PlaneShift
Fan Area => The Hydlaa Plaza => Topic started by: Mrokii on August 14, 2014, 10:10:33 pm
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Hello everyone,
I haven't posted for years on this site and haven't been active in-game as well, but maybe some people still remember my nick (and hopefully not in a too bad manner). Maybe a few might even know my real name, Stephan Huebner, living in Germany. But far more might remember the name "Qia", a players' character I RPed with heavily for some time. "Qia" was also reporting lots of bugs for some time, if I remember correctly.
The player behind Qia (his name is Raven Morris, he's from Canada) has become a good friend of mine and now he's in need of more help than I can provide. He has been ill for many years and it only got more and more severe over time. One big part of his problems are truly severe environmental sensibilities, but there is far more to it, partly caused *by* the ES, but not only.
As it stands at the moment, he is only barely surviving, he used up almost all of his energy to keep up. I'm in real fear that he might die soon if nothing changes substantially. In fact, I am surprised that he still carries on, given the state he had been for so long.
Raven has created a crowdfunding-campaign on IndieGogo to get money for a necessary surgery and many other things he needs to survive. Which he needs *quickly* or it might *really* be the end for him, sadly to say.
Raven also is a father meanwhile, but currently he's unable to care for his baby daughter named Malaika (who seems to have parts of the same environmental sensitivities).
So I'm asking everybody who remembers Qia to help out in any way they can, may it be donating money or goods he needs or by spreading the word or anything else one can think of. I wish nothing more for him than to finally beat his illnesses and can go on with his life and care for his daughter.
Here's the link to his IndieGogo-campaign, which will explain most everything.
https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/keep-malaika-smiling/x/824120
If there are any questions, please don't hesitate to ask and I will try to answer them as best as I can or will forward your questions to Raven. Thank you all.
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You'd find a lot of support on websites like Reddit or Tumblr.
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@Volki: Unfortunately I'm not very active on either of these sites. I don't even have a tumblr-account, but I will try nevertheless. Thank you for the tip.
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I trust that this is a true story and will help a little bit. Hope the player and his daughter will recover to enjoy many years of life.
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I trust that this is a true story and will help a little bit. Hope the player and his daughter will recover to enjoy many years of life.
@Sen: Thank you. Any amount, in fact any kind of help, means a lot to me and Raven and will hopefully make a difference. If you have further questions, please don't hesitate to ask. If you donate, you'll be able to comment on IndieGogo directly and Raven will answer your questions as soon as he is able to.
In trying to prove that this is for real, I will provide mine and his Facebook-profiles, so you can see that we are real persons and that I have written the truth here (it may be that some of our content is visible to friends only, so send us friend requests if you feel like it).
https://www.facebook.com/stephan.huebner.3
https://www.facebook.com/raven.singularity
Thank you again wholeheartedly.
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I belive to remember, that you preferred not to say much about your RL. So it's a big thing, that you step out of anonymity in order to help a friend and put this effort in getting help for a friend. That also says something about yourself...
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It's true, I highly preferred to stay anonymous for most of the time I was active in PS, with only very few people knowing anything about my real self.
It is in part a big thing for me, as I do not like to stand in the spotlight at all. But I think this is more credit than I deserve. I could have done more to help Raven, were it not for the problem that I am dealing with my own demons, which are not caused by physical illness for the most part (besides diabetes) but in my mind.
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I am sorry, but most of this seems like quackery to me. "Environmental Sensibilities" isn't even a proper diagnosis.. Plus, if you check the list of things he wants "colloidal silver, Himalayan rock salt, medical-grade Manuka honey" for your money, I'd be very reluctant to give even a cent for that. Not to mention the air purifiers scream quackery to me.
Another excerpt of his fundraising is:
My unique parenting methods
My style of parenting is based on methods I observed cats using to teach each other in groups. These techniques maximise curiousity, problem solving, confidence, individuality, physical ability, reflexes, mental focus, and contentment!
I mean. Seriously?
Edit:
In my humble opinion, without wanting to cause offense, this more seems like a case of chronic psychological illness. You can't be that sensitive to everything, it is almost certainly psychosomatic.
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Okay, I didn't read any of the link before, but I wanted to try to help Mrokii since I suffer from fibromyalgia, and I happen to be an incredibly altruistic person.
Fibromyalgia is a condition that people mostly associate with old folk (a misconception perpetuated by television commercials). I am a young adult, and many other young adults suffer from this. It is extremely debilitating unmedicated. Even now with medication I can never promise to be somewhere because I don't know if I'll wake up in pain that day. It took ages to be diagnosed and longer to receive medication because the condition is not supposed to affect young people and has a stigma for being psychological. Neither of those are true. I've found that there a lot of people with this condition through the internet, but doctors and the general public don't seem to want to acknowledge that we can have it.
Thing is, environmental sensitivities doesn't seem to have any community, and Canada is the only country to acknowledge it. It seems like a placeholder for another diagnosis. And if he was as sick as he said he was, and he knew he was sick, why would he have a child, and is he divorced as well? Why does he believe he is going to die?
I'm curious why he compares his brain to faulty hardware and then lists possible disorders. Does he think he has all of those or did some shady psychologist diagnose him?
Finally I must ask why he adds so many extraneous costs to the campaign. I thought this was just for a surgery but now it seems like he just doesn't want to work.
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Mrokii, I apologize for some of our community.
I think you are a good friend and his child is absolutely beautiful. I hope he gets all the help he needs.
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There's nothing wrong with questioning and debating the authenticity of the claim that this person is genuinely in need. There are lots of scams in circulation and only a fool would throw their money at a cause without first making an attempt to validate it.
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Mrokii, I apologize for some of our community.
I think you are a good friend and his child is absolutely beautiful. I hope he gets all the help he needs.
Just because someone is giving you a sad story doesn't mean you shouldn't look twice. He's asking for our money, after all.
Edit:
Also, he is claiming to have had a dissociative personality disorder. I would say that makes it difficult to raise a child with, no?
Also, it just strengthens the claim that perhaps he has an underlying psychosomatic problem for his diseases. Perhaps you can provide us with a proper diagnosis sheet by a doctor, Mrokii?
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I understand you're all concerned about giving the money, but I'd rather you thought about how hard you're making this on Mrokii, especially given we're on a public board. You know, it'd be very cool if y'all would be a little more... sensitive. After all, he might be actually ill. Whether psychosomatic or actually physiologically, he needs treatment, the way I see it.
I'm very sorry, Mrokii, my current situation doesn't allow me to make online transferences of any kind... But I sure would help, if I could. I couldn't imagine living in a country where I can't pay for the treatments I need.
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Mishka :love: :love: :love:
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I am sorry, but most of this seems like quackery to me. "Environmental Sensibilities" isn't even a proper diagnosis..
My mistake. I meant "sensitivities" and as far as I know doctors have confirmed that he has these. It's a fact that Raven can hardly breathe these days which is because of sinuses and throat being clogged by thick mucous all the time, which has lead to a serious infection of the sinuses and his throat (sinusitis). Another factor is a (recently discovered) broken nose (which must have happened when he was a baby). All of this was confirmed by the doctor (an expert for sinusitis) Raven had visited last (they discovered the broken nose via x-rays), including the absolute need for the surgery to correct his sinuses. Without that, he won't stand a chance to get rid of the mucous and in turn the infection, which will most probably only get worse. Raven is *definitely* in a very bad shape and if you could talk to the people he lived with lately they would tell you the same.
Plus, if you check the list of things he wants "colloidal silver, Himalayan rock salt, medical-grade Manuka honey" for your money, I'd be very reluctant to give even a cent for that. Not to mention the air purifiers scream quackery to me.
Actually, the colloidal silver for example is used by many people with success and it *did* help making the infection bearable for Raven for some time. If you'd investigate it, you'd learn that colloidal silver has been used for fighting infections for a long time. Raven had some access as well with the Himalayan Salt, the same goes for visiting some company that provides rooms where people can breath salty air, like near the ocean. Again, this is a therapy that has been used for a *very* long time by people with lung infections and it definitely mad Ravens' condition better a bit. Honestly, to me it sounds as if you should investigate things a bit more before calling something quackery.
I admit, I can't say anything about the honey. That was a tip by somebody only given to him recently.
But that doesn't even matter much, as thei cost for these small things is tiny compared to the main problem, which at the moment is the surgery of his broken nose. If Raven could at least get that done, there is a great possibility that his situation could become much better than it is right now.
How much do you actually know about air purifiers? Raven *did* try cheaper ones and he reacts in a bad way to them or what they produce. There is a good reason for him to try to get one of these very expensive air purifiers. They have been produced for a long time and they are specifically produced for each person, according to their needs and what they react to. I don't see what's quackery about that.[/quote]
My unique parenting methods
My style of parenting is based on methods I observed cats using to teach each other in groups. These techniques maximise curiousity, problem solving, confidence, individuality, physical ability, reflexes, mental focus, and contentment!
I mean. Seriously?
Ravens' parenting style has absolutely nothing to do with this fundraiser. Plus, from all I heard about others around him, Raven is a great father, whenever he isn't too ill to care for his daughter.
Raven *has* a very unique mind, partly because of some autism traits among other things. But they're not the cause for his medical problems. Plus, Raven does not recommend or ask for something that does not work for him. He's convinced that the medical treatment he's asking for will help him. He had tried out numerous therapies and tips from people and colloidal silver and salt therapy were one of the very few things that actually made his situation a bit better.
In my humble opinion, without wanting to cause offense, this more seems like a case of chronic psychological illness. You can't be that sensitive to everything, it is almost certainly psychosomatic.
That may be true for some of his sensitivities, but that is ultimately something that can't be proven. But his broken nose, which lead to sinus blockage and infection spreading throught his respiratory system are medical facts that absolutely need to be taken care of.
I know from experience in my own family how devastating a clogged throat or damaged lungs can be, due to the low amount of oxygen that is available. It absolutely destroys ones' energy and leaves people bedridden without the power to do anything. From all I've heard from Raven and the people around him over the years I've know him, his condition is absolutely serious and he is absolutely in need of the medical help he asks for.
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Fibromyalgia is a condition that people mostly associate with old folk (a misconception perpetuated by television commercials). I am a young adult, and many other young adults suffer from this. It is extremely debilitating unmedicated. Even now with medication I can never promise to be somewhere because I don't know if I'll wake up in pain that day. It took ages to be diagnosed and longer to receive medication because the condition is not supposed to affect young people and has a stigma for being psychological. Neither of those are true. I've found that there a lot of people with this condition through the internet, but doctors and the general public don't seem to want to acknowledge that we can have it.
I'm sorry to hear that you're suffering from fibromyalgia. I know people in my town who suffer from it and seem to have a horrible life, being constantly in pain.
Thing is, environmental sensitivities doesn't seem to have any community, and Canada is the only country to acknowledge it. It seems like a placeholder for another diagnosis.
The problem is that environmental sensitivies are the one diagnose that fits his condition best (considering what has helped him in the past, like clean air. He had used cheaper air filters in the past, but they only went so far to help him and still irritated his throat/lungs/sinuses
And if he was as sick as he said he was, and he knew he was sick, why would he have a child, and is he divorced as well?
I think I have mentioned that his illness got worse and worse over time. At the he wanted to have that child (it was no accident), his condition was still in a shape that he could work regularly, so it seemed that he would be able to take care of Malaika. But his health deteriorated rapidly throughout the last year or so.
Why does he believe he is going to die?
The thing is the he is simply almost completely out of energy. His body has no power anymore to fight the infection which keeps getting worse and most probably will, at least as long as he doesn't get the surgery and at least one of these air purifiers. I don't know if you've ever known people who suffer from low oxygen intake (that is not a medical term, I'm no native speaker). What I *do* know is that not being able to breathe is absolutely draining peoples' energy, up to a point where they are not even able to get up anymore, and if they can, they have to walk slowly, like in a crawl, because their lungs can't provide as much oxygen as is needed. My father suffered from this and it was horrific to saw him wither away, even without any infections plaguing him.
Why does he believe he is
I'm curious why he compares his brain to faulty hardware and then lists possible disorders. Does he think he has all of those or did some shady psychologist diagnose him?
Because that is how he thinks. Raven usually has a very logical mind, but he also has some traits of autism (for example, it takes him huge energy to ignore "imbalances" which also accounts to living-conditions in the world. If he has enough energy he often devotes lots of his brain power to come up with solutions for any kind of problems, which so far very often sounded reasonable to me).
During years of chatting with him I got to know him very well, and he has told me in great detail about his mental condition.
Why does he believe he is
Finally I must ask why he adds so many extraneous costs to the campaign. I thought this was just for a surgery
Uh, what is wrong about asking for something that he's convinced will help him? The surgery is the *most important* part at the moment, and even if he only got the money for that, it will most probably help him a lot.
Why does he believe he is
but now it seems like he just doesn't want to work.
That is absolutely *not* true, I can assure you of that. He had been working all the time, until his condition turned *really* bad. But even then he managed to work for people with computer problems. And he spent a whole lot of energy on this campaign, which took him months to complete (One might say that he could have done it in an easier way, but one of his traits is extreme perfectionism (see the "imbalances" I mentioned), so he had to be absolutely convinced that this campaign was as good as it could be.
Anyhow, he absolutely *does* want to work and I am absolutely sure that he will, as soon as condition gets bearable again. As I said, he even did work when his health deteriorated, which took even more energy from him. And he will start working again, as soon as he can.
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Mrokii, I apologize for some of our community.
I think you are a good friend and his child is absolutely beautiful. I hope he gets all the help he needs.
Thank you very much. No harm being done (to me). I tried to answer all concerns as best as I could.
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There's nothing wrong with questioning and debating the authenticity of the claim that this person is genuinely in need. There are lots of scams in circulation and only a fool would throw their money at a cause without first making an attempt to validate it.
Yes, I agree. I am convinced that Ravens' claims are genuine, due to years of communication with him and people around him.
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Also, he is claiming to have had a dissociative personality disorder. I would say that makes it difficult to raise a child with, no?
It didn't make it difficult as long as Raven had enough energy. He needs a lot to control these mental problems and usually is able to. Plus, from what I heard from people around him (including the mother of his child), he is a great father and his daughter loves to be around him.
Also, it just strengthens the claim that perhaps he has an underlying psychosomatic problem for his diseases. Perhaps you can provide us with a proper diagnosis sheet by a doctor, Mrokii?
I'm not sure if there were ever a diagnosis about a psychosomatic causes for his disease. But I will ask Raven about something regarding his physical problems (which he should have, as he had visited quite a few doctors during the last few months.
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I understand you're all concerned about giving the money, but I'd rather you thought about how hard you're making this on Mrokii, especially given we're on a public board. You know, it'd be very cool if y'all would be a little more... sensitive. After all, he might be actually ill. Whether psychosomatic or actually physiologically, he needs treatment, the way I see it.
Thank you for your encouring words. I understand that people want to have proof before they give money and I'm trying as best as I can to explain the situation. But as you said, ultimately, it seems very likely that his condition won't get significantly better (if at all) without the surgery.
I'm very sorry, Mrokii, my current situation doesn't allow me to make online transferences of any kind... But I sure would help, if I could. I couldn't imagine living in a country where I can't pay for the treatments I need.
I understand that, no worries. I didn't expect there to be a wealthy donator to give him lots of money. It was just something I had to try.
And thanks again. I remember you well from some interesting RP. ;-)
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Thank you Mrokii for addressing our concerns in such a detail. If I may, I have a whole list of things I would like clarification on:
- You, ath the very beginning, said that he was going to die. How is that possible from a broken nose and sinusitis? I understand very much that is can be something of great discomfort, but how is that lethal?
- All of the "being sick" is very very vague. What symptoms does he actually have? Note that things such as fatigue etc. are probably a sign of psychological problems..
- The overall notes give the impression of a deep psychological problem, exacerbated by possible chronic sinusitis, such as: He claims to have consciously reprogrammed his brain, wants to change his name to "Raven Singularity", looks to cats for advice on parenting, claims landlord abuse, suffers from MCS etc. (Both are actually indications of a paranoid schizophrenic mind).
- He claims to be suffering from MCS, ES etc. This, together with his DID are strong indicators of him not at all being subject to some form of chemical sensitivity (which is quite a disputed diagnosis, by the way. Logically, being that sensitive to all kinds of chemicals, is impossible) but rather a psychological problem. Did he consult a psychiatrist about that? It more seems like he is a hypochondriac instead of actually ill. And considering he wants to spend an insane sum on air purifiers (which are useless against "chemical" contaminations in a normal home, as the concentration of chemicals in the air is so low they can't be removed, plus the home is far from isolated, making it even more difficult to purify the air), perhaps seeing a psychiatrist about his mental illness might be a more appropriate way to spend all that money?
- He claims his daughter also suffers from the same illnesses (MCS, ES). That really sounds like he is projecting his mental problems on his daughter, which is a bit worrying, not to mention that this isn't even a real diagnosis. Are there any indications whatsoever his lovely daughter is actually ill? And is the charge of buying air purifiers for her mothers' home actually warranted, given that they are divorced anyway?
- The "regaining health" section really needs a workover before I am considering giving any money. Himalayan salt and ordinary salt are identical for any health purposes. While it is true salt rooms help respiratory illnesses, that's just normal salt physiologically speaking. The expenses on colloidal silver etc. are not something required as those things are purely alleviating the psychological stress, not healing any underlying medical problems. That's basically the same as alternative medicine.
- He claims he wants help to break free from poverty... That does sound a lot like he just wants money. I don't see either how a chronic sinusitis (which I have as well) prevents him from doing any paid work (even if it is from his home). From the pictures, he looks quite far from wasting away due to his "disease". Is there actually any certification from a doctor that proves he is unfit to work? If not, he really should earn some money on his own to help the funding..
- Lastly, what is his daughter's weight? She looks a little too heavy, perhaps that is causing some problems for her?
Edit1:
I understand you're all concerned about giving the money, but I'd rather you thought about how hard you're making this on Mrokii, especially given we're on a public board. You know, it'd be very cool if y'all would be a little more... sensitive. After all, he might be actually ill. Whether psychosomatic or actually physiologically, he needs treatment, the way I see it.
I fully agree that he needs treatment, and I'd be more than willing to help out, I just want to make sure that he gets the treatment he really needs instead of wasting my money on something that just worsens his problems.
Edit2:
He claims his "throat is swelling shut" but on his facebook page he listed his diagnosis by his sinus specialist as:
(http://i62.tinypic.com/jtscck.png)
For those who aren't into medical terms, pharynx: normal means his throat is alright. So that seems to be a paradox. And furthermore, it just says "Hey, you have a broken nose (quite broken) and a chronic sinus infection", but nothing about his condition being lethal.
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Some more things that worry me are:
In his facebook page, he constantly claims to suffer from a new deadly illness from which he seeks relief (cystic fibrosis etc.) and shares his stories of how doctors think he's nuts. To quote his fb:
The last time I went to the Burnaby ER, the doctor decided that I had made up my condition because it sounded "too unlikely", and said he was refusing to treat me, told me to stop wasting their time, stop calling ambulances, and told me to see a psychiatrist not a medical doctor, made fun of my shaking in pain, and refused to let me consult another doctor.
Clearly, medical professionals think his sinusitis is no reason to worry and he suffers from psychological problems which make him believe to be dying.
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I have been doing some further research and reached a preliminary conclusion: Raven suffers from a broken nose and chronic sinusitis, which are non life threatening. Pics relevant.
(http://i62.tinypic.com/30shlea.png)
(http://i58.tinypic.com/24y6d00.png)
(http://i57.tinypic.com/23gzcls.png)
He obviously suffers from hypochondria, making him believe he is more ill than he thinks. I think he genuinely believes he is about to die, but the facts point to that he is not.
As he mentions he had a dissociative identity disorder, I see a real danger of this becoming munchhausen by proxy, whereas he might even go far enough to endanger his daughter. He is already claiming she suffers from the same symptoms as he is (MCS), which is just something in his mind.
He also has a classical loony website to go with this:
(http://i62.tinypic.com/2zrjrdy.png)
As his multiple visits to the ER prove, he is not in any objective danger of dying, which makes it hard for me to pay for his "emergency" surgery, whereas he would get proper, free surgery due to public healthcare in a somewhat longer time.
I would, however, for the sake of his daughter and himself, be willing to donate towards seeing a psychiatrist.
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Thank you, Doctor Knowitall. It is one thing to take issue with what he says and completely another to make diagnoses without even examining the patient.
This whole thread is becoming offensive.
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bilbous, he's asking for my money. And I'm always willing to help out, but I am always trying to examine the facts. The facts which seem to me that he's not really dying (it is quite hard to die from a sinusitis), however, he genuinely believes to be dying. It is of course up to anyone else to decide if the facts point them to the same conclusion, and I am just trying to help others make up their minds based on my findings. Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence, after all.
The claim to be dying and requiring emergency surgery surely is extraordinary, such is the claim to be requiring quite expensive air purifiers for a perceived sensitivity to chemicals. And given that he wants $20k for these two, which is a lot of money.
Would you really be willing to spend $10k on air purifiers that, if he was just psychologically ill, do nothing but soothe his perception? Think of the good that much money can do spent on other things, should he really just imagine his chemical sensitivities.
In the very least, I think a visit to the psychiatrist and seeing if that cures his problems might be more wise than spending $20k on a hunch of his.
Edit:
To prove I'm not just trolling, I'm willing to donate $50 x2 based on the following:
He gets a diagnosis from a hospital, which states that he is in danger of dying and requires immediate surgery. I would like a number to call, too, so I can verify the information with the hospital. ($50 towards his goal for surgery)
A diagnosis from a hospital that states he requires air purifiers for his MCS. (Another $50 towards his goal for that.)
Given that you can just about find any private doctor willing to give you such a diagnosis, I would like a hospital to diagnose his ailments, as they are likely to be neutral due to their reputation.
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I think he truly does need the surgery. His pharynx may be normal but that does not help when he has a severely deviated septum. (Not trying to sound like a know-it-all but I do know some things). Having surgery for a deviated septum could be all he needs. I have seen people who were barely able to breathe sitting down be able to run shortly after surgery. If I had the money and if he would only put the money toward the surgery I would donate.
However, he seems to desperately need psychological counseling. He is not weird, he is abnormal. It is not normal to believe he can create a thinktank website and save the world. It is not normal to model your parenting on cat behavior. It is not normal to repeatedly go to the ER expecting to be treated for a non-life-threatening illness/injury.
(http://i58.tinypic.com/24y6d00.png)
A lot of addicts go to ERs to ask for drugs. People working in ERs are wary, and they have other emergencies to worry about. If he was really vomiting blood, I'm certain someone would have done something about it, as that is indicative of something more serious than a sinus infection.
From his Facebook:
"I went to the ER because I couldn't breathe well enough to sleep, was severely dehydrated, couldn't stomach much water or any food, etc. and drop-in clinics weren't available at that late hour.
I don't have a family doctor, she fired me because my case was too difficult (I also have autism, OCD and ADHD to go along with my Environmental Sensitivities)."
You don't go to the ER because you can't "breathe well enough to sleep." You go when you can't breathe to the point you think you might literally die of asphyxiation. The ER does not exist to keep you comfortable. It exists to keep you alive.
And family doctors do not fire patients unless there is an extreme need to do so. For example, patients who are unwilling to listen to their doctors' advice. Patients who are too difficult, not whose cases are too difficult. Family doctors cannot always prescribe medication for mental issues. They are willing to help but cannot always prescribe because they may not feel knowledgeable enough on the subject.
Another excerpt from Facebook:
Last night I was near death, only getting around 10% oxygen with each breath. I can't sleep when it's that bad, as I will wake up after a couple hours not being able to breathe.
He wasn't near death. He has sleep apnea. It is not going to kill him.
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I think he truly does need the surgery. His pharynx may be normal but that does not help when he has a severely deviated septum. (Not trying to sound like a know-it-all but I do know some things). Having surgery for a deviated septum could be all he needs. I have seen people who were barely able to breathe sitting down be able to run shortly after surgery. If I had the money and if he would only put the money toward the surgery I would donate.
Agreed, Volki. The issue I take with this though is that unless a deviated septum and sinusitis really are an emergency, he should go through the proper channels and receive public surgery for free, albeit with some waiting time. I would only give the money to him if he really needed emergency surgery to save his life and the public health system wouldn't pay (Which I somehow doubt they would if he was about to die, but still. Should they, I would make a donation towards his cause.), else, I really think the time of the surgeon is better spent on real emergencies instead of us funding his perhaps non-emergency surgery.
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The burden of proof is on raven or whoever is representing him, not on us. What was presented so far is an emotional plea with unverifiable claims. To ask for money based on this is unfair.
Some would argue that saying "unless you donate money, he will die" is a form of emotional blackmail.
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Just wondering (and not questioning anyone) why surgery is not covered under the Candian Health Care System.
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I know people that are really dying. Not one of them would ask for colloidal silver. The problem here is I do not see proof of medical diagnosis, not in an obvious or implied manner. I do not seek to offend however, I would say try again, but stick to the medical points that have been verified and confirmed by doctors.
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I hate to say that there are only two kinds of medical diagnoses we have so far, deviated septum and sinusitis. And, what worries me the worst is the following post:
(http://i59.tinypic.com/35bgnc1.png)
Mrokii, can you please clarify on that?
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I am skeptical about his demands too. I find it a bit hard to believe that there is a several years wait time for such a surgery in Canada, especially if it is as vital for his life as he claims.
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Pierre, I find it really hurtful that you are throwing around these accusations. You really have hurt my soul. For me, I don't have too much money for myself anyway, but I always have a coin or two for the poor stinky guys in the streets.
Raven however needs quite a bit of more money, and before I'm giving him some of the money I quite dearly need myself (as I would never ever let another human being suffer, nevertheless die), I would just like some proof that he really is in the situation he claims to be, unfortunately many others on the internet scam you outright. As I said before, I don't even doubt that Raven needs help, I'm just not convinced the self diagnosed need for emergency treatment is really the best for him and his lovely daughter.
P.S.
You just gave us a talk on how not to judge others, yet judged us in the very same talk? Isn't that the first thing Jesus teaches us not to do?
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Dear all,
This thread is in serious danger of getting out of control. So everybody, please take a deep breath, cool down, and do not let your emotions get the upper hand on your reasoning, no matter which side you are taking.
The topic is serious, and therefore should be discussed in a serious way.
Thank you,
Gonger
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I think we all should take a calm, deep breath, just as Gonger suggested, and not descend on the low level of insults that Pierre is on. The topic is quite serious and I believe that every single one of us wants just the best for Raven Singularity, yet we solely disagree on the exact methodology to apply to the situation at hand.
Perhaps we give Raven and Mrokii some time to come up with actual proof of the gravity of his illness, which, if his statements are really true, he will surely be able to provide, insha'allah.
If you want something to do in the meantime, perhaps we should in all honesty ponder Raven's unqiue mind and his future contributions to society? For his creative computer program to explore the depth of the human brain and allowing humans to transcend their mortality really is unique in this world, so far.
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Idk.
It might be a good idea to lock this thread lest opinions run rampant. Leave the donation information around so that people can donate if they want to. Those who have a vested interest will, those who wish for proof can go and find it if need be.
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I think that is the point. Nothing wrong with questioning, but noone forces you to any 'loss' of your money.
You can decide to give the money and 'risk' that the claims are wrong, and therefore the money won't be used what you supposed it to be used for.
Or you can decide that you won't give anything to someone possibly in need until an ultimate proof, and therefore rather buy a shiny new keyboard with that money.
It's totally up to you.
But please don't capture a threat like this for the usual urge to prove one is right or plain trolling. There's enough other threads where you can do and actually do just that ;)
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Mroki,
It might help if there was someone coordinating the care and allocation of resources on Raven's behalf like his wife or a social worker? Perhaps people might feel more comfortable donating if that were the case.
It looks like prior to the birth of his daughter, he wasn't complaining about his ills. Becoming a father is a huge change and can introduce of a lot of issues. Some get though it fine, others have more trouble with it. Does he have the support of other guys who have been through fatherhood?
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You, ath the very beginning, said that he was going to die. How is that possible from a broken nose and sinusitis? I understand very much that is can be something of great discomfort, but how is that lethal?[/li][/list]
The problem as I understand it is that due to his very long time of being sick, he is extremely powerless (not sure what term would describe it best). At times he has been afraid of suffocating, due to the thick mucous that is clogging up his nose and throat. He had told me a few times that he was afraid he could die while sleeping, as the mucous begins to build up whenever he goes to sleep, which is why he often lacks sleep. Plus, there is the infection that he can't get rid of and (as I understood it) it could eventually spread to his brain, which he has been tested for as well.
All of the "being sick" is very very vague. What symptoms does he actually have? Note that things such as fatigue etc. are probably a sign of psychological problems..
The main symptoms are the sinusitis and the severe clogging up of his throat and sinuses. This gets more severe as soon as he is exposed to dusty air and when a lot of mown grass is around, but there are many other causes he talked about.
The overall notes give the impression of a deep psychological problem, exacerbated by possible chronic sinusitis, such as: He claims to have consciously reprogrammed his brain, wants to change his name to "Raven Singularity", looks to cats for advice on parenting, claims landlord abuse, suffers from MCS etc. (Both are actually indications of a paranoid schizophrenic mind).
These are in part due to his autistic traits, I would say. And the landlord abuse aren't just claims. They could be confirmed by the mother of his child. They had also been to some kind of official agency that deals with rental problems, and the people there confirmed all of his complaints, as far as I know.
Did he consult a psychiatrist about that? It more seems like he is a hypochondriac instead of actually ill.
I can't say anything about that. To me it never sounded so.
And considering he wants to spend an insane sum on air purifiers (which are useless against "chemical" contaminations in a normal home, as the concentration of chemicals in the air is so low they can't be removed, plus the home is far from isolated, making it even more difficult to purify the air)
All I can say is that Raven had tried a cheaper air purifier before which helped a bit, but not enough to make his situation considerably better. Raven had researched the expensive air purifiers for a long time.
, perhaps seeing a psychiatrist about his mental illness might be a more appropriate way to spend all that money?
I seriously doubt that, but I am no expert. All I know is that he has talked about his degrading health for a very long time and that, according to him, he absolutely needs this surgery that should make it easier for him to unclog his sinuses, which should hopefully make the infection go away.
He claims his daughter also suffers from the same illnesses (MCS, ES). That really sounds like he is projecting his mental problems on his daughter, which is a bit worrying, not to mention that this isn't even a real diagnosis. Are there any indications whatsoever his lovely daughter is actually ill?
As far as I know (and as Raven described on the campaign, Malaika showed some similar problems of clogged up throat some time ago, so much so that they had to get her to a hospital to treat her.
And is the charge of buying air purifiers for her mothers' home actually warranted, given that they are divorced anyway?
As far as I know, yes. Despite them being separated, she seems to still regard him as a friend and would accept him putting an air purifier into their home. Raven told me about this as well.
The "regaining health" section really needs a workover before I am considering giving any money. ... not healing any underlying medical problems. That's basically the same as alternative medicine.
All I can say is that all these were things that Raven tried and which seemed to really help him, reducing the mucous a bit, and thus helping him to regain energy.
He claims he wants help to break free from poverty... That does sound a lot like he just wants money. I don't see either how a chronic sinusitis (which I have as well) prevents him from doing any paid work (even if it is from his home). From the pictures, he looks quite far from wasting away due to his "disease". Is there actually any certification from a doctor that proves he is unfit to work? If not, he really should earn some money on his own to help the funding..
The "break free from poverty" just means that he wants to be healthy enough to start working again. He *only* seeks money for his medical treatments and what he believes will help him to regain his health. As for the "doctor certification" Raven has put something on his Facebook-page and I had asked him about another confirmation. He said, he could get another one from another doctor, which (I think) confirmes his environmental sensitivities. But he has to contact him first, go there and get it. I will ask him if he can get that asap.
Lastly, what is his daughter's weight? She looks a little too heavy, perhaps that is causing some problems for her?
I don't know about that. The video contains scenes that are several months old I think, and so are most of the photos. At the moment I have no really recent information about Malaika.
He claims his "throat is swelling shut" but on his facebook page he listed his diagnosis by his sinus specialist as (...) For those who aren't into medical terms, pharynx: normal means his throat is alright. So that seems to be a paradox. And furthermore, it just says "Hey, you have a broken nose (quite broken) and a chronic sinus infection", but nothing about his condition being lethal.
The lethality (as I see it) comes from his years-/months-long chronic problems that kept his body from gaining energy (I'm sorry I can't describe it better). Raven seems to be in a very weak state, his body just doesn't seem to have enough energy to keep up fighting the infection for much longer.
Lastly: Raven has asked me if you, Donari, are reachable somehow, maybe on IRC. If so, I could give you his nick and he could talk to you directly and answer your questions.
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Some more things that worry me are:
In his facebook page, he constantly claims to suffer from a new deadly illness from which he seeks relief (cystic fibrosis etc.) and shares his stories of how doctors think he's nuts. To quote his fb:
The last time I went to the Burnaby ER, the doctor decided that I had made up my condition because it sounded "too unlikely", and said he was refusing to treat me, told me to stop wasting their time, stop calling ambulances, and told me to see a psychiatrist not a medical doctor, made fun of my shaking in pain, and refused to let me consult another doctor.
Clearly, medical professionals think his sinusitis is no reason to worry and he suffers from psychological problems which make him believe to be dying.
Not quite. There was at least one other doctor, afaik, who took him seriously and who has confirmed his environmental sensitivities. As I said in my last post, I will try to get Raven to get the paper that this doctor wrote. Raven has said that he has to contact the doctor and get that from him.
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I think he truly does need the surgery. (...) If I had the money and if he would only put the money toward the surgery I would donate.
The surgery is the first goal of this campaign and all the money Raven gets will put towards the surgery. The air purifiers, while important for him, will only be bought if he gets more money.
However, he seems to desperately need psychological counseling. He is not weird, he is abnormal. It is not normal to believe he can create a thinktank website and save the world. It is not normal to model your parenting on cat behavior.
I said he has some traits of autism, among other things, and he has a rather unique style of learning. He has taught all he knows to himsilf in his own way, obviously because he needs a specific style of learning. All of this doesn't make him delusional, imho.
It is not normal to repeatedly go to the ER expecting to be treated for a non-life-threatening illness/injury.
I beg to differ. It is normal to go to the ER if your throat is so clogged that you can hardly get *any* air and afraid to suffocate from mucous that clogs up your respiratory system. The last doctor,that sinus-specialist, took his problems serious and I think he was also the one who did the tests to check if the infection spread to his brain, which seems to be a real danger. But I am no expert, so I can't say if this is the case, or even likely.
You don't go to the ER because you can't "breathe well enough to sleep." You go when you can't breathe to the point you think you might literally die of asphyxiation. The ER does not exist to keep you comfortable. It exists to keep you alive.
Raven had times when he barely could get any sleep that lasted longer than only a few short hours. From that I can absolutely understand that he went to the ER because of a severe lack of sleep.
He wasn't near death. He has sleep apnea. It is not going to kill him.
That may sound rude, but that is nothing but an assumption of yours, which may or may not be true.
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So he is afraid of dying of sinusitis? To me, that seems rather like a psychological problem, as I was suspecting before. But alas, we'll need to wait for the doctor's notes, probably, to say more.
The issue with spreading to his brain sounds more like a fact he picked up from Wikipedia. Yes, sinusitis CAN spread to your brain. And no, it's not remotely likely if he is healthy and doesn't have AIDS. So again, this seems more like being a hypochondriac.
If Raven wants to reach me, he can try querying me on IRC, I'm on freenode as Donari in the evening CEST.
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Some would argue that saying "unless you donate money, he will die" is a form of emotional blackmail.
I'm sorry if you see it this way. I won't accuse anybody of not helping out if they don't want or can't. It's their own decision. All I can do is presenting his case as I see it, according to what I know about it.
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I know people that are really dying. Not one of them would ask for colloidal silver. The problem here is I do not see proof of medical diagnosis, not in an obvious or implied manner. I do not seek to offend however, I would say try again, but stick to the medical points that have been verified and confirmed by doctors.
The colloidal silver was more like a treatment Raven had tried out, but in the end, if he gets the surgery, it might not even be necessary anymore. The colloidal silver was mostly used to treat the infection and actually helped him somewhat, as it seems.
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Just wondering (and not questioning anyone) why surgery is not covered under the Candian Health Care System.
I *think* the public health care would pay, but that would involve a very long waiting time. Raven believes that he doesn't have that time, due to his long term illness, which has made him weaker and weaker. At the moment he's often too weak to even get out of bed and stays inside for long hours or even days.
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I am skeptical about his demands too. I find it a bit hard to believe that there is a several years wait time for such a surgery in Canada, especially if it is as vital for his life as he claims.
I can't say much about the medical system in Canada, but Raven said that these kinds of surgery are low priority and therefore are scheduled way behind more "important" surgeries. It basically seems to me that the health system in Canada is not in a very good shape. I just heard from another friend from Canada that she has to wait six months for an appointment with a dentist despite having cavities and pain.
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It might help if there was someone coordinating the care and allocation of resources on Raven's behalf like his wife or a social worker? Perhaps people might feel more comfortable donating if that were the case.
There is nobody like that, as far as I know.
It looks like prior to the birth of his daughter, he wasn't complaining about his ills.
Nope, that's not quite true. It's just that his illness/sensitivies seem to have gradually gotten worse, and the infection spreading speeding things up into the wrong direction. Raven, as far as I can say, loves his daughter and does not see her as a burden at all. In fact, Malaika is one of the things that has made him doing this campaign.
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Thank you very much for all this information, Mrokii. Unfortunately, it again boils down to Raven's subjective assessment, and what we really need is some piece of information from a doctor.
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So Donari, you are suggesting that someone put sensitive personal medical information on the internet where anyone can steal it and use it for uncertain purposes? "Here is my BC hospital insurance program number, the doctors name that has treated me, my name and address, date of birth,and other assorted information, do you believe me now?" Hey who is that undocumented guy using my information to get treatment, should I be worried about that?
At some point you have to either take a leap of faith or move on. This constant probing for more information is unseemly and does not belong here. Ask your questions where he is asking for donations and not here where his friend is just putting up a notice.
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I think Donari is saying he wants confirmation from a trustworthy source. Not personal information, but someone who might be able to vouch for Raven and who has the medical knowledge to be trusted.
This campaign would be more believable if it was only raising money for the surgery. As of now, many people who would help are not helping because they are skeptical about the high costs. It would also be much more marketable if people could know they were helping someone who legitimately needed something like a surgery, which could be all he needs, and not the extraneous items added to the campaign.
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So Donari, you are suggesting that someone put sensitive personal medical information on the internet where anyone can steal it and use it for uncertain purposes? "Here is my BC hospital insurance program number, the doctors name that has treated me, my name and address, date of birth,and other assorted information, do you believe me now?" Hey who is that undocumented guy using my information to get treatment, should I be worried about that?
At some point you have to either take a leap of faith or move on. This constant probing for more information is unseemly and does not belong here. Ask your questions where he is asking for donations and not here where his friend is just putting up a notice.
Bilbous, I think mutual trust is a requirement for something like this to work.
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Thank you very much for all this information, Mrokii. Unfortunately, it again boils down to Raven's subjective assessment, and what we really need is some piece of information from a doctor.
I am sorry that you think that way. I can only say that Raven, at least at the moment, is most probably too exhausted, to go to that other doctor who wrote something about his environmental sensitivities.
I guess it doesn't change much, but I want to mention that it isn't necessarily the sinusitis as such that is so exhausting and draining his energy. It is more the long-term clogging of his throat and sinuses that often tie Raven to his bed. He had often told me that he needs many minutes, up to an hour or two, to cough up mucous, just to be able to breath relatively normal. He also has to drink lots of water (far more than one would drink regularly) to not dehydrate. Apparently, his body produces huge amounts of thick mucous, and that makes it very, very difficult for him to breathe.
As I said before, I know exactly how people can wither away who suffer from low oxygen-intake. My father had extreme lung damage (for other reasons), so much so that he needed an apparatus to inhale oxygen 24/7, just to live. And even with that, he withered away, dying more and more each day. And that happened *without* any kind of infection.
I know I probably won't convince you of anything I stated, but so be it. I am absolutely convinced that Ravens' situation is very, very serious and that he does need the help he asks for. It is generally very difficult for him to aks for *any* help, and he would not do it, if the situation weren't life-threatening. That is what I'm convinced of, and I'm not the only one of his (few) friends who's very worried about him. But again, I'm sure that won't convince you. But still, I wanted to express how I feel about his situation as I see it.
Plus, he will soon have to deal with the fact that his land
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This campaign would be more believable if it was only raising money for the surgery. As of now, many people who would help are not helping because they are skeptical about the high costs. It would also be much more marketable if people could know they were helping someone who legitimately needed something like a surgery, which could be all he needs, and not the extraneous items added to the campaign.
No offense meant, but I don't understand your arguments, really.
As I have said before, the *main* goal is the surgery, and (assuming he gets the money necessary for the surgery) he will use it for exactly that purpose. If Raven would reach this goal alone, there's a very good chance that this would help draining the mucous from his sinuses. The broken nose seems to be one big reason why the mucous can't drain properly.
Maybe it was a mistake to add all the other items (which might be of secondary importance, once the surgery is done successfully). But you have to understand that Raven has tried to be as straight forward as he could be. He *knows* that a lot of what he's saying and thinking might sound outlandish to others without lengthy explanations, but he is also a perfectionist (and somebody who doesn't ask for help easily, I might add, even if that sounds funny to you) and so he wanted to reveal as much of himself as possible, so people would know who they're dealing with.
It's most unfortunate that it isn't easy to explain how Raven thinks in a few short sentences. I can only say, that I, having talked to him for years extensively, regard him as one of the most logical thinking humans I've ever met. Raven *never* states something he doesn't thoroughly believe in and I've never experienced him as somebody with delusions. Whenever he had told me something that sounded "weird" about him, he always had logical reasons and, if he have the energy, he would be able to explain his arguments in a logical way. But he's a perfectionist to the extremes, and these explanations would take a long time. Unfortunately that isn't possible at the moment. People will have to trust him (or me) or they don't. There's not much else I can do or say at the moment.
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To all the people following this threat,
unfortunately I won't be available from Friday, 22nd to Friday 29th, due to a personal trip that couldn't be rescheduled. Therefore I won't be able to visit this forum during the following week, so any questions will be answered with some delay.
For now, thank you all for your input, may it be questions, concerns or good wishes.
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Has he tried reaching out to immediate family and real-life friends? People like that might be more sympathetic and better judges of his need.
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I've never experienced him as somebody with delusions.
Yet he clearly has delusions as indicated on his website? I mean, no offense, but his idea to program a brain/human transcendence computer program is quite obviously a delusion.
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Hello,
I am back after a longer time-out period than I anticipated, due to reasons I don't want to talk about at the moment.
I've never experienced him as somebody with delusions.
Yet he clearly has delusions as indicated on his website? I mean, no offense, but his idea to program a brain/human transcendence computer program is quite obviously a delusion.
If I didn't know that you can't know Raven as good as I do, I would take that as an offense. Raven does have some autistic traits and an extremely analytical mind, and the way he talks is the way he describes what he's doing to change his behaviour. I guess you don't know anybody with autistic traits who can even talk about the differences of their mind, but Raven did talk to me for a long time and to me his explanations sounded logical.
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Has he tried reaching out to immediate family and real-life friends? People like that might be more sympathetic and better judges of his need.
Yes, he has. And some of them do help him. But Raven has a way of reacting to illogical behaviour that alienates him from people. Part of it is because he naturally notices all kinds of imbalances in peoples' lives (of those he cares deeply about) and very often points these out, in a way to help them. So, all in all, he only has a few friends these days and none of them are rich enough to help him out on his goal.
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Extremely analytical, out of the box, hyper lateral, super special thinking is not of much use when there is little to no executive function. Seriously, it sounds like this dude needs to pair up with someone who has a little more common sense and can fill in the gaps for him. A group home or half way house ( ie. assisted living ) might be something to look at. At least he would have someone to look out for him and help him with money management and things like that.
In the US, we have group homes for adults with autism (read: "Autistic Spectrum or ASD") and other disabilities. They provide them with a balance of independence and support as well as disability checks from the government. I'm not sure how this is done in Canada.
( The other option is to get a wife, but that could prove to be tricky and hard to back out of. )