Peter Grant is an author who many in our circles have come to love in recent years because of his excellent fiction and also because of his poignant blog, Bayou Renaissance Man, but he has come under health problems, and he and his wife are asking for support and prayers.
The Maxwell Saga has given a lot of readers joy over the years, as well as other series from sci-fi to fantasy to westerns with one of the better writers of our modern times, and Peter Grant has done so as an independent author who stands for solid values. Like many in recent years, he’s fallen on health problems, which he elaborated on his blog.
Last year I underwent four kidney procedures in an effort to overcome nephrotic syndrome, which first revealed itself as a severe case of hydronephrosis. The situation was not helped by an incompetent urologist who subjected me to three procedures and then declared me cured. He was wrong. Fortunately, I could feel things still weren't right and insisted on a second opinion, which led to a fourth procedure to see what could be salvaged. Sadly, although the last procedure brought temporary relief, it couldn't resurrect my right kidney; so, later this month, it's coming out. I hope that'll be the end of my kidney problems. (Humans can live with only one kidney, provided it works normally; so I'll be hoping for the best!)
About three years ago my partly disabling spinal injury, suffered more than two decades ago, began to give me more trouble: increased pain (lately greatly increased), impaired mobility, and other issues. Treating this has been complicated (understatement!) by legal issues. The original injury was work-related, and treated by workers compensation; but they closed the case in due course, and aren't about to reopen it unless it can be proved beyond doubt that any new problems are directly and immediately related to that injury. Medical insurance, on the other hand, insist that since there's an older work-related injury in the same area as my current problems, the two must obviously be related, so workers comp should be paying for treatment. I'm caught in the middle fighting two different sets of bureaucrats, both of which want to ensure that they don't pay for anything. Lawyers are now involved, and it'll almost certainly have to be dealt with in court in due course. However, treatment can't wait until the paperwork stops flying.
My wife and I have taken steps as best we can to carry the load so far. We've mobilized our savings, and taken out a second mortgage on our home. A very generous reader also donated a significant amount of money last year, which helped us pay for one of the surgical procedures on my kidney. However, even after all of that, we're still facing a very large medical bill this year (possibly running into next year). Spinal surgery is very expensive. The lowest quote I've been able to get (hospitals being notoriously reticent to provide actual cost numbers in advance) is $49,625 for the surgery alone (i.e. surgeon's fees, anesthesia, use of operating theater, etc.), excluding:
Diagnostic costs;
Hardware or implants that may be required;
Overnight or longer hospital stays;
Post-surgical rehabilitation and physical therapy;
The cost of treating any complications that may result.
All those expenses are over and above the surgery, and also for our account. Total costs may exceed $80,000, according to those who've been through this before. (I emphasize again that this is the lowest quote I've been able to obtain. Others are significantly higher, exceeding six figures in all. "Medical tourism" may be a cheaper alternative, but high-quality medical care remains expensive, even in the Third World. Furthermore, long flights with a newly-repaired spine are sure to be very uncomfortable, and may be medically inadvisable.)
$80,000 is quite the expense and this is a very difficult proposition for an independent author, as these spaces are increasingly difficult to make money in, and not much media gives attention. Fandom Pulse is asking our readership to support Peter Grant via his family’s GiveSendGo and to offer prayers for them for a speedy recovery.
Done!