Two years ago a friend revealed that her five-year-old son had been diagnosed with leukemia. Thankfully, they had health insurance but many of the children at the hospital where he was treated did not. How great it would have been had a new website called GiveForward been available then.
A website called GiveForward has come up with the idea to help people set up their own fundraisers to aid those who are critically ill and have no health insurance according to a story at news.yahoo.com. It’s already helped raise over $5.4 million for medical expenses and related causes, according to the story.
While the debate over healthcare reform in this country rages on, some Americans with piles of medical bills still have nowhere to turn, More than 60 percent of all bankruptcies result from medical costs, according to Alex Goldmark at goodis/post.
People without health insurance – and even some who are fortunate enough to have it – often struggle to make payments and sometimes, go without, worrying about being in debt somewhere down the road. That’s where GiveForward comes in.
Aimed at these very individuals, GiveForward helps them set up personal fundraisers over networks like Facebook and Twitter and rely on the generosity of others to get their medical bills paid, according to the story.
How? Simply create a GiveForward page that tells about your financial standing and current medical situation, says the story. As the money is being raised, most organizers update the medical status of the person currently undergoing or about to undergo treatment. Your dog is sick? You can even start a donation drive for him, too, as vet bills are quickly speeding up to equal humans.
By using Facebook and Twitter, organizers of these sites can publicize their urgent medical crisis, and provide potential donors a safe and secure way to help out, according to the story. For people who may feel uncomfortable donating, or not know the family well, personal information about the giver can be kept private. Or donors can choose to share it with the beneficiary of the fundraiser, according to the story.
GiveForward sends a check to the beneficiary for the donation, after each fundraiser is completed, minus a 7 percent fee, to keep the site going, according to the story.
GiveForward has had its own financial challenges, according to yfsentrepreneur.com, which describes itself as a web site for the “young, fabulous and self-employed”. Six months into the endeavor, its 29-year-old founder says she was having trouble paying the rent.
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Deborah DiSesa Hirsch is an award-winning health and technology writer who has worked for newspapers, magazines and IBM in her 20-year career. To read more of her articles, please visit her columnist page.Edited by
Jennifer Russell
