Kansas Family Is Selling Five Year Old's Drawings To Pay For His Chemotherapy

[lame54]

http://crooksandliars.com/susie-madrak/kansas-family-selling-five-year-olds-

<...> Since Sept. 13, Aidan has been waging a battle against a monster that is all too real. That’s when doctors discovered he has acute lymphoblastic leukemia. He’s spent weeks in the hospital and has endured chemotherapy, infections, spinal taps and other painful procedures.

To pass the time, he draws pictures of monsters. Dozens and dozens of them. Aidan’s drawings are so adorably scary that his aunt decided to post some of them on the website Etsy, where people buy and sell handmade artwork and other items. She wanted to do something — anything — to help Aidan and his family from a distance, so she figured she’d try to sell 60 prints to help defray their sudden and mounting expenses.

Aidan Reed's monster drawings tend to be colorful, zany, detailed and fun. In a few short weeks, she sold almost 2,500 at $12 apiece, bringing in nearly $30,000. Now Aidan’s parents are no longer worried about having to sell their house — a looming possibility just last month.

<...> The Reeds have medical insurance, but it comes with steep deductibles. Those expenses combined with Wylie’s lost wages led the Reeds to have a real-estate expert come out to their house. They received advice about how to paint and stage their home so they could put it up for sale...

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/40013966/ns/today-today_people

[Mika]

1. Like needing 2-3 jobs to support a family, how uniquely American.

Even embargoed Cuba kicks our collective asses in quality and complete social support infrastructure.

Silly me, for admiring Cuba. Everyone knows that free people don't want support infrastructure - it has to be forced on them by a tyrannical government. :eyes:

---

[HughBeaumont]

2. But by all MEANS, continue this supremely sensible health insurance system.

Greatest health care in the WORLD! Nothing can top it. FAR better than them thar SOSHULIST systems that those lesser Commie nations have! Survival of the fittest, I always say. Some people just aint-a gonner live forever, but life's TOUGH!

:sarcasm:

This is an absolute disgrace.

[ejpoeta]

3. here is what people don't seem to get. these people HAVE insurance.

and they could lose everything just to try to keep their kid alive. i'm glad they could sell those pictures, but the fact that they had to do that just makes me sick. and all those collection jars you see everywhere... spaghetti dinners.... fund raisers..... just to keep someone alive. yet somehow we have the best system? we sure as hell pay way more than everyone else just to have to have fundraisers.

[mmonk]

4. Story is gone.

[lame54]

5. thanks - added new link

[mmonk]

6. Thanks.