I know I don't have to say this to you guys, but the US healthcare system baffles and scares me.

Us, too, Sue.

Sometimes I really loathe the feast or famine nature of my job. Someone tell me I'm going to figure out a way to meet all of my deadlines.

Thanks, you guys. I want to be a good friend, but the whole thing just feels wrong to me.

Yeah, I have tons of friends who throw fundraising parties or ask for money for mastectomies and hysterectomies, for trans reasons. But nobody asks $1000, and they tend to have already tried their insurance or whatever. I'd definitely consider helping her (meals and visits after? A little bit of cash now?) but mostly encourage her to look up help like others said.

This is why I want universal healthcare damnit.

Someone tell me I'm going to figure out a way to meet all of my deadlines.

You will. Me, my deadlines are ridiculous and I'm lazy and hate my job. If I can do it, you can!

Ugh. Must find better way to pack. Thought I had a brilliant plan, didn't work. Mostly because gym shoes are too freakin big. They take up like, half my suitcase!! And then in the "crap it won't fit" panic, I ended up with only a backpack and no work appropriate purse/laptop holder. Not the end of the world, but annoying.

Just FexEx your stuff to the hotel.

Scrappy, she should now be eligible for the federal high risk pool. A cancer diagnosis and at least 6 months without health insurance are all that should be necessary. Premiums shouldn't be terrible--we paid $200/month for Rob for a plan with a $1500 deductible and 100% was covered after that. If she has money to cover the premiums, then she should be able to get health insurance without pre-existing conditions exclusions.

Here's California's website for the plan: [link] She should be able to google her state + federal high risk insurance pool to get the correct information.

IOW, she has options, and I think it's incredibly rude to suggest a donation level, like it's a Kickstarter project or PBS donation drive.

Drew, you'll figure it out. Then, you will sleep the sleep of the just.

And as someone who has recently launched a Kickstarter - I don't sugest levels outside of the actual project. And even in the project I just offer varying rewards for varying donations. Nowhere is there an actual "suggested" donation. So what she is doing would be bad manners on Kickstarter.

Speaking of health, I finished reading Stiff, and the last page gives ideas on checking out body donation plans in the reader's area. So I did a quick Google, and the University of Utah has such a program. I floated the idea for myself past Hubby, and he nodded, so it looks like he's good with the concept. I "casually" mentioned that the U of U said spouses can donate the other spouse without paperwork, but I told him I wouldn't do that to him, phrasing it as a joke, because I couldn't really come up with a way of saying, "Odds are you're going first, do you mind if I give you to the University?" that wasn't pretty cold. But he said, "I'd be OK with that." Which surprised me. He's still adamant that he doesn't want to make a will, and I figured any kind of practical planning would make him antsy.