A member of our extended family needs your help.
Joe Wickstrom is the bassist of Atriarch and has played with numerous Portland bands. He was diagnosed with peripheral arterial disease in 2011 and has had a tough go. The disease narrows the arteries and makes it tough for blood to reach the limbs and extermities. Wickstrom has medical insurance but it’s not nearly enough to cover expensive medications, daily blood draws and additional surgeries and hospitalizations.
So, it’s time for Decibel readers and friends to pitch in and help one of our own.
Nathan Carson has organized a YouCaring campaign to help pay for Wickstrom’s massive medical expenses. Please go here and donate and then share this and tell your friends on Twitter and Facebook. There’s more from Carson below on Wickstrom’s situation.
Even with health insurance, the daily deductible for hospitalization is $250 and Joe spent 10 days in the past 2 months there. That $2500 on top of the $800 in payments he still had to make from 2011 adds up. Each medication is a $25 dollar copay and he has 8 which is $200 a month which he needs to pay BEFORE they give him the meds. And this is the killer……. he now has daily blood draws which are $20 a day payable at the time of service which is $600 a month. He has to make 5 doctor visits a month at this time which are $20 each.Beyond all the medical expenses, Joe can barely afford to live and eat now. He’s slipping behind financially, on a ton of medication, and sometimes having to choose between buying meds or food. We as a community cannot let this go on.
