Looking for Help

Hello people. Happy Lent (Are you supposed to "celebrate" Lent? Probably not, but let's just go with it)

I have been trying to figure out how to present this to my friends/family/strangers in BA and beyond for the past few days, but have been struggling. Basically, there is a guy in BA who is fighting metastasized colorectal cancer and is unable to pay his medical bills. His landlord (another expat, and clearly a consummate jerk) locked him out of the apartment, leaving him literally with just the clothes on his back and no access to his life-saving cancer drugs, small savings, or personal documents.

Rick founded Juanele AR, a really cool bilingual newsletter on the art scene in BA. I have never met him personally but have always admired his project. Once I heard about his plight - thanks to the connections of social media - his story stuck with me for days, leaving this dull ache and pain in my heart.

Contrary to what you might assume, Rick is not a "lucky" expat who can be treated in a nice private hospital here in BA. After using most of his savings to pay for an initial stay in a private clinic when first diagnosed, Rick has been cared for at two public hospitals here - the Rivadavia and now the Marie Curie. In the public health system, your stay is free, but you have to pay for things like soap, toilet paper, and other "amenities" we wouldn't normally think twice about. Incidentals like colostomy bags are also not covered. I have been in the Rivadavia and let me tell you, that place is just heartbreaking. Feral cats roam the halls and there is a general sense of malaise and sadness as you walk through. If you're from the US, you would be shocked to see the conditions. It's not a place I would want to go if I were really sick. It's not a place Rick (or anyone) should have to be, let alone when they're fighting an aggressive cancer.

Rick has a website - Rick Fights Cancer - detailing his struggle and providing updates on his now (more dire) situation.  I am not completely familiar with the whole backstory, but all that matters in my mind is that some asshole kicked him out of his home, owes him about US$2,200 (which would make a huge difference in his treatment costs) and has left him high and dry in the most vulnerable of situations.

He is trying to raise money by the end of April to help offset his costs for an upcoming second surgery. If I could, I would donate hundreds. Unfortunately, I am on a very limited income and can't spare as much as I would like. But even US$10 would help .... as we always say in these situations, every little bit counts.

So if you feel like you want to start off this Lenten season by helping someone who could really use the kindness of a good Samaritan, please click on Rick's website - Read his story and see if you can manage to make a small donation.

Like I said, I don't even know him personally but something about him has struck a chord and I would love to know that I could make a teeny bit of difference in his situation.