THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, October 7, 1994 TAG: 9410050097
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 01B EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: Vital Signs
SOURCE: Pam Starr
LENGTH: Long : 118 lines
Nicolas Tripicco yawned widely and stared in blue-eyed wonder at his grandfather, Ronald Thompson.
Thompson held the 2-month-old tenderly, in one crook of his tattooed arm, and smiled indulgently.
``Hey, little fella, what are you doing?'' he asked the infant, who was clad in overalls and a ballcap. ``You gonna go fishing with me?''
Nicolas just smiled at Thompson and gurgled.
More than any thing else, Thomp son wants to see his first grand child grow up. But a year is all he has left to live if he does not receive a liver transplant. Thompson, 47, was diagnosed with cirrhosis of the liver in May and was told that his liver is 80 percent deteriorated. He lost 70 pounds in just a few weeks.
``It just got progressively worse, I got more fatigued,'' said Thompson, sitting around the dining room table with his wife, Sandy, and their three daughters in a house off Potters Road. ``Doctors told me there's only one way to go for liver disease, and that's a transplant. Now my blood tests show that I have hepatitis C.''
The biggest problem facing Thompson and his family, however, is raising enough money to put his name on a transplant waiting list. A dump truck driver who hasn't worked since May, Thompson has no medical insurance and is not eligible for Medicaid. He has to pay $35,000 just to place his name on a waiting list for a suitable donor at the University an of Virginia Medical Center. He also will need an extra $250,000 to pay for the procedure and medical aftercare. Anti-rejection drugs will cost $1,500 a month for the first year after the transplant, then hundreds of dollars a month for the rest of his life.
The family is raising money - the hard way. They contacted the Barbara Anne DeBoer Foundation, a nonprofit organization that assists individuals who need transplants with fund-raising activities and marketing. The sale of candy bars and doughnuts has brought in $3,000. They've held yard sales and spaghetti dinners. They've contacted churches, Lion's clubs, Moose lodges and the VFW about holding fund-raisers, but the response has been slow, said Sandy, a part-time clerk at Dimensions in Lynnhaven Mall.
And they're still $30,000 away from Thompson being put on a waiting list.
This nickel-and-dime money-raising has been a frustrating and demoralizing experience for everyone involved, said daughter Lisa Tripicco, 25. The other daughters are Debbie Meeks, 22, and Dawn Thompson, 17.
``It seems like a price tag is more important than someone's life,'' said Lisa. ``If you don't have insurance, how do you get even the basic things done?''
Sandy and the daughters even contacted the ABC show ``Turning Point,'' to see if they would be interested in showing what a liver patient endures from diagnosis to transplant. They're still waiting for a reply.
``The biggest thing is we need exposure - we can only pass out so many fliers,'' said Sandy. ``We're out of ideas on how to raise more money.''
Thompson has changed the way he looks at life now. Little things don't bother him the way they used to. He dearly loves his wife and daughters and shows them more often. He's not afraid to cry, nor to face the ``grimness'' of death. But he can't face the thought of leaving his grandson. Not yet.
``He's my pal,'' said Thompson, wiping away a tear. ``That's my main goal - to share my life with him.''
MORE THAN 14 MILLION AMERICANS HAVE MENTAL ILLNESS such as schizophrenia, manic-depression, panic disorder, bipolar disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder.
This week has been Mental Illness Awareness Week, begun 10 years ago by the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill. The theme this year is ``Treatment Works, So People Can, Too.''
Eugenia ``Gene'' Ferrell and Gerald Lavandosky volunteer at the group's local affiliate, The Alliance for the Mentally Ill - Virginia Beach.
Ferrell, who has two brothers with schizophrenia, started the group in 1968 as a way to improve the lives of those who have mental illness. It's a nonprofit organization of friends and family of persons with mental illness.
``We are trying to raise public awareness of mental illness. One of our big things is to get rid of the stigma,'' said the former substitute teacher. ``There's little to fear from people with mental illness.''
The Alliance for the Mentally Ill used to be called the Schizophrenia Foundation, but the name was changed last month because the organization deals with all forms of mental illness. Volunteers such as Lavandosky work closely with the city's Community Services Board and keep a close eye on the health insurance situation. Lavandosky said that persons with mental illness are discriminated against by insurance companies.
``Someone with a physical illness can spend 80 days in a hospital but if you have a mental illness you're usually limited to 30 days,'' said Lavandosky, who has a son with obsessive-compulsive disorder.'' MEMO: TO DONATE
Rudy & Kelly Hairstylist at Lynnhaven Mall will hold a Cut-A-Thon on
Sunday, Oct. 16 from noon to 6 p.m. All haircuts will be $10 and
proceeds will go to the Barbara Anne DeBoer Foundation, on behalf of
Ronald Thompson.
Tax-deductible donations also can be made payable to the Barbara Anne
DeBoer Foundation and sent to the Barbara Anne DeBoer Foundation, c/o
Resource Bank, 3720 Virginia Beach Blvd., Virginia Beach, Va., 23452.
Attention Nancy Isphording.
If you can help Ronald Thompson in any other way, call him at
463-9752.
The alliance is hosting a run/walk on the Boardwalk, 4th Street and
Oceanfront, tomorrow at 9:30 a.m. in observance of Mental Illness
Awareness Week. The Alliance for the Mentally Ill _ Virginia Beach is at
414 Pembroke One, phone 499-2041. ILLUSTRATION: Photo
Ronald Thompson, 47, wants to live to see grandson Nicolas Tripicco
grow up.
Staff photo by CHARLIE MEADS
Eugenia ``Gene'' Ferrell and Gerald Lavandosky are volunteers at The
Alliance for the Mentally Ill - Virginia Beach which is marking
Mental Illness Awareness Week. Ferrell, who has two brothers with
schizophrenia, started the group in 1968 as a way to improve the
lives of those who have mental illness. It's a nonprofit
organization of friends and family of persons with mental illness.
by CNB