I’m very tired and under the weather today. A long time reader, who wishes to remain anonymous has asked me to start something, and I’ve agreed more from his relentless attacks about it than anything else. For you, today, I present you, Reader X! If you’re a new reader, click here for the first post on this rather lengthy blog.
Hi, Marissa's Bunny Fans!
I'm a long time reader. I have one of the first individually numbered Fairfax bunnies. I've watched Marissa's Dad from the hopeful beginnings of this blog have some incredible highs and some depressing lows. He's never really asked for anything from the internet, other than our ears to listen to the tale of his daughter. He is not perfect as he has the sin of pride. He thinks as a Father, he can do everything for his daughter and provide everything she needs with little or no help from anybody. He's standing on the precipice right now where doing the right thing for Marissa will imperil the rest of the family around him. He told me how much the surgery was going to cost, and then told me that he could do it, somehow.
I don't think he can do it alone.
Marissa's care has already cost tens of thousands of dollars over two years. The surgery is going to cost nearly a million dollars before insurance. After insurance, Marissa's family will probably be paying out over thirty thousand dollars in addition to what has already been paid out. What he hasn’t told you yet is the surgery won't stop her epilepsy cold. The surgery hopes to contain individual seizures to a smaller portion of the brain that it started in but it isn't a cure. So, Marissa will probably still need some level of care that will only get harder as she gets older, and it's possible the surgery won't help at all.
Help Marissa and her family. I made Marissa's Dad set up a chip in widget on the front page, and I've asked him to put it on this page as well. Do you have $5 to spare, or even a dollar? A little can go a long way, and the internet is basically his habitat and people anyway.
Please?
Thanks Reader X. Through the melodrama, you’re actually correct. The surgery is not a cure, but rather an amelioration, with some hope for improvement. And yes, our portion of the surgery is terrible, and it may not be that low, but we won’t know for sure until the bills start rolling in. Thanks for anything you may be able to contribute, and thanks for reading even if you can’t!

Update- Through November 10th, my employer is matching all contributions!
Marissa watching her brother show off.
Not shown, Brother stealing Marissa’s binky.
September 24, 2010 9:55 AM
Guest Post & Surgery and Care Costs