I don't know John Ostrander all that well. He's written some terrific comic books and the few times we've talked, he's seemed like a pretty good guy. So I sure don't like hearing that he's been battling glaucoma and that he's racked up some huge bills (medical and travel) in an attempt to save his eyesight.
As I understand it, John has health insurance. When we hear the sad fact that 86.7 million Americans have no health insurance, we often make the mistake of assuming those are the folks at risk; that everyone else is protected. Well, guess again. One of the umpteen reasons the system has to change is that even a lot of folks who have Blue Cross or Aetna or Some Color Shield or one of those other plans can wake up one morn and discovered their continued existence depends on treatments and medicine that are Not Covered.
But I'm not here to turn John's plight into a commercial for Health Care Reform. I'm here to turn it into a commercial for John. A number of his friends have formed comix4sight, an endeavor that is collecting donations and running auctions to raise the necessary funds. Go to that webpage and see what you can do to help. Please.