Rockets Fan & Clutchfan Member Battling Progressive Eye Disease (Please Read)

Hope you somehow collect the 20k$, really tragic disease and family story.

These kind of fundraisers make me sad because people on Kickstarter collectively donate millions of dollars for games or unnecessary gadgets, but don't give anything to people in true need.

All the best and hope enough money is raised for Vance.

 

See if reddit can do something. They've done a lot for people before

 

Good idea, spread the word.

 

To be honest kickstarters aren't donations, they are investments. Usually the people who "donate" get stuff in return.
Not really donations.

In any case, post this on reddit. It might get attention there.

 

You know what I mean though, see the bus monitor. She received 700k for getting mobbed, this man needs 20k to be able to maintain eye vision and see his son grow up. This project has been running for at least a week and is at 15 dollars. Pretty f....ed up world if you ask me.

 

Wouldn't that just be a lack of awareness? I'm pretty sure the only reason it is at fifteen dollars is because this guy's story hasn't been far-reaching up to this point.

That bus monitor story was huge; millions of people heard about it, saw it, etc. It was on the news even... honestly its much easier to raise 700,000 out of a pool of millions of potential donors than to raise 20k from the few that saw his donation page.

People need to see the donation page to donate. As such, he needs to get this out on reddit.

 

Because of the religious-based quote at the top, the folks at reddit may steer clear from donating. What's the point of donating if, at the end, he thanks God for returning his vision or something?

One angle to entice their appetite, however, would be to have /r/atheism donate while leaving messages such as "Make sure to thank the donors, not God, for your eyesight." Try and get this Vance fellow to see the light of atheism, if you will. They might take on such a "cause" as messed up as it may sound to you.

But don't rely on reddit; they're very fickle in the causes they donate too. If you're going to post a thread, post it in the evening -- that's when it'll get the most upvotes.

 

Very sad. I really hope he gets to his goal of $20,000. I'll post this on some other sites and hopefully people will donate.

 

I'm really flat broke now. When I get some funds later whenever that is, I'll think about this.

My eyesight's gone downhill within a year myself, though not even CLOSE to the severity there, not even 5% of that. And just my little bit is depressing, I can imagine how devastating it must feel.

(And yeah I lost my job recently and can't afford the healthcare. You can "D&D" up THAT issue if you want )

All the best to him

 

Has your friend tried rigid gas permeable contact lenses (RGPs)? RGPs can immensely improve his vision compared to contact lenses, and they are usually the best management of keratoconus until surgery is necessary. If he hasn't, I suggest he go to the UH Optometry clinic where he can be evaluated for an RGP. If he wants more info, leave an e-mail and I can give more info about the clinic.

May I ask who his doctor is? Dr. Goosey from Houston Eye Associates is one of the best corneal surgeons in all of Houston and he also performs the same surgeries recommended for your friend.

Sorry I can't help out financially, but I hope this info will help him.

 

I have keratoconus. There is different stages of it. Most people just wear hard contacts. The C3R procedure that is going through the FDA right now that is legal everywhere else in the world. Maybe he can drive up to Canada to get it done. I bet its a lot cheaper there. You can also get done as a clinical trial. Steven Dell was doing free clinical trials last year for the procedure.

 

I wish the best for your friend. He sounds like a really strong person, hope he gets what he needs and can be happy in the future.

Can someone explain to me the difference between Keratoconus and astigmatism. From what I gather, they both affect the shape of the cornea right?

 

Damn, that's so sad to hear. I figured from the rate of his progression that it seemed very severe, but I was hoping it would still be manageable with a contact lens. He's already being taken care by one of the best ophthalmologist groups in Houston, but unfortunately the only options are surgical and they are expensive. I wish more could be done, and I sincerely hope your friend will find some financial assistance to fund the surgery.

A normal cornea has the shape of a sphere, where it's the same curvature all around, like looking at a basketball.
Astigmatism is where the curvature of one axis is flatter than the other, taking the shape like a football.

Keratoconus is a disease that makes the cornea really thin and very pointed, like a cone. It distorts your vision and the cornea is very fragile that it can be painful.

The top is a normal eye, the bottom is a keratoconic eye.

 

^ Thanks for the clarification!

 

Who is the member? I can't find 'Vance'.