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Renee C. Byer / Sacramento Bee
Luther Findley, 55, positions his wife Claire, 59, who suffers from ALS, with the help of a nurse's aid as she asks him to pat her back that is sore from being bedridden. He also placed a bandage on her tailbone to help with a bed sore. The quadriplegic depends on 24-hour care and wants to die in her home that was foreclosed on in March.
Luther and Claire Findley are confronting the difficult and painful realities brought on by terminal illness, and exacerbated by the economic crisis. Their plight and story was published in the Sacramento Bee on Dec. 18. Claire Findley was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in early 2007, and by the end of that year Luther Findley’s once successful construction company had gone out of business. The previous year, they had refinanced their home and taken out a home equity line of credit to help pay for Claire’s escalating medical costs. That was before she was diagnosed with the chronic disease and when they thought she would still get better and be able to return to work as a nursing assistant. The Sacramento Bee reports:
The Findleys lost their house to foreclosure in March because Luther, a 55-year-old contractor, hasn't worked since the end of 2007 – and because the income limits required for Claire to maintain her Medi-Cal coverage at no share of cost meant that he couldn't pursue new employment.
Their situation shows what can happen when a medical crisis meets the foreclosure crisis and the spiraling effects of the recession. As a result, they represent an especially desperate economic reality: bankrupt, facing terminal illness and, until recently, coping with the stress of possible homelessness. Read the full story.
Editor's note: Though the Findley's home was foreclosed in March, when contacted by the Sacramento Bee, Bank of America postponed their eviction until after Claire Findley's death.
Renee C. Byer / Sacramento Bee
Luther Findley, 55, tries to explain to the Bank of America via speaker phone that his wife wants to die in their house as he asks for an extension on his eviction from the house they have lived in since 1996. "My wife is a quadriplegic and I have no place to move her," he says. The voice on the other end says it doesn't look good but they will get back to him a few days later. The Findley's dual medical and financial crisis brought them to the brink of homelessness in what doctors say are Claire's final months of life. Barely able to speak Claire Findley wants to die at home. They lost the house to foreclosure in March of 2011, but Bank of America put their eviction on hold until his wife's death.
Sacramento Bee photographer Renée Byer and reporter Anita Creamer worked together on telling this story. Earlier this month, Byer had been scouting around the newsroom for a story that could illustrate the effect of the financial crisis on the middle class, when Creamer approached her about the Findley's situation. Byer immediately knew she wanted to be involved. “I’m from a middle class family. It has always been a huge storyline for me. I could easily be walking in these people’s shoes.” In 2009, Byer worked on documenting the broader impact of the recession in a photo essay on the “California economy crisis.” Since then, she had wanted to explore the same topic, but through a more intimate story.
Renee C. Byer / Sacramento Bee
Luther Findley, 55, carries Claire's fragile body back into her bedroom after bathing her in their foreclosed home. The quadriplegic who is in constant pain wants to die at home.
The delicate story required a sensitive approach. Byer tells msnbc.com:
The first time I went, I really just sat and listened to their story. For me, it is very important to understand the intricacies of what they are going through. I didn’t really want to make any photographs that day. I just wanted to see how they were feeling. How could I possibly help, instead of add more stress to their situation? What can bring awareness to this horrible situation?
Byer gained Luther’s trust after going on a long walk with him and his five pomeranians and border collie the next day. The dogs provide a small source of stress relief from his dying wife, but Luther also worries about their future. Even though Claire is barely able to speak, through her expressions Byer could sense that from the beginning Claire was very open to her presence.
Renee C. Byer / Sacramento Bee
Members of Carmichael Seventh Day Adventist church are helping Luther sort through all his things since his house has been foreclosed and he will be evicted after his wife Claire who suffers from ALS dies. Here he feeds his pomeranians and his border collie. The dogs help him with his depression and he says he is worried about their future after he is evicted.
Byer has covered a range of assignments for the Sacramento Bee, but this story stands apart. She had four visits with the Findleys, and recognizes that it was very difficult to not become emotionally involved in the story.
There was a moment where Claire had tears in her eyes as she was praying for the house. It is very hard not to feel that emotionally. It is hard to keep a dry eye. It is such an emotional toll that this couple is dealing with not only this crisis, on top of that their house is being foreclosed.
Renee C. Byer / Sacramento Bee
Luther Findley gazes over at his wife Claire as he sleeps most of the night on a massage table close by. "I'm blessed because I have you, " whispered Claire to her husband. Claire learned this week that her last wish to die in her modest Fair Oaks house where she and her husband Luther have lived since 1996, will be possible. The eviction that they have been so stressed about will happen after her death.
Through Luther and Claire Findley, Byer hopes to show the severity of the financial crisis, especially when combined with the bureaucratic limitations of the system that caused it. She hopes by raising attention to situations like theirs, change will come.
I’m really grateful for this family for opening up their hearts and letting me document them. There are thousands and thousands of families that are facing this same dilemma. Hopefully something will come of this and people in the United States will realize that this is a crisis.
Visit the Sacramento Bee's photo gallery for the complete selection of images of Luther and Claire Findley taken by Renée Byer.
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Leave a Comment:
Its called Love.
Multiply this story by 100 for similar circumstances.
And multiply by 2 million for the number of middle-class families that have been devastated by job loss, loss of savings, foreclosure, loss of credit, loss of home, loss of job opportunities due to credit, etc, etc.
.
Tragic. The photograph of Luther carrying his wife is just as poignant as that iconic Great Depression era image of the pensive woman staring off in the distance, holding her child. It speaks volumes.
We ARE in a depression. "They" wont call it that until this time is written about in the history books.
This Depression needs to be documented in images for future generations, just as it was for the Great Depression.
Whats frightening, is that I think that we are not in a Great Depression, but are ENTERING into - the GREATEST Depression.
I fear for our Once Great Nation. I want to see the Glory of America restored. I want to see values, ethics, charity, compassion, productivity, and security.
We need another WPA - we need another New Deal, and we need it badly.
The fox is guarding the henhouse, the Bankers are occupying the world. Its time to DO something!
Although I don't have much faith in big banks (our mortgage is through BOA and they are being nasty about us wanting/needing to refinance) I am happy they are letting her die at home. This is such a sad story...makes me wonder why we are all so nasty to one another...is it really who we are???
You 1%ers need to get off your ass and help these people!
Maybe use the money we're sending overseas.....charity begins at home
This is a terribly sad story.
Claire's husband, Luther should not have to care for his severely ill wife and simultaneously argue on the telephone with greedy Bank of America. Hopefully, now that this story is on the internet and viewable world-wide, the bank will back off this loving couple and let Claire live out her last days in her home. The bank should financially work with Luther so that after his wife passes, if he chooses to do so, he can also continue living in his home.
Patients and their families should not have to become completely impoverished (Luther having to quit his job and be required to not seek employment) so that their loved ones can receive such vital 24 hour nursing and custodial care.
...pray for this couple - and Bank of America!
The humane decision to let her go should have been done a long time ago before their world imploded. This is the discussion we should be having. It is called end of life which comes to all of us at a different time.
I learned a lot walking the walk with my parents and in-laws and in the animal world. I know many do not like to compare those two worlds but they have compassion and respect in common.
My father died in a 7th Day Adventist hospital. A young doctor was assigned his case which was terminal. I had been taking care of my father for about a year and frankly the ordeal nearly killed me. My grief to see a vibrant man turn into a vegetable and wasting away brought on a mental breakdown for me. The young doctor one day sat me and my mother down and asked us with considerable passion to please let my dad go. I wanted to let my father go about 2 years prior, but the system doesn't allow that. My father suffered so much and lost all dignity. It was just wrong. With that doctor's help, we said goodbye and my dad passed away within the hour. Keeping my terminally ill father alive cost the health care system a fortune, ruined my health, and caused my dad so much grief. This is the discussion we should be having.
After a tragic accident, I bought a beautiful filly to replace the horse I lost. What I didn't know is that that filly had a terminal ailment that would cause her neurological dysfunction by the time she was 3. One day I watched her trying to get up from the ground and unable to do so. Like watching my father suffer, I could see my filly suffer, and it nearly killed me with grief. I knew what I had to do. I had to say goodbye. I could not let her suffer and lose her dignity. I owed her that much. Do you not see the correlation between the two stories? It is the same. It is called love for a person and animal that I equate to be the same. I could put my beautiful filly out of pain, but I could not help my father.
We must change that about our society.
Something that Deep Pockets Banks never heard of (Love). Its not always about Money.
Glad to see our politicians have complete health coverage with no deductible,
they need to stay healthy so they can keep working hard for us.
Droopy - Why is it the 1%ers fault that this lady fell ill? Where is all of the support from the 99%ers? Just think, $1 each and she would be able to pay off the home and pay off all of her medical bills.
....and instead of helping out our OWN people like this........we're giving aid to the Pukeistanis,..........why?????
SEND THIS ARTICLE to your State Reps and Senators.
The rarified world of Congress insulates many of them about the realities of the American people.
Go ahead Michelle Bachmann...tell us how you will repeal Healthcare.
Through a related story about them, on the 19th of this month Claire was granted her wish to stay in the house until she passes. On a separate note, if I were the sheriff in this town and got a summons to evict them, I would have told the judge and BoA to go @!$%# themselves.
theboys I really think the decision should be left up to the individual, not society. What if neither of them want to let go just yet? Should we deny them that opportunity? In the same sense there are a lot of people with prison life sentences who will never offer society much. What makes one situation better than another?
LOST MY MOM TO THIS TERRIBLE DISEASE 25 YEARS AGO. we turned the living room into a hospital room so she could be at home when the time came for her to pass on. she had 24/7 care by family, friends and hospice. she was unable to eat so we had a feeding tube inserted BUT after a short time she made it known she did not want to continue living in that condition. at her wish we disconnected to feeding tube, kept her as comfortable as possible, and let her go. she died with dignity, at home, with family in attendance. it broke all our hearts but mostly for my dad who lost his love after 50 years of marriage. he died ten weeks later in his sleep.
my best thoughts/wishes to both of them.
seriously - is there a fund set up for these people? If everyone gave a little their house could be paid off. Does anyone know?
found it...link at the bottom of the story. Now I hope all who are whining about 1% ers and how it's all so awful that the government doesn't do anything....get off your computers and make what ever donation you can. we can all spare something, and there is strenght in numbers
I never said we mandate to let terminal people go, but I ask that if the patient wants to be humanely let go that we accommodate those wishes. Whether we want to admit it or not, we simply cannot afford these long lengthy illnesses when there are so many that can be fixed and actually have a future. We must think of them first.
All I can say is go visit a local nursing home on a daily basis for about a year and come back and report to us. I am telling you from 1st hand experience that these patients get very few visitors and are just reduced to being a vegetable. I would never want that for myself because the quality of my life matters. BTW, I am a cancer survivor.
theboys,
Thank you for sharing such a personal and touching experience.
You make several good points.
Caring for an ill loved one does take a major physical and psychological toll on the family member that become the patient's caregiver. You also spoke about death with dignity. I believe Oregon is a state that offers terminally ill patients the choice of the timing of their passing. However, a big concern that I have is that we do not want to put doctors, nurses and other medical staff members in the position of determining who lives and who dies. The less privileged patients would certainly be "euthanized" at higher rates. Concerning your dad, it was right that it was a family decision.
I am very sorry that your dad suffered.
May your dad rest in peace...
heartbreaking
@Strength It is ALS she is dying from not the economy.
No sh!t sherlock (PWD) - but losing a business, unable to get a job because they will lose the medical benefits she needs to die with some level of dignity, and facing foreclosure doesnt exactly help ease the misery of dealing with a terminal illness... and those things ARE due to the economy. And I also think this situation speaks volumes regarding our pathetic health care system. Too much has been funneled up to the top. Our economy has been dismantled. Its time to regulate and regulate hard. We dont need anymore tax cuts for the rich, subsidies for corporations, Free-trade (unbalanced trade is more like it) agreements, offshoring, importing of cheap Chinese garbage, corporate big box takeovers of communities, dismantling of what is left of the social safety net, and banker corruption run amok. Time to take the money out of politics, and time to return the authority to issue currency - DEBT FREE - to the government, and out of the hands of the Federal Reserve (bankers). We are suffering death by a thousand cuts. This is how once great nations die, and how a population is driven into abject poverty. I also think its time to bar anyone who previously worked for Goldman Sachs from entering politics.... its a revolving door of corruption!
Am not an animal disliker, but for the life of me, I can't understand why a person keeps/maintains so many animals when they are hurting financially. Animals are a big expense. Maybe ONE, but four?? My "mother" put her dogs ahead of us kids--rather the dogs eat than the kids.
This man has so much compassion for his wife, he will be rewarded in a good way. Such a rarity.
saeg - Agreed. Most cities have ordinances limiting the number of dogs without a kennel license. While he may have compassion for the animals, I'm sure he is expending a lot of resources that he doesn't have supporting six dogs (five poms and a border collie).
My God! Will you listen to yourselves??? Don't you get it??? This man's life is falling apart around him and these dogs are the only stability and source of comfort he has. Besides, it's really nunya - nunya business how many dogs he has.
the thinker,
Without his dogs, Luther would probably collapse into a severe form of depression. Because of the great stress that this couple lives with, Luther is probably struggling with a wide variety of emotions...ranging from anger, to anxiety to possibly despair. Scientific evidence has proved that pets can lower blood pressure, heart rates, decrease anxiety and add joy to the lives of human beings. Let Luther keep his pets. When she is able to, I would bet that Claire gazes down at their pets and smiles. Retaining as much of a normal life as possible is a key to this couple being able to cope with this devastating situation.
Maybe our legislators, Wall Street executives, and the "1%" should spend a day with this couple. I doubt that they would make it through an entire 24 hours, but maybe it would open their eyes to the plight of far too many Amercians. Spending a day "walking in another man's shoes" might humble them and inspire them to change their own behavior. If that doesn't work, I don't know what will.
They're too busy making jobs.
It's despicable that these folks have to endure this hell while corporate fatcats and hedge fund managers are taking home tens of millions a year. Any one of them could provide this couple with everything they need to make their lives as comfortable as possible under the circumstances and not even miss the donation.
Stephfrom Sacto,
That would be nice.
However, the 1% hearts are too cold.
They are part of the 1% because they chose to only think about themselves.
Nevertheless, pray for this couple.
While I wish I were a 1%er (then I wouldn't have my own financial concerns) I didn't see anything in the article about the 99%ers spending 24 hours with her. It sure is easy to point fingers and say the rich don't understand the plight of the poor and try to shame the rich into changing their outlook. But at the same time most 99%ers are too busy standing with their hands out to follow their own challenge.
"Mark-423819: They're too busy making jobs."
Yeah, in China, Malaysia, Viet Nam. When do they start making jobs in the US again? And I don't mean so-called "service sector jobs ("You want fries with that?" or "Welcome to Wal-Mart.")
Ripcity....the hollywood crowd, the rich that tells Obama to tax them because they want to pay more money, could put their money where their mouth is and help these folks. As a matter Obama himself could help them out. This is a good for instance for private money helping and not taxpayer money.
the thinker,
Your statement is absurd.
I am sure that Claire's 24 hour care nurses are part of the 99%.
If the 1% cared so much about the rest of the American population, this country would not have such a HUGE wealth and income gap between the 1% and the 99%. The IRS statistics show that the top 400 families in this country have more income and wealth combined as compared to the total bottom 80% of the families combined. To be even more blunt about the callousness of the 1% is to state the well-known fact of how at the GOP debate when CNN's Wolf Biltzer asked if a 30 year old man in a coma who did not have health insurance should be medically treated - the folks that support the 1% health policies yelled "let'em die."
The GOP's/Tea Party's Health care initiative is:
"Don't get sick and if you do get sick - Die FAST."
To stay on the topic, Claire should be allowed to remain in her home and have her transition with dignity.
"...the previous year, they had refinanced their home and taken out a home equity line of credit to help pay for Claire’s escalating medical costs.""...The eviction that they have been so stressed about will happen after her death."
Call it insurance, entitlement or simply Helping, but a society should take care of its people. No one should have to sell all their possessions to get health care.
Right on. I'm self employed, and have to pay for 100% of my health Ins. My wife's premiums alone, are $1,100 per month, and going up 3X higher than inflation every year. Ha, and you wonder why self employed workers WANT a plan like Obama's or any president's. Of course, if you work for a company that pays for most of your health Ins., you don't want to help. And the elephants certainly don't want to help.
Who do you think has a higher percentage of self employed people. U.S or Europe? Europe does. By several percentage points. Who in their right mind would take a chance being self employed in this country and be at the mercy of health insurance providers?
Stories like this are just so damn sad. It seems like the rest of the developed world has figured out that universal health insurance is the right thing to do. Why can't America? Sometimes, in a just society, the haves need to pick up the tab for the have-nots.
W W I agree. If we are such cads that we can't watch after and care for our old and sick folks then we are nothing. Nursing homes and hospitals are expensive and often care is limited. It's a huge burden for one person like Luther's case, and I know he's grateful for the aides.
I haven't signed on to Obama Care, but if the Congress had used their heads and started a FUNDED extended care program decades ago to take care of our indigent old folks we wouldn't be reading Claire's story today.
While a universal health insurance system may be the way to go, it is not free by any means. Having lived in europe, I saw over 20% of my pay go to the national health insurance system.
In additon, there was a national sales tax. In Europe, it ranges for 17% to 20% depending on country.
Unfortunately, the quality of care was worse, according various metrics and my own experience. If you wanted first rate service you still had to pay out of pocket for "private" care. It's true, almost everyone was covered, but the quality of care is atrocious.
Finally, in the US our foreign policy and free trade agreements are killing the economy. In Europe, universal health care is killing the economy and it is being drastically rationed. From basic surgeries to expensive chemotherapy, not everyone has access to good medical care despite being "covered" by the "free" health insurance system. Key word for rationing is "waiting period" - by the time you are eligible you may very well die from your affliction.
That's the american way . Look after self and not worry about the next guy.
Exactly. Nobody should lose their home or savings due to an illness, but it happens all the time. And Mr Obama, recognizing this, tries to bring affordable care to the masses and is derided as a commie. We call ourselves a christian nation but we are anything but. Every man for himself, thats our motto today.
How the hell do you make the leap that this tragedy would never have played out in a good economy with universal health care? He would have lost his house anyway. HE DOESN"T HAVE AN INCOME. Or does your universal health care cover the mortgage payments too? Does it cover home health care? No. She would have been bedridden in a county hospital and they would have lost the home long ago. It is situations like this where you will find out just exactly how little universal health care covers.
Oh, I forgot this is California. You just expect the money to magically appear from the government. You boobs forget that the only way governments can pay for things is through taxes. They can't pay for the programs they have now, and you want more? Just how much of your income are you willing to give to the government to fund all of this stuff you want, like welfare, universal healthcare, forever unemployment compensation, subsidized housing? Is it 50% 60%, more? And how do we pay for the trillions of debt on the books already? How about some bright ideas from you knuckleheads instead of your pipe dreams? Get rid of it all. Go free market. You can bet your ass that people will pick up garbage along the side of the road instead of starve.
I live in Hungary. If (god forbid) something like this happened to me, yes, my government health insurance does pay for home health care. When I lived in the Czech Republic, my government health insurance paid for me to get my appendix removed, and a nurse came to my apartment to check on me after I went home. I have never had to wait to see a doctor or to get treatment in either country. If this family had that kind of support, the husband could have gone back to work without having to worry about having too high of an income to qualify.
Einstein - A christian nation has mandated health care? The way one spends their personal income does not define their religious beliefs. Remember, this nation was settled for freedom of religion and that means that a person does not have to adhere to a religious sect. If this is such a christian society, I have been giving more than my share of tithings for far too many years.
What has your church been doing to support this family or any other family? What have you contributed to their welfare?
If this lady was under Obamacare...she would be long gone by now. You can see from this article how expensive her care is...you have heard that most of the money is spent in the last year of life....therefore you will be helped across that threshold by Obamacare because they do not want to spend that much money.
theo-3964652
I TOTALLY agree with you...it's sad that people are ignorant of the fact that govt. does not have/or give away free money...we the citizens of the best country on Earth (still) PAY the cost of all govt. programs, through taxes...which results in nothing more than abuse by some & debt by all...the Federal Reserve (the one that prints all our $$$) is a private company...
I have 3 diseases that have plagued me for years, specifically Multiple Sclerosis (MS)...I do not wish my health on anyone...that said, I feel blessed in comparison to Claire...I cannot imagine her pain & daily emotional, physical, mental & spiritual struggles...I DO NOT WANT universal health care...I, unfortunately am unemployed, have no health insurance & would be homeless if not for my family...yet, I DO NOT WANT the govt. running any additional programs...they have a history of ruining & squandering all that they lay their hands on...I much rather manage my $$$ (when I have it), than give a penny to them to do so...
It's just a shame. Our lawmakers can go home and spend Christmas with their families and this couple is just down on the luck.
Welcome to umerika!
Hey, screw those lazy sick people. Wall Street's gotta make its profits, otherwise they couldn't pay out the Billions in bonuses to attract the "best and the brightest" CEOs (a concept that the righties don't apply to teachers, where they want to pay them poorly so they'll get the worst and the dullest).
Maybe if they just work harder they too can make their way into the 1%. At least that's what a large number of the people in this country would have you believe.
God bless theses people and give them strength.
If Republicans had their way, terminally ill patients who can't afford health care would die in the streets. They are the ones pushing vouchers instead of health care.
The only thing keeping this family in their home is media attention, and even that may not work. If this story could be buried, BofA would have kicked them out already.
It isn't all Republicans. Perhaps the democartic prez & pack could have forgone the million $$ selfish "holiday" vacation to escape Christmas in D.C. and extended that money to needy families. Obamas are ultra selfish and greedy.
To Saeg-LV. You are wrong and should be ashamed of yourself for making such a hateful comment in response to a beautiful story of loss.
What did he say that was wrong?
saeg....I thought it was a great reply....why not forgo his $4 million dollar vacation and help this family....oh, I forgot Obama is much more important than this family...after all, those pesky republicans have been dealing him fits, his poll numbers are down, he's got to run for re-election, although he REALLY doesn't want to, but the puppet master say he must, etc., etc.......
Prayers being sent up and God's blessings to this lovely and loving couple at Christmastime. This is indeed a humbling story given their dire circumstances.
For others who are enduring hardship, great love is all that matters, and a hand up to those who require our care.
I'm sorry but this is some of the most obvious evidence that there is no God. The greed of a small percent of humans is what caused this tragedy, and only humans can prevent this from happening again and again.
pam- noelle was trying to be kind and compassionate. you might try it sometime.
No, this is proof of a lack of humanity, not evidence that there is no God. We have tossed God out of our secularized society. We have eliminated Him from schools, we have discarded praying in public, we remove evidence of faith in Him from our public buildings, we have taken His Son out of Christmas and celebrate crass materialism instead, we have sanitized history books to make the founding fathers look like a bunch of atheists, we turned away from faith in Him and rarely think of even calling on Him until we face bad news from the doctor or are called in for an IRS audit, we have even taken His name and turned it into a curse word. We usually never call on Him when we are blessed daily with life and all of the goodness it brings, but, in the end we freely blame Him when something goes very bad that is usually caused by us ourselves. Rather than evidence that there is no God, we see proof that there is an Enemy and that we do not seek God. Want to see just how anti-God we have become? Watch what happens when you stand up for faith in Him—it gets ugly in a hurry. He made you a promise—seek Him and you WILL find Him. Do you really believe that what you believe is really real?
Pam -
You said it was the fault of humans - which is certainly no indication there is no God. There is a God and he loves even you.
"We have eliminated Him" ........ you got a mouse in your pocket ? and why always with the penis envy ? Females are the true creators....as in your mom, seriously need to grow up.
Pam, try to understand that without tragedy there can not be triumph. Without love there can not be hate, without light there can not be dark. The very definition of one is the absence of the other. Ofcourse God isnt sitting up in the clouds looking down. God, heaven, and the answers to every question or doubt you have ever had are inside of you, not in some physical place or religious text. Your conscience is where God always resides and guides when the ego doesnt tune God out.
You are just plain disgusting. Ptownz I would suspect that you are a lesbian. I don't have a problem with your choice, but to equate penis envy with Dr. Larry's comment just shows how desparate you are to equate sex with his comment about God.
God loves even you. I certainly don't think I would want to be a lesbian, have absolutely no sexual urge to have a woman partner. If you end up going to purgatory................
@Pam-B: You are correct. We suffer because we each required this place where we can be in ignorance of God and/or deny Him altogether. So, for all intents and purposes, there is no God. However, there is an equal and opposite reaction to all our actions...in this life and from millions of our past lives. There is karma because we gotta pay if we wanna play. He doesn't want us to suffer, he wants us to realize there is a cost for trying to enjoy independent of Him. He wants us to realize that we are not enjoying at all...we are merely suffering at varying degrees. I don't think it's fair or just that billions of animals are heartlessly slaughtered each year so people can satisfy their blood thirsty tongues. That is a tragedy too but you don't see a front page spread on MSNBC about it. You see, we pick and choose our tragedies and apply conditions to all experiences based on what we believe the universe owes us. This whole shooting match is a tragedy but a beautiful tragedy because our harts will eventually soften to the point where we can become truly free in sweet surrender to our dearest Friend. I wish the Findleys peace and hope that they call the Lords names until she passes and always.
@ptownz: Actually, you can believe what you want but our Earthly genders are merely perverted reflections of our perfect eternal selves. We are actually ALL female or feminine as souls because there is only one seed giving Father that impregnates the cosmos with His unlimited potency. Truth is, I worship God and His eternal conjugal lover because He worships her too. She is His pleasure potency and and He is amazed and bewildered by Her pure love for Him...so in a way, the Supreme Controller is a female and Her name is Srimati Radharani.
This story is about my mother I am Luther and Claires son. She passed away on January 17th its been hard for all of us.
I see iconic images in this story, akin to the imagery of the pensive mother holding her child during the Great Depression.
Very sad... What we are going through IS another depression, and it will only be called that when they are writing about this time in history books.
We need to be documenting this time in photographs just like these for future generations, just as the Great Depression was documented.
Bank of America and all the other banking interests of the world have become as evil as a stereotypical villain. Its time to DO something!
She has ALS. Has nothing to do with banks or cops or the weather or government. Can't belive how arrogant some people are at everything that happens and have yo blame it on something.
Blame Canada.
Unfortunately, we are a poor, Third World country, and cannot afford universal health care. If only we were wealthy, like Costa Rica, England, France, Germany, Israel, Cuba, Trinidad and Tobago, Bhutan, Taiwan, Thailand, Peru, Austria, Andorra, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Russia, San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, and Mexico.
You are an idiot Denny, Those people come here to the good old USA when they are sick and need medical care that does not exist in those countries
I think denny was being a bit sarcastic.
Joe has a point all the refugees i ever saw were coming to America. Never did i ever stop someone from leaving.
A world with no compassion. It’s all about the money and no longer about the people.
You know if this were an executive of the bank in this situation there wouldn’t be any issues with allowing her to have her dying wish.
PocketClam - it's really always been this way. Even the most modest student of history knows that the history of human beings is no love story - but a story filled with violence, bloodshed, brutality, acquisitiveness and greed. There are of course exceptions - humans are a complicated species. But it's NEVER been Disney World on Earth. Never.
He probably would have made his mortgage payments.
If he were an executive of the bank he would have tossed his wife into a nursing home and carried on with his secretary. Like Newt.
@Einstein: Simply precious and true.
Now lets contrast this story with the Highest Paid 10 CEO's and maybe the bank bailouts. For desert? Senators not wanting to 'come back from their Xmas break' to haggle out a solution to the payroll tax expiration and it's impact on millions of Americans. Oh but I forgot the appetizer, America is the greatest country in the world. God bless these people.
40.00 dollars a month will really make that much difference. You can make 40.00 a day picking bottles.
Jobo - Good post. Don't forgtet the drink. Obama's koolaid. While he & pack are basking in the warm sun on a million $$ again-vacation, the people to whom he gave hope are in dire need. So it's not only the banks, but the decisive "bailer" as well.
So if you get sick you shouldn't have to pay your debts? Banking is a business, not a charity, and they can't keep the doors open if they lend their depositors money out without requiring it be paid back. Money deposited in a bank that doesn't require that isn't safe. That is not possible without causing an economic collapse.
Ok HNL...so if 'Banking is a business, not a charity' as you say......why did we bail them out???? Was it not a small part of these people's taxes that helped them in their time of need?
Hey misinformed. It's the BANKS that caused this problem. Loaning money, because of their greed, to people who should never been loaned any money. Read the news.
They will take the house after this poor man's wife dies. BofA has plenty of assets; what is wrong with them holding off just a little bit longer? Surely such a large bank can afford to hold off on kicking these people out of their home until she dies. You are heartless.
Banking may be business, but right now they seem to be a lot about monkey business.
HNL, that's like blaming an unwitting victim for buying a Pinto after it blew up.
How can people like you be so HEARTLESS??? I will never understand people like you as long as I live.
You are an ignorant asswipe.
We shouldn't have been forced to bail out the banks - but anyone who won't admit that the government bears the lion's share of the responsibility for the mess the country is in is either very ignorant or willfully playing stupid. And it was largely liberal social programs that led to this mess - like forcing banks to give loans to people who had no hope of repaying them. It's social engineering that is, by far, the biggest problem in this country. Period. The government simply cannot be the answer to everyone's problems.
Some times in life you dealt a bad hand and there is nothing you can do about it. Happens 1000 times a day around the world. Life goes on.
"If they would rather die,'' said Scrooge, ``they had better do it, and decrease the surplus population."
Old Ebenezer was definitely a F@CKEN REPUBLICAN.
The banks nor the auto companies should have been bailed out. When their backs got up against a wall, they would have gone to plan B and come up with a solution.
Welcome to America the greatest country in the world without healthcare!
A total lie. I guess you are happy.
Compassion should be held higher than money.
If only the 1% were taxed justly. If only there was socialized medicine for all citizens. If only the Democrats had the guts to act back when they ran the House, the Senate and the Presidency. If only the Republicans worked for the best interests of their constituents and not themselves, this couple's story would have turned out so much differently.
hate to break it to you pam, but the democrats don't care about you either. they don't have your best interests in mind. they just want to control you. wake up.
If only a frog had wings, it wouldn't bust its butt every time it moved.
Grow up. There are hard times all over and it's not up to "someone else" to take care of you.
If only you would pay their mortgage, ....
Pam come on down from your cloud....if all your ifs came true, she still would have ALS, and all the money in the world could not change that. Sorry, sometimes it just bes that way......
At a Party of No Debate this pass fall, the refrain and claps from the audience was let him die..I guess they would agree, let her die....
This is how the supposed greatest country on the planet takes care of its people? Shame on us, and shame on anyone who votes for the Republicans and their "fend for yourself" attitude of late.
john, you're more than welcome to step in and take over for this couple. have at it.
the democrats don't care either. they might brainwash into thinking they do, but they really don't. all they want to do is line their pockets too.
kiki, john is one individual, but collectively, we can all make a difference.
welcome to the KSA.....KOCH STATES OF AMERICA!
more like SSA. SOROS STATES of America.
there is something inherently wrong with giving billions to banks and wall street and having people go through what these folks are going thru. and they aint the only ones. barry, timmy, boener, reid, nancy, ....can you hear me?
We only see this as tragic because we can identify with home owners and job loss and middle-class white America, apple pie and Mom...In reality, this world has always been filled with tragedy but we ignore it until it starts to look like us. No one gave a crap about Haitians eating sugar and mud baked on a hot road just so that they could feel their bellies full...all that was going on for decades before their recent earth quake. Yes, the Findleys are experiencing tragedy but the observations and lessons we should get from this are much more profound than what political scenarios led to this particular hardship.
so true. The whole world suffers, but some needlessly.
This same story could have happened (and probably did happen many times) to people before the banks got their bail outs. It's just a hip story now because we can blame these people's problems on the big evil banks that got bail outs.
Yes, these people are suffering through a tragedy. Yes it is extremely unfortunate.
Granted, I don't know what I would do if I were in his situation, but based on his decisions (to not go find employment, which under the circumstances in extremely understandable) he should lose his house. He stayed unemployed so that he could continue to get free healthcare (and probably to stay at home and spend time with his wife). But he could have potentially saved his home by going out and working while his wife was at home. I do believe that it is extremely noble of the bank to allow them to stay in their home.
Wow....yesterday's headline was about the Russian billionaire who had just purchased his 19 year old daughter an $88 million penthouse in New York City.......cash....
@Airborne803 - our country's situation is no sweat for our learned lawmakers...couldn't get out of DC fast enough. The only sweat they will break is when carving a nice fresh turkey or prime rib.
The really sad thing is that if they were illegal immigrants their care would be free!
Didn't you read the story? Her care is free, she is on MediCal, the state health care for the poor. They are in foreclosure because if her husband took a job, she would lose her coverage.
Your comment is just pointless!!
AMEN! California has a budget allotment for illegal immigrant care. We have dialysis patients - here illegally here - 2-3 times a week - all free. When asked why the woman didn't return to Mexico - she stated why - her care was far better here. WTF. The American Dream? The Illegal Immigrants Dream.
We are ALL human beings, why the need to scapegoat a group of people? This is about a couple of AMERICANS who are living this tragedy. Where the hell is the humanity? Just wait til this story is multiplied hundreds of times over. But thank God the CEO's and elite can afford their billion dollar toys, they are SO much more deserving than the 99%. (sarc)
just like you'd vote for obama again alf77? i would hope you would learn your lesson this time, though.
jsm461-
i think been theree's point might have been THEY"RE HERE ILLEGALLY receiving medical services that are paid for by money that should be used for people who are LEGALLY.
You bet. Most anyone would be better than Obama.
You've got to be kidding?! Do you really think this country's situation is because Obama became President?
President Obama got elected because the Bush-Cheney administration got us into a war that never should have happened, they helped to loosen the rules and regulations that have allowed the 1% to screw the 99% even more, they took a surplus and turned it into a deficit, and they are personally responsible for the deaths of more than 4,600 American soldiers and countless thousands of innocent civilians.
Blaming President Obama for the situation that this country is currently in is such a line of crap! And if you think that John McCain and Sarah Palin (what a joke) would have done things differently, then you you have your head so far up your you-know-what that you can see sunshine out the other end!
Dr. Larry....you may want to head back to school and finish up that degree.
Oh and for the record...HELL NO I did not vote for Bush...not the first time and sure as hell not the second time. I did however count down the days until he left office.....painful....most frightening block of time I've ever experienced as an American.
Remember in National Lampoons Christmas Vacation when Clark's crazy brother Eddie goes and kidnaps his jerkwad boss and drags him over to the house? All I want for Christmas is for that to happen to the CEO of Bank America.
alf77-
why don't you go to help out?
To do what ????????? Don't get your logic???
People always want "someone else" to help. Do it yourself, if you are really concerned.
B of A sucks almost as much as Dr Larry's mentality! Lets bail out all the BIG BANKS and to hell with the little guy. He must be the personal physician to the B of A's CEO?? Sure as hell would never consider him as a primary care physician for any of my family! Dr L(oser). I hope that Karma takes a big chunk out of your family!
sick....be careful bout that karma wishing, it has a way of coming back to see ya....as my daddy always said....don't let your mouth overload your azzzzz.