Press release here:
THE EVENT:
Palmyra’s boyfriend, local musician Jon Stickley, is organizing a benefit to raise funds for Palmyra’s medical bills. This will take place at the Grey Eagle Tuesday Sept. 15th.• Venue: The Grey Eagle
• Times: Door 7pm, show 8pm
• Date: Tuesday September 15, 2009
• Price: Minimum Donation $10
• Line- Up:
o Shannon Whitworth Band
o Town Mountain
o Dehlia Low
o All-Star Jam featuring: Jeff Sipe and Members of the Steep Canyon Rangers
o Viper’s Dream- Patio Performance at 7pm
• To donate on-line or to get more information, please visit: www.palmyrabenefit.orgPALMYRA’S STORY:
On May 27th, 25-year old Palmyra Romeo — an Asheville-based AmeriCorps intern at RiverLink, avid outdoors woman, talented bluegrass bass player, and an honors graduate of NC State University — unexpectedly had a seizure, lost her ability to speak, became paralyzed on her right side, lost consciousness and was rushed to Mission Hospital. An MRI revealed a ping-pong ball sized abscess on the left side of her brain. Since then, Palmyra has undergone two brain surgeries, and is making amazing progress. While a full recovery is expected, it will be a long road ahead.Although Palmyra has minimal health benefits through AmeriCorps, the coverage is not sufficient to cover the astronomical cost of hospital stays, surgeries, medications, and the need for ongoing care. Shortly after Palymra’s first surgery, she said:
“I think it is very important that people know about the health care system… I want to see some benefit to others when catastrophe happens. To have all of that happen and to have to worry that you can’t even pay the bill, what are you going to do because you want to live? The opportunity to worry about your health and your care should be very separate from worrying about whether or not you can afford to get the care.”
Palmyra needs our community’s support and financial help.
9 Comments
Ashevillel Dweller,
I’ve been trying not to respond to this, but I have to….
1) Palmyra never asked for a "handout." We arranged this benefit without her involvement, or even knowledge when we first decided to do so. She is a wonderful, delightful, positive part of a very tight knit, local music community. She was befallen by a tragedy, and her friends want to help in any way possible.
2) I think if you asked around you would find that most recent college graduates and even on into their 40’s are under- or uninsured. This is not by choice. If you think it is so easy to get a good paying job, that can cover your cost of living and full benefits, you must not have looked for one in a while. Don’t you think more people would be insured if it were so easy?
3) If everyone took jobs, simply for the salary it provided…. I think we’d be in a world of hurt. That would eliminate teachers, social workers, policemen, district attorneys, community support workers… the list goes on and on….
I’m sure you have your reasons for feeling like you do, but it’s very upsetting to me that you’re willing to make unkind statements, and ridiculous assumptions about a wonderful person, who is a a friend of mine, who is simply trying to get her life back. No one’s forcing you to attend the concert or donate, or anything else, we’re just getting the word out for those people who would like to.
Thanks Steve, for your support.
Again you just skip over what I wrote, I said let me paraphrase this for you since you just want don’t want to read what I wrote.
"Good for them"
I think the fund raiser is a good thing, her little position comment was what I took issue with. And yes I have been in and out of the hospital a bit, been out of work, and NEVER taken goverment assistance of any kind.
My issue was her making the comment about the Health Care issue, she made.
( To Asheville Dweller ) i HAVE pride and conviction but i also have a kind heart to help others when in need . this young lady from what i have read about is no lazy bum , who sits around drawing welfare checks because she is to lazy to work and beating the system , when truly needy families need help and cannot get it …… in this case , no , i would not help and YES it is up to everyone themselves to have the responsibility to have their own insurance .
let me give you a little info here 4 years army , 25 years construction and had 1 back surgery at mission in asheville in 1994 , 3 months later back to work , insurance paid 80% and family , friends and people i did not even know , gave me a benefit for me ( without my knowledge , because i had too much PRIDE for a ”HANDOUT ” well they did it anyway ) it paid the rest of my medical bills and kept my family fed those 3 months i was out of work , WITHOUT having to rely on government food stamps .
fast forward many years… from Nov 2003 to march 2004 had a real ”doosey” of back surgeries… 5 of them , had MAXIUM INSURANCE and no more work for me , hell they even told me i”d never walk again but my insurance paid everything but … if i remember right , $3500 and there was another benefit put on that i did not ask for but i dang sure thanked everyone who did it for me .
what happened in my case and this young ladies case is no handout , it is friends , family and just people who want to help but the way you talk , it’s GOING to cost you something .
this socialist health care obama is trying to push through , based on Canadian and European health care , will never go through . we will still have all our different insurances to pick for ourselves , the doctors we want to pick and my advice to you sincerely is for you to get some kind of insurance , i do not know your age but once i thought like you … don’t need insurance now but if something happens to me ” damned if i”ll take a handout ” attitude but then i grew up , got responsible , got insurance and raised my 5 children . i have plenty of pride and conviction… the pride in knowing i could help someone in time of need and the conviction to do it…. even though i AM A POOR MAN TO !
Steve Chapman Walhalla , S.C.
To Steve I have too much time on my hands,
One, im local, two, part of the working poor, and use the petty attack on my sentence structure since you can rebuff anything I said. Just twist and contort since it made too much since for self-righteous individual as yourself.
It is OUR OWN responsibility for our insurance, I am not my brothers keeper, nor yours. If I get sick I dont expect ANYONE to pay my bills but me. I have a job and I dont have insurance yet, but even if I was sick today I wouldnt want a hand out that you would eagerly accpet. I have something that you would never have and that is pride and conviction.
If she was so smart then why not a real job instead of volunteer work or non-profit, Im sure you get the warm fuzzys but you also got to pay the bills. Going through life thinking nothing would ever happen to you is crazy.
I sad good job for them for organizing it, if you would read EVERYTHING I wrote instead of picking through it at the items you didnt like. This would not be needed if she had real insurance. But just wait, you will have your Health Care soon enough, then you can tell me how grand it is.
THIS is addressed to ” Asheville Dweller ”… you sir/her is one cold heartless person . It looks to me this young lady at the START of her working career was doing pretty good . let us go over your sarcastic remark about her ”’ but if she was such an honor student and super grad why didnt she have a better job then one that pays minimal? ” lets see , she is 25 years old , done went to at least 4 years of college , DOES have a job and DID NOT ask for this to happen to her !
with her having minimal insurance , have you ever thought about she MIGHT have college loans to pay ? rent ? utility bills ? food ? that she is not rolling in money as evidently you are since you said QUOTE ”Its my fault that I don’t have insurance ” I WILL just assume you are trying to play the poor old mountain boy or girl who has too much pride to accept HELP and no handouts from caring people and friends .( but probabaly a transplant rolling in the money )
Also , i only have a 12th grade education but may i suggest some adult ED English classes , so you may learn to structure a sentence correctly ? your QUOTE ” People are going relize that having warm fuzzy feelings doesnt pay the bills. ” IN BETWEEN THE GOING AND REALIZE you need to add the WORD TOO , to make the sentence readable . ( also you DO have a thing called SPELL CHECK on your computer )
i will be there for the concert to help the young lady out and I AM A DISABLED man , but i worked in the public for 25 years plus the Army AND i always had insurance , sometime MINIMAL and sometimes maximum … but being able to AFFORD the MAX insurance was well into my later years of work , when i had started at the bottom and worked myself to higher paying positions and like her , I DID NOT ASK to have my injury but thank God , family and friends for being there when i was down .
the girl is NOT asking for handouts , her friends are putting a benefit show on for her , that is NOT GOING TO COST YOU NOTHING ! just good southern hospitality and fellowship to help others in time of need , whether you know them or not .
me and my family does not know her but we are going to THE concert and help .
i lived in highlands , nc for 12 years but now back home in walhalla , SC but mine and my wife’s family has been in these Appalachian mountains for over 300 years from South Carolina to Virginia and our families have never ” GAVE HANDOUTS ” to no one but when neighbors , friends or even people we do not know is sick or needs a helping hand , we ” just up and do it ” an old southern saying .
well WE ARE republicans , since YOU had to bring politics into this blog and i”ll say again you are a heartless person to comment the way you did about this young lady…. think about what you said , when or IF it ever happens to you or your family member needs help in a medical problem and SOMEONE wants to give YOU OR THEM a benefit concert , dinner , to help on the medical bills and you SAY ” NO , WE DO NOT ACCEPT HANDOUTS ”… and you with no insurance will not be able to pay NOTHING ON YOUR MEDICAL BILLS and the WORKING PEOPLE will be paying YOUR MEDICAL bills out of the taxes they pay to the government and THEY will pay more for THEIR insurance because you call a benefit concert a HANDOUT !
dEHLIA LOW saw yall at The Blue Plum Festival and yall were great , done just about wore the CD i bought out and let me be the first to say THANKS for posting this article on my facebook page . i will spread the word around and get as many people i can to either donate or come to concert .
Steve Chapman walhalla , sc
Thanks for putting this up. Palmyra did a lot of good work for RiverLink when she was in Asheville. Somebody can serve in the military and get health care for life. You serve the community and get stuck with a massive health care bill. Is that right?
Thats why most people work to pay the bills, Try to land a job that has insurance or make enough to get insurance on your own.
Its not my responsibilty to make sure someone who doesnt want to spend money on THEIR health care, Have health Care. Its called being an Adult and taking responsibility, not waiting for a hand out.
Good job for those throwing this thing but if she was such an honor student and super grad why didnt she have a better job then one that pays minimal? People are going relize that having warm fuzzy feelings doesnt pay the bills. Its not my fault she doesn’t have insurance. Its my fault that I don’t have insurance, and I don’t, Im not looking for a handout that will possibly break the country. But people don’t care about that At this point National Health Care is SUICIDE but the Lost Democratics are trying buy a cheap vote with tax money.
And Im not a Rebulican either, I have my eyes open to the left and the right, both are equally corrupt
Stacy, you’re welcome!
Thank you for posting this!!!!