On a Serious Note: Help a Mom in Need

It’s ironic I post this, on September 11 – a day of national tragedy. I’m writing about a Michigan mom named Lori Hall Steele who is dying of ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease). And she has a 7 year old son. She’s a self-employed journalist and a single mom. This is my worst nightmare – dying while my kids are young, leaving them without a mom.
It’s also ironic that a beautiful and touching essay Lori wrote about her son’s concern with her dying (after watching Bambi), was published this summer – a long time after it was initially accepted, and before she became ill in Sept 2007. Read it in the Washington Post, here.
We hear about the foreclosure crisis daily in the media and to be honest, I don’t know anyone who has lost their house or has been threatened with that. Until now.
Lori’s medical bills are currently at $50,000, and could be running up to $120,000. She’s written more than 3,000 articles during her career, but her medical condition paralyzed her, and she’s now in a hospital bed breathing through a Bi-Pap machine. Her house is in foreclosure.

As a fellow journalist in Lori’s freelance writers’ circle for some time now, I’m joining a national blogathon to publicize Lori’s condition and ask for help saving Lori’s house. Several in the freelancing community set up easy ways to learn about her condition and to make a donation, if you’re able. I made one yesterday through Paypal.
If you’re able to help in anyway, even a few dollars, please do. There are several ways to donate. If you want to use Paypal, her email address for payment is SaveLorisHouse@yahoo.com. If you’d like to send a check, please email me at blog@friscokids.net and I’ll send you her address.
Here are some websites where you can learn more about Lori and her condition:
http://www.hallsteele.blogspot.com/ - a fellow freelancer made this blogathon central, where you can learn more about her and see the efforts other freelancers are making to help.
http://www.savelorishouse.com/ - a big-hearted colleague set up this website to give more information on her and on ways to help.
Here’s a local newspaper story (local in MI) about a fundraiser Lori’s friends held for her in the spring.