Shane Phillips, 31, and his girlfriend Kassandra Fleury, 20, gave birth to an infant with special needs. Though covered by health insurance the young couple suddenly found themselves overwhelmed by astronomical medical bills they couldn’t pay.

“Our son Ryder was born with gastroschisis,” Phillips said. “That’s a condition where his small intestine is sticking out of the side of his body.”

With good prenatal care a routine ultrasound discovered a small tear in Ryder’s umbilical cord five months into gestation. A biophysical profile revealed his distended intestine protruding through the opening. Insured through Group Health Cooperative under her mother’s policy Kassandra was hospitalized two weeks in advance of her due date. Despite his serious condition Ryder was getting the care he needed for a successful delivery.

“But when he was born we went to all three hospitals in Madison within 48 hours,” Phillips said. “And with all that going on I got the first bill for something like $180,000.”

To put it mildly, access to quality health care is complicated. The intricate details of insurance coverage can often pose an impenetrable barrier between patients and the medical treatments they need to survive. Even those who currently have insurance can find it nearly impossible to effectively navigate their way through the convoluted system of benefits to which they are entitled.

Some in our community forgo seeking timely medical care out fear of their inability to pay. While others incur expenses out of pocket that would otherwise have been covered by insurance. But in Madison a non-profit public interest law firm called ABC For Health works to simplify the claims process. With services available to ailing state residents at all levels of income, the group provides free benefits counseling, a kind of check up, that eases navigation through the system, facilitates the delivery of care and speeds healing.

ABC for Health attorney Bobby Peterson

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My good friend adventure filmmaker Dominic Gill is in a tight spot and he needs your help. Just when he was about to embark upon another epic transcontinental bicycle trip his partner Ernie Greenwald has taken ill. The 76-year-old cancer patient suffered a bout of pneumonia after a round of chemotherapy  and simply can not peddle along the 4,000-mile journey as planned from California to New York. But Dom still hopes to make the ride. And in the classic fashion of his award-winning film of the same title he hopes to find a few people across America to “Take A Seat” and cycle their way across the country in Ernie’s place. There’s only one catch. You have to be disabled. Read the rest of this entry »

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It says in the Talmud, the sacred text of Jewish law, “Save one life and you save world.” Dr. Rick Hodes has saved dozens of lives and his continuing work in service of the children has made the world a better place for us all.

A pediatric oncologist who specializes in the treatment of heart disease, spine disease and cancer, Dr. Hodes compassionately practices medicine at Mother Theresa’s Mission in Ethiopia. Caring for sick and destitute children in one of the most impoverished regions of the world he’s also the subject of a new book and a film for HBO called “Making the Crooked Straight.” Read the rest of this entry »

On a rainy Sunday afternoon I spent several hours in my basement cutting glass. Taking a break from a long week of writing it was a pleasant diversion. With my mind and my hands I created something tangible, unlike my stories, an expression of art you can feel and touch. In the process though I seem to have manifest a better understanding of my life’s purpose.

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Washington State prison inmates pay their debt to society by helping to create a sustainable environment. A new film produced by Benjamin Drummond and Sara Joy Steele illustrates an initiative that teaches the incarcerated science and common practices for life upon their release in a better world. Read the rest of this entry »

National and local business interests collaborate with a Madison non-profit to improve the job prospects of area teens. Staples, a major office supply retailer with 14 locations in Southern Wisconsin and Minnesota recently donated $5,000 in support of the Youth-Business Mentoring Program created by Common Wealth Development. Providing guidance through the hiring process, executives coach young people through the difficult task of landing their first position in the workforce.

Sonny Maly (left) and Kristofor Cooks on the job at Staples

“Our focus is on expanding the employment and financial opportunities available to young people,” said Tariq Pasha Saqqaf, youth programs director at CWD. “Especially those teens from poor families, it’s not just about improving their education but increasing their knowledge.”

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First you fill out the paperwork. Two quick swabs to inside of each cheek and you’re done. That’s easy enough. Providing this tiny tissue sample is all it takes to register for the national bone marrow donor database. Charitable contributions and commitments such as this can become part of leading a balanced active lifestyle.

“It only takes 10 minutes save a life,” passersby heard us say as we handed them a flier. Throngs of people streamed past our booth near the entrance to Canoecopia. We had a prime spot to catch paddlers and nature lovers coming in or out of the world’s largest canoe and kayak expo. Hopefully the information we provided answered many of questions regarding the importance of registering as a bone marrow donor.

Over the course of three days 5 volunteers and I signed up and swabbed 63 individuals. Willing to offer up their bone marrow to a stranger with leukemia or some other blood disorder, hardy athletic types like outdoor enthusiasts are prefect candidates to become donors. And hopefully should the need arise and they’re matched with a cancer patient they’ll be willing to give the gift of life.

I consider myself pretty lucky to be healthy, active and athletic. Long past the point where I might take a national title as a champion triathlete, whitewater kayaker or sport climber I invest my time training in order to maintain and perpetuate my physical fitness. Dedicating a bit of time, energy and perhaps one day, bone marrow is a small price pay to benefit those who may not be so fortunate.

Should the day come when I or someone in my family needs the help of a stranger I certainly hope they’ll be there for us. The least I can do now is be there for them.

Find out how you can become a bone marrow donor at:

www.lovehopestrength.com, www.dkmsamericas.org or www.marrow.org

Eight-year-old Savanna Lee is discovering wonderful things about the world around her. “I learned that there’s a whole bunch of stuff under the water,” she said, “things like bugs and beetles, not just fish. It’s exciting!”

A student at Glendale Elementary School in Madison, Savanna is among many local children that benefit from an environmental education program offered by the Aldo Leopold Nature Center. Every Monday afternoon for ten weeks of the year Savanna and her classmates explore nearby forests, streams and marshlands. Called Nature Nuts, the course creates safe and enjoyable outdoor experiences for area youth whose families cannot afford traditional after-school activities. Read the rest of this entry »

For more than a year now it’s been my pleasure to bring you the stories behind the selfless causes of people trying to make the world a better place. The mission of the Joy Trip Project is to explore the lives of those who blend their passion for adventure with their desire to work for the benefit of others or toward the preservation of life on our planet. In my own way I hope that I have contributed to the success of their causes by bringing them to your attention and encouraging you to participate. So in the spirit of that mission I’m pleased to announce a new Joy Trip Project initiative.

On August 29, 2010 I will join a small group of climbers to ascend the summit of Mount Fuji in Japan. Organized by the non-profit Love Hope Strength this event aims to raise money and awareness for the fight against cancer. Fuji Rocks! is the lasted in a series of climbs that feature a base-camp live music concert along with a drive to register new bone marrow donors to the national database of those willing to help a leukemia patient in need of a bone marrow transplant. It is my plan that with your help over the next five months The Joy Trip Project will raise $6,000 to $10,000 for this cause and register at least 1,000 new donors.

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Gabrielle Seals is an aspiring piano student with big ambitions. “I want to go to Juilliard,” she says. “But for my career… my career, career I want to go to Harvard to be a forensic anthropologist.”

This Madison sixth grader, age 11, only started taking piano lessons in September. And despite her family’s economic challenges she’s already making plans for the future. Thanks to a unique program called Piano Pioneers Gabrielle can include training in music on her application to the Ivy League.

“I’ve done some research and Harvard is a really good school,” she says. “Graduating from there I’ll be eligible to go anywhere in the world.”

Bright and precocious -she skipped the 1^st grade- Gabrielle is one of many children in Dane and five adjacent counties who receive free piano lessons. They are also provided with a used instrument from the Steinway Piano Gallery of Madison so they can practice at home. Read the rest of this entry »