Remember Qia? Her player will probably die soon, if no help is coming.

[Mrokii]

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.

[Mrokii]

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.

[Mrokii]

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.

[Mrokii]

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.

[Mrokii]

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. ;-)

[Donari Tyndale]

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:



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.

[Donari Tyndale]

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.

[Donari Tyndale]

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.







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:



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.

[bilbous]

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.

[Donari Tyndale]

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.

[Volki]

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.




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.

[Donari Tyndale]

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.

[Rigwyn]

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.

[novacadian]

Just wondering (and not questioning anyone) why surgery is not covered under the Candian Health Care System.

[verden]

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.