Welcome...

Dear Friends,

As some of you know, on July 22nd, Joe Moore was admitted to ICU at Columbia Memorial Hospital in Hudson, NY due to what doctors have since diagnosed as Lyme Disease. Among his many symptoms; Joe was weak, incoherent and had a recurring fever of 105. He was also racked with pain. In fact, he recoiled from touch of any kind, and it was clear that all tactile stimulation hurt him.

The ER doctors who first treated him said they had never seen a young man so sick.

Luckily, after days of IV antibiotics, Joe's mind cleared, and he was moved out of ICU. Even better, a week and a half after being admitted, Joe was strong enough to be released from the hospital completely.

Needless to say, it has been an extremely trying time for the entire family. We deeply appreciate the prayers and kind thoughts we have received from afar, they undoubtedly had a hand in helping Joe begin to heal.

And now, we are asking for your help again.

As full time freelancers, Hallie and Joe do not have medical insurance. Joe's medical treatment has already been very expensive and his road to complete recovery will be long. The final tally has yet to come in, and hospital bills are particularly baffling as there is no comprehensive total. Every doctor, test, lab - even some sections of the hospital bill separately. We do know that the basic hospital bill which covers Joe's stay is $36,000. In addition, for the next three weeks (at least), Joe will go to Columbia Memorial daily, to intravenously receive the high dose of antibiotics necessary to fight off a recurrence, at a cost of $800 per day.

If you would like to help, this site is here to help make it simple and easy,

Thank you!

Way to Help # 1 - Donate Money

The donation button on the right hand side of the page makes donating funds, simple and easy. We know that times are tough economically for many of you, so it's important that you know that every little bit helps. Even single dollar donations will help chip away at the mountain of bills. You may donate using a credit card or a paypal linked bank account. Paypal is a safe and secure site, so you don't have to worry about sending money in this manner.
Regardless of whether or not you are able to give, thank you in advance for your care and concern.

Way to Help #2 - Donate To Our eBay Auction

If you’d love to help, but don’t have the dough - why not donate something to our upcoming Ebay auction?

"When I thought about how to help my sister deal with the landslide of bills she will undeniably be up against, I thought of several silent auction benefits I had attended in the past. But since our friends and family are so spread out, it makes more sense for us to do an online auction." Aaron Goodman.

So,we have begun accepting items for an Ebay auction in Joe's name. If you would like to help, simply pack and ship your item to:

Joe and Hallie Moore
48 Worth Avenue
Hudson NY 12534

If time allows, please take a digital photo and note the measurements of your item before you pack it up. Then, email the photos and measurements to either Aaron or Hallie (see the email links on the right hand side of blog homepage) along with a description of the item you are donating.

If you do not have time, we will gladly do these things for you. But if you do them in advance, we will be able to simply forward the package to the winning bidder.

Feel free to browse Ebay to see what items tend to do well.
We are looking for any of the following items for this auction:

• Artwork
• Collectibles of any kind
• New Clothing
• Vintage designer clothing and accessories,
• New Skin/Hair Products (Make-Up, Face Lotion, Fancy Shampoo, Styling Tools)
• Gift Certificates for Services (Hair Cuts/Color, Exercise Classes, Massages etc.)
• Any high glamor or celebrity related items like Movie Premiere Tickets, Concert Tickets, Walk-On Acting Roles, Airplane Miles, or any item formerly owned by a celebrity (if it can be authenticated)
• Anything cool you don't use but think might help raise a dollar or two

Please email Aaron or Hallie (see links at right) with any questions.

Way to Help # 3 Donate Lots of Money

OK, we're only kind of kidding.
If you have a sizable sum to donate but are concerned about receiving an appropriate tax deduction, please contact a family member. We will of course, be happy to work something out with the help of our tax attorney.
UPDATE: AFTER MANY MANY CALLS TO OUR TAX ATTORNEY, WE ARE SAD TO SAY THAT WE ACTUALLY CAN NOT OFFER A DEDUCTION AFTER ALL :( WE ARE SORRY THAT WE SPOKE TOO SOON.
Our tax attorney said that there is only one way to get around it, which is to ask a foundation (for example, a Lyme disease foundation) to accept the donation on our behalf, and get them to agree to make Joe their cause. This sounds terribly complicated. But if you have any ideas for us, please share. We'd love to hear them.

Way to Help # 4 - Spread the Word

Please share this blog and all of its contents with any and all of your friends and networks (facebook-myspace-twitter etc). Social networking is a powerful tool. Let's use it for good, shall we?

Way to Help #5 - Rock Out

There is a benefit concert in the works... stay tuned.