[ CONTENT ] -ARTICLE TITLES: As the number of words beginning with “C” continued to enter my mind, the necessity for a different tactic became obvious. An infinitely increasing number of article titles using only “C” words would eventually reach a limit, including my attempt to keep up with them. Therefore, I will drop the entire “C” Word methodology “completely.” Limiting the scope of my writings based upon a single letter may sound novel, but in practice, being “confined” to such limitations is “counterintuitive” to authentic “creative” writing.
     Please welcome “The Open Book Testimonials,” an open title for a specific series of articles easily defined by the name.

[ COMPELLED ] -UNSOLICITED ADVICE:  Today, I feel compelled to share something everyone should know. It’s a service available to anyone in need; it’s just not advertised. I’ve chosen to share this little piece of information for a few reasons. First, during a conversation today, I mentioned it to the person I was talking with. Second, if a good friend knew about this topic, he might still be alive today.
     Every hospital in the United States maintains an endowment fund (yes…a big money account) specifically for providing medications to patients experiencing financial difficulties. If you are, for example, an organ transplant recipient and cannot afford your immune suppressant meds (aka anti-rejection medications), your transplant hospital may provide you with the medications at no cost.
    These are the caveats of this type of assistance. First, you should contact the Social Worker associated with the specialty department managing the care of your particular disease or illness. You should supply information about your current financial circumstances and the expected timeframe of assistance you may require.
     Please keep in mind that this service is for temporary assistance…only. It is not intended to replace your insurance or other financial aid you would normally use to pay for your medications. This is also a time when accurate information is pertinent. Do not bull$4i77 the people who are trying to help you.
     The Social Worker or someone from the hospital pharmacy will typically contact you and give you something akin to the following;

• • Terms of assistance the hospital will provide.
    • Specific medications they will supply.
    • Length of time assistance will be provided.
    • Any amount of money you may need to pay.
    • Where to pick up your prescriptions or need them delivered
  • Reason(s) why you may not qualify.
    • Yes, I’m pretty sure that could happen.

[ COMPELLED ] -LOST FRIENDS:   As many of my friends and family know, I am a bilateral lung transplant recipient. In January 2006, I transitioned from Social Security Disability coverage to my wife’s employer insurance. Due to a gap in coverage of about thirty days, I wouldn’t have insurance coverage for the expensive transplant medications. We could afford the cash price for some of my maintenance medications, but the transplant medications were beyond our budget.
     Therefore, I contacted the social worker at the Lung Transplant Center and asked if their pharmacy could provide “sample packets” or some other form of assistance. The generous people within Vanderbilt’s pharmacy provided the transplant medications I required and several of the higher-priced maintenance medications. This generosity is one reason I can write this article and why I am “compelled” to share it with you.
     My friend was born with Type-1 Diabetes. He eventually became ill to the point he required a combination pancreas and kidney transplant. The generosity of a donor family provided the organs he needed to survive. That transplant didn’t offer him, and many others like us, the ability to maintain a job and a stable income.
     Transplant recipients are immunosuppressed, which means they are susceptible to opportunistic infections. Anytime someone comes to work sick, you can guarantee they will be sick within about two days. The incubation period is significantly shorter, and no immune system is available.
     My friend suffered from the same issues as me. He, unfortunately, didn’t have a wife who then and now…continues to work and provide an income to support all our financial needs.
     During a period of unemployment and financial hardship, my friend went without the necessary medications to prevent the rejection of his transplant organs. He chose food and rent over his medications. As a result, he lost his transplanted kidney and was forced into dialysis to survive.
     A couple years ago, my friend died of a massive heart attack. I’m not sure if my friend lived as he “wanted” or as he “had” to do.
     My friend’s name is Geno Daley. He is in God’s hands now. That grants me a lot of peace, but as anyone who has lost a friend knows…the hurt remains. This is a particularly tough month, as I lost my “first” friend in August. Chuck Ransom has been missed for 30 years.
     I met Geno when we were teenagers. He lived next door to my friend and band guitarist, Jerry Fontaine. Geno was indeed an interesting person, and his life was also quite exciting and sometimes too interesting. Interesting enough to grab the attention of the law. It was of no consequence to me what he did in previous years of his life; it was the person he had become that mattered. Much like many “interesting” people, he bounced from place to place and from one hobby to another. But that is simply the spice of life.
     Geno had developed a love for playing the guitar as a teenager, and his style was always “loud and proud”. The number of times we were bandmates is lost on me now. There were times when Geno had to pawn his gear to eat. It didn’t matter; his friends always found a way to put another in his hands. At one point, he owned a guitar I had been building. I’m pretty sure our mutual friends, Mark Moore or Ronnie Amans, also planted an axe or two in his hands.
     Before Heather and I moved to Florida, one of Geno’s passions was “slot car racing.” We once sat for hours talking about his need for a customized controller. Slot car racing is not much different than the toy tracks we had as kids. The difference is in scale. The cars are typically about a foot long, have a standard chassis and motor, and have a lightweight body sitting over it. The track is a miniature drag racing setup. Multiple tracks, a light tree, and a handheld controller supply power to your slot and your car. Pull the trigger when the lights are green, and the cars race down the slots. Trigger too fast, you are disqualified. Too much power can cause your car to spin out. Too slow on the trigger…you’re watching the ass-end of the car in another lane. Yeah, I learned all about slot car racing…but I never took the time to go with him just to watch.
     As an electronics engineer, Geno knew I could likely build something that would give him an unbeatable advantage. He was right. During those hours-long conversations, we designed that controller. Geno recognized it takes “time” to pull the trigger to full speed. His solution? My son might recognize this one immediately. Have your controller at full speed (pulled in all the way), and then use a switch with a travel time from “OFF-to-ON” that’s a fraction of the time it takes to pull the trigger. Drew, does that sound anything like a rev-limiter? In my son’s “real car” world, racers use a mechanism that holds the engine at full throttle and redline. The turbos are “spun up,” and you just have to dump the clutch, and you’re thrown back in the seat as the car takes off like a rocket or explodes. Either way, it’s damn good fun.
     “Is there any way to watch the light tree and trigger the controller when the lights go green?” Believe it or not…there “is” and “that” would have likely gotten him banned from slot racing for life. But that was my friend, and I doubt he would care as long as he had at least one win and it was videoed.

[ CONTENT ] -TESTIMONIAL WRITING:  My articles (postings) have always included just enough information for readers to understand the top layer of my “Journey”. From now on, expect to find my writings to go deeper into the truth of my life. Consider what I share to exist as if pulled from an “Open Book”. Time is precious and fleeting. For anyone to honestly know and understand the complexity of the life I live and have lived through, I must share the entire uncensored story. The writings and stories I’ve shared could easily be described as the CliffNotes versions. My reasoning for such a change in methodology refers to my original mission and calling…share my testimony to glorify God and demonstrate His influence throughout my life.

[ LOOKING BACK – MOVING FORWARD ] -HISTORICAL RECORD:  If I look back upon the posts made as a historical record of my childhood, it is unfortunate that most are filled with clearly negative topics. Some go beyond the word “negative” and straight to “disturbing.” Pleasant memories or disturbing…they are me. They are the good and the bad all squished together over time, like clay in God’s hands (yeah, I could have chosen a better cliché), creating the person I am today.  No guarantees are offered as to the person I may be tomorrow. Simply put, none of us can make such a guarantee as we have no guarantee we’ll even be here tomorrow.
     Here’s what’s on my mind in recent days, weeks, and months. My faith in Jesus Christ as my Savior is the only item in my life that “I” consider guaranteed. Many hold the same beliefs alongside me, as well as a great multitude who consider me (or us) somewhat deranged for such beliefs.
     I’d like to explain the image attached to this post. This past Thursday, I had an appointment with my pulmonologist. The night before, I created an updated list of my medications. Along the left side of the spreadsheet, I keep a tally of prescriptions (Rx), durable medical equipment (DME), and over-the-counter items. Many items on this list fall into multiple categories. However, I want to leave you with the number “50”.