Tim's cry for help

[AgingAmerican]

I was approached by an old friend a week ago, asking if I could help his friends husband Tim procure some cannabis oil. He has a rare and aggressive penile cancer which he has battled for 16 months. They thought he had it beaten six months ago, then three months ago it came raging back. It is now all over in his pelvic region and one thigh.

Tim called my friend in tears after getting more devastating news after spending 8 hours doing scans and such at the hospital last week. He was desperate to try the cannabis oil, but did not know how to get it. Tim says he is not ready to go yet, and wants to spend time with his grand kids and such. Tim and Nelda realize that the cannabis oil is Tims last hope.

There is info about their current situation on TIMs go fund me site. His wife set up the gofundme page for them when he was diagnosed, but the funds have been exhausted over the last year and a half.

http://www.gofundme.com/timcaldwell

They had been getting him cannabis edibles or whatever they could, desperately trying slow the disease.

I work in the medical cannabis field in Seattle, and was able to collect donations of oil for Tim. In a week we got 17.5 grams of medical grade RSO donated, and a lot of high CBD flower (buds) to make a batch with. The RSO cancer protocol calls for getting 60 grams of oil in to the patient within 90 days. The medical cannabis folks here are very generous and we will get him enough oil. He has been on the oil for 7 days now. He is already sleeping better, his pain is leveling out, and he is finally able to eat, but it will take 4-5 weeks to get him up to ingesting a gram a day which is what is needed to kill the cancer.

Tim's family has been devastated financially by this. Tim is a 30 year journeyman electrification and was always a great provider for his family, but has barely been able to work since being diagnosed and his wife is unable to work.

They are living in a trailer rent free, essentially living off $200 a month, and have had to pay some medical expenses out of pocket. It makes me angry thinking about it, they have been through hell with a seemingly indifferent medical industry.

If anyone can help out with a little bit of donation to the gofundme site, his wife Nelda would be relieved. Both Tim and Nelda have assured us that they will fight this thing to his dying breath, and if he does succumb to the disease, Nelda will build a legacy for Tim by becoming a medical marijuana activist/provider.

They are getting a hospice nurse finally this coming week, so his medical expenses will be covered, but they still need to eat and turn on the lights. If anyone can help, please do so if even just a little.

http://www.gofundme.com/timcaldwell

Thanks for hearing me out.

[AgingAmerican]

1. Oh my gosh!

Someone already donated! Thanks generous person and DU!!

Here is the MMJ site where I solicited cannabis oil and flower for Tim. You can follow the thread there is you wish. It's kind of fascinating and the patients wife is on there thanking and updating those helping her husband.

http://www.nwgrow.link

The thread is on this sub forum:

http://www.nwgrow.link/index.php?board=30.0

Thanks!

[Scuba]

2. Can you imagine big pharma donating drugs to needy patients?

[AgingAmerican]

3. For some reason

The insurance and medical industries in the USA are run by sociopaths.

In Washington state, legal marijuana is overseen by the liquor control board. When they have hearings, one desperate patient after another testify, and the board is combative, defiant and skeptical. It is very frustrating dealing with them. They have zero compassion. They keep trying to fold the medical in with the retail pot stores. Many ill patients consume an OZ or more of dried flower per day (in the form of extracts). The stores sell flower in gram amounts. Cheapest gram I have seen in a pot store is $15. The liquor control board says, "Well, we just won't charge sales tax on medical users". Sorry but that just doesn't work. Insurance won't cover it and many patients are too ill to work. They can't afford $500 -$600 a day buying little grams of weed to make oil from.

We get many patients from other states. Some have sold their houses and everything they own to come here and try to save themselves or a family member. When these folks testify in front of the board. They are treated with derision and skepticism.

Next year they are going to try and take over the medical cannabis industry, and many of us will refuse to stop what we are doing, so things will come to a head then. We will see where it all ends up. There are going to be a lot of martyrs.

[fredamae]

4. What State is your friend in? n/t

[AgingAmerican]

5. This story is happening in Washington State

Medical cannabis has been legal her since 1998 or so.

[fredamae]

6. Thanks....I wish he was in OR

I know patients here that would share.

There must be some sort of compassionate group up there?
I don't know anyone in WA that could help.

Oregon (OMMP)does register out-of-state patients..but they must be approved by an OR Physician http://public.health.oregon.gov/DiseasesConditions/ChronicDisease/medicalmarijuanaprogram/Pages/index.aspx .
There is a lot of information down here, with some amazing results...about Rick Simpson Hemp Oil Cancer Cure:
http://www.cureyourowncancer.org/rick-simpson.html

[AgingAmerican]

7. I have been gathering donations of Rick Simpson Oil

From other MMJ patients. We have also gotten about 3/4 of a lb of bud donated total to make more oil. We will get Tim enough oil.

His wife told me last night that the oil has brought back his appetite. Apparently it gives him a severe case of the munchies, which is awesome because he has had a very hard time with appetite. He needs to eat to be strong enough to fight so the oil can work it's magic. He is also sleeping very soundly, which is also important to allow his system to fight the disease.

Since being diagnosed their life has been pure hell. They have had to move 4 times since his diagnosis. They have fallen through every possible crack when it comes to social services, and have dealt with uncaring doctors and an indifferent medical system.

They don't need a lot, but they need nutritious natural food for Tim, gas for the car, electricity for their trailer house and other basic stuff like that. They don't need a lot, just enough so they can concentrate on Tim's treatment without constant stress and worry about getting through the next week. It is like a dark cloud that has been hanging over them for a while now.

We will get Tim enough oil until he and Nelda can produce their own. The landlord who is allowing them to live rent free has agreed to let them grow in a shed behind their trailer house. My co-op partners and I will build them a basic grow room for this purpose.

[fredamae]

8. You are a kind soul

as are your friends landlords and others helping him. This is what it's all about imo. People helping people <3
Bless your hearts.

[AgingAmerican]

9. The medical cannabis 'industry' here

...is run by MMJ patients and former patients. Lots of compassion and empathy..

[AgingAmerican]

10. Tim's health has made a turn for the worse

This morning he awoke struggling with a lot of pain. He is now in rapid decline.

It's looking like we got the cannabis oil to him too late.

*on edit* They are not giving up yet. Nelda said that yesterday Tim ingested a full gram of the oil. My friend told her that might be why he appears in decline today, that is enough oil to put a horse to sleep for three days

Tim is telling her to keep the oil coming. He is a tank.

[AgingAmerican]

11. Tim is on a roller coaster ride

He has good days and he has bad days. Nelda says that some days, he just can't handle too much oil, so she rubs it on his gums when he is asleep.

We got a bunch of high CBD donations to make into RSO tonight, the CBDs will dampen down the THC buzz so he isn't so loaded all the time and give him a chance to build up a good tolerance to the oil.

She said he wavers mentally, because he pisses himself while standing up, etc, and sometimes doesn't recognize her. He feels he is losing some of his dignity. Most times though, he keeps fighting on.

The donations that came from DUers went to buy easily absorb-able liquid vitamins and good clean organic food so his body has a chance to fight the disease. Thanks DU!

*On edit

Tim is only taking Morphine once per day now when he first wakes up. He was taking it 5 or 6 times a day before the oil!

[AgingAmerican]

12. Tim is gone

He died about 6 am this morning.

May he rest in peace.

Thanks for all your kind words and donations DU. His wife is devastated and broke, if anyone can help a little she could sure use it.

http://www.gofundme.com/timcaldwell

Thanks DU!