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The Official campaign site for James O'Neal surgery fundraising.
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James was born with Neurofibromatosis. As a child he had surgery pretty much every year to keep up with the growths on his face. His dad would take the family on a summer vacation after his surgeries so he could recover and have fun. When he turned 18 he didn't have any more insurance to cover more surgeries. The tumors have stopped growing now and he would love to have the last procedures done. Several years ago he was told that his insurance company wouldn't cover it because he was born with the condition, so we are working toward a goal of $50,000 to cover the cost of treatment and recovery. We really won't know how much money is needed until he is thoroughly evaluated, but James is very excited that we have taken this project on, but I know he's a little leery of it actually happening. I am committed to doing everything I can to get him into the recovery room.
6 comments:
Just a small correction, here in Denmark we speak Danish, and not Dutch ;)
Here's the translation of the article
The elephant man get’s a new face
Neighbors, friends and acquaints pays an expensive operation, that will give 46 year old James “elephant man” O’Neal a new life.
A 46 year old man from Woodinville in Washington, USA, has helplessly watched as his face slowly got disfigured by a huge tumor, because he couldn’t afford an operation.
But as the tumor grew, and started to cover James O’Neal’s face, the local community started to collect money for an operation. Until now there have been collected more than ½ a million Danish Kroner.
“I’ve never experienced such a support before. I’m overwhelmed” says O’Neal, who works at the local supermarket, and is because of that a known face in the city.
O’Neal has a genetic disease, which means that benign tumors grow on the nerve cells. Since he was a kid, he had the tumors removed on regular basis, but each time it cost a small fortune.
“I’ve always been interested in his story. He has really impressed me” says 39 year old house wife Katie Knopf, who took initiative to the collection, and started a website about it.
It won’t take long before O’Neal will be on the operating table again, and endure a 10 hour surgery. First they’ll remove the tumor, and then they’ll reconstruct his face with plastic surgery.
I am soo sorry! I debated how to say it, but I guessed wrong! Thanks for educating me!
Good for you James! And thanks again this blog.
I know that James has referred to himself as "Elephant Man" but it is VERY important to make the distinction here between Neurofibromatosis and PROTEUS SYNDROME - which is what the real Elephant Man, James Merrick, suffered from. James Merrick did not have Neurofibromatosis. Since this discovery has been made, less than 20 years ago, those involved with NF organizations around the world have done a lot of work to get away from referring to NF as "the Elephant Man's disease". Thanks. Mom of a son with NF (NOT elephant man's disease!!)
Katie, no worries about the mistage, it's not easy to figure the langiuages of the world out.
I just wanted to add that I think you're doing a very good deed, the world could do with a few more like you.
May the spirits bless you.
That's an incredible history James and I've never thought that this decease can make something like that.Generic Viagra Buy Viagra
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