Expeditions. In 2004 he relocated permanently from Steamboat Springs Colorado to Jackson . Since then he has been guiding Snowmobile and snow coach tours in Yellowstone and like many of us who belong to the “Poverty with a View program” has had many part time jobs here in Jackson . Unfortunately the jobs in seasonal employment don’t have insurance benefits. Now with his ability to walk and work threatened he needs surgery on his ankle or risks eventual amputation due to a degenerative condition in his ankle.
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