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A blog about Michael McM., and his health care debts to paid in pints.
To donate, please make a check to:
The Discretionary Trust for Michael S. McMechan
c/o Andrew McMechan
PO Box 2317
BIRMINGHAM, MI 48012-9998
A series of events, from special dinners and concerts by friends, and craft beer and artisan cheese tastings moderated by Lucy Saunders, will be held in 2009, with all proceeds going to pay for Michael's treatment.
Michael is a Gaelic scholar, Harvard graduate, and until he was diagnosed with a Stage 4 brain tumor, a teacher of Gaelic, an ardent lover of literature, and seasoned seller of books.
Borders Books gave Michael a short-term medical leave in December 2008. Michael had worked for the bookstore since the 1990s, when it was the Stuart Brent Books at 670 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago.
If you bought a book from Michael, or learned a new word, please give the price of a pint to help him! Or, if you would like to host a fundraiser or tasting in your home, and gather contributions for Michael's care, please post a comment or send an email to grillingwithbeer@gmail.com to reach Lucy, or to ceolformichael@gmail.com to reach Noah.
Go mbeannaí Dia daoibh.
Hello everyone:
We are waiting for the results of the MRI taken on Friday 3/20/09, Andrew and I keep calling. The surgeon ordered one at no charge (THANKS Dr. Michael of Beaumont!) since he owns a machine at his office. We have put in several calls, anxious to hear the news of how the tumor has changed since the surgery, radiation and chemo.
The surgeon was only able to remove 70% of the tumor because it's the really bad infiltrating kind, with tentacles. We don't know how long Michael has had it; surgeon thinks it's very aggressive. The first symptoms began after Thanksgiving. By early December, he was not functioning: not eating, not dressing, not communicating, not leaving the apartment. We thank God that we were able to learn that he was in trouble. We also thank the angel on the ground Kelly Doherty, who helped us figure out what was happening to him in Chicago...and has been helping with Michael's cats and apartment issues (along with husband Jamie) ever since!
Michael's brother Andrew drove to Chicago and brought Michael back here to Michigan since he was not able and cannot take care of himself. It is wonderful to hear from so many people who care about Michael. He's had some friends come to visit, people have sent cards and called.
The speech center of the brain is the where the tumor is located; Michael understands what is said to him but is very short on words, and tries to express a complex thought but cannot. He also has great difficulty trying to write anything. He has difficulty with balance and there are times when he must hold on to a wall and we put a chair behind him; he simply can't go on.
Unless he has a Doctor's appointment, his days are spent here at our home, where he reads the newspaper, walks around the house looking at things, watches TV or sleeps. We have a great room for him in our fully finished basement with a large full bathroom. He is able to get down the stairs while holding on to the railing. One interesting thing: before the tumor was partially removed, he was more likely to speak Irish rather than English, and not even realize he was doing it! That is better now. He is eating every bite of his meals.
Michael currently has about $100,000.00 in medical bills and no health insurance. It looks like he will receive some social security, and he also applied for medicaid but we haven't heard anything about that yet.
Michael has built his life around his ideals. He has lived simply and healthily, he walked everywhere. He is a vegetarian and practiced yoga. With all that healthy living, it seems so unfair that he should have this horrible cancer. He indulged only one thing: his desire for knowledge. He has this tremendous love for the Irish language and lore, and has been generous about spreading the knowledge for many, many years. Well folks, I could go on and on and on...this is the first time I have blogged in my life! Thank you for your interest and caring about Michael. Anything you can do to help is greatly appreciated!
Marian McM (Michael's sister in law, Andrew's wife.)