Some of you already know this, but long-time member and all around good egg Samurai (aka Scott) has been dealing with some serious medical issues. As a result he's out of work and is having a hard time making ends meet.

Details are in this thread (full members only, sorry). For the non-full members:

Posted by Samurai I had an appointment with my cardiologist on Thursday (January 28th) and after that appointment, I had some pretty grim truths to reconcile myself with. One of those truths is that my heart is failing. I am down to 15% function of my heart. In other words, a normal person functions at 60-65%. Mine, after the pneumonia and all that, was at 30%. And now, its gotten worse. It's failing faster than they anticipated and i have to meet with the doctor again on Wednesday for that dreaded 'options' discussion. I have been out of work since the early part of this month and I am honestly not sure if they are going to let me go back. So, in case I fall off the planet, you all (at least all of you that I have come to know, and trust and love as genuine friends) will know what's going on. After doing the required reading, the outlook for this kind of heart failure is pretty grim, but not hopeless. So, as things develop, i'll let you know.

If you're able to help, please consider tossing him a few bucks via the gofundme page below. Any and all donations will be greatly appreciated.

https://www.gofundme.com/zarff958

If you can't or don't want to, that's fine too. Post some encouraging words here instead.

Let's show Samurai some of that UER community spirit, people. Thanks for your generosity.

Sam, hoss, hang in there buddy. We all love you.

So far the generosity shown by the members here and in my facebook community has been wonderful. I seriously can't thank everyone enough for their help and their kind words.

It's helped me out tremendously and taken a little stress off me. I am waiting for my hair to start falling out. lol

Thank you again.

Thank you to the mods and/or Av for pinning this thread & info, I was going to suggest it but you beat me to it.

I'm pulling for you Scott. Even though I've never met you, or even locked horns with you in a discussion, I've always enjoyed your posts and will always stop to read what you have to say, regardless of topic.

You're considered good people in my books, and I'm pulling for you from over here in Vancouver. I'll toss a few bucks your way in the coming days.

Be positive!

Hope you're better soon.

Prayers coming your way. Hang in there.

Hope the best for you man !

Go urbexers unite!

Hang in there, dude!

i have some personal messages to send out to everyone who donated. But for now, all I can say is thank you all.
Thank you all very much!

Posted by Samurai i have some personal messages to send out to everyone who donated. But for now, all I can say is thank you all. Thank you all very much!

Thank you for letting us help Sam. It was our honor hoss.

Posted by jeepdave Thank you for letting us help Sam. It was our honor hoss.

Ditto!!

We all wish the best for you man, hope you get better

hang in there man. we are all on team Samurai!

Sorry to hear. Hoping you're getting stronger and can get some assistance. I'm not on UER much anymore, but was thinking of you and your humorous posts the last couple of days.

Dude, I really hope you're able to make it through this and remain in good spirits! I've always dug your general life commentary and extensive GM knowledge. I recall you posting comments in some of my old database photo albums here on UER way back at the beginning!

Sixteen-hundred bucks almost! You people are awesome.

Best of luck, Scott. We're all rooting for ya.

Well, after being on the phone all morning trying to figure out why I haven't received a temporary disability check, I got a call from my primary cardiologist. It a returned call about my plea to return to work. It's not happening. They are not letting me go back to my job. His explanation was if I worked a desk and a day job, there would be room to work. Because of what I do and the hours I work, my heart is too far gone for a return to it.

What the fuck am I going to do now?

Now begins what I was afraid of... I am beyond upset.

News at 11.

Posted by Samurai Well, after being on the phone all morning trying to figure out why I haven't received a temporary disability check, I got a call from my primary cardiologist. It a returned call about my plea to return to work. It's not happening. They are not letting me go back to my job. His explanation was if I worked a desk and a day job, there would be room to work. Because of what I do and the hours I work, my heart is too far gone for a return to it. What the fuck am I going to do now? Now begins what I was afraid of... I am beyond upset. News at 11.

That sucks Scott, but not unexpected. Work through it the best you can.
Your doctor is right. The first year is a critical time for you; don't push yourself too hard. Ask your company if they will work with you to find a position there you can do. People can sometimes be surprisingly supportive.

Apply for SSI disability -now- if you already haven't; it's a safety net. If you haven't done that already consider getting an attorney to help; the first claim is rejected many times except for terminal cancer. Having an experienced SSI attorney makes a difference; they will take it pro bono, however will take a chunk of the initial first back check in return for their services. Your doctor may be able to help; if the condition is serious enough you may have a good shot without a lawyer.
You can still work even if you get SSI disability, you have nothing to lose. The second claim almost always goes through. It takes 1-6 months to process and get an answer as to if approved. Don't wait to file.

Jesus Christ, Scott. I'm outta the hood for a while and I come back to hear this?

I hope you're feeling at least a bit better each day, and that you're trademark wit and sarcasm and cynicism hasn't been affected. And I'm pleased to see the community stepping up to help out.

Love you, Brother.

KK

Posted by blackhawk That sucks Scott, but not unexpected. Work through it the best you can. Your doctor is right. The first year is a critical time for you; don't push yourself too hard. Ask your company if they will work with you to find a position there you can do. People can sometimes be surprisingly supportive. Apply for SSI disability -now- if you already haven't; it's a safety net. If you haven't done that already consider getting an attorney to help; the first claim is rejected many times except for terminal cancer. Having an experienced SSI attorney makes a difference; they will take it pro bono, however will take a chunk of the initial first back check in return for their services. Your doctor may be able to help; if the condition is serious enough you may have a good shot without a lawyer. You can still work even if you get SSI disability, you have nothing to lose. The second claim almost always goes through. It takes 1-6 months to process and get an answer as to if approved. Don't wait to file.

I found out that I could've filed disability when they first found out my heart was screwed. At 15% capacity, there is no argument. My conversation with the cardiologist went on for over 40 minutes. He did not anticipate any trouble with getting disability. What chaps my ass is I have spent 20 years working, trying to do everything, get my credit rating up, basically do what's expected and now all that is going to be blown away by something I cannot control. It's just unbelievable.