CarlLaFong Posted February 11, 2014 Share Posted February 11, 2014 I knew a guy with one leg named Pete. I don't know what the other leg was named Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bofusmosby Posted February 12, 2014 Share Posted February 12, 2014 I am a bit surprised about the finance issue. Even if not eligible for subsidy, I would have thought that with the new setup, healthcare insurance premiums would be cheaper than paying for the surgery out of pocket. And they can't deny you for pre-existing conditions anymore.I will be calling the affordable care insurance place in the morning. My problem is, for the first time in my life, I am a small business owner, and for the first time in my life, I have no income. I didn't pay myself anything in the month of January, but hope to make a little profit this month. This all weighs heavy on me with no insurance, no income, and possible cancer in my thigh. The timing of all this couldn't possibly have been worse. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TerryB Posted February 12, 2014 Share Posted February 12, 2014 Jim, hope all goes well for you. I did the ACA this year, in January, and it went great. Joined on line as PA has no state run site. Took longer than I expected as I had 22 plans to choose from. Its nice to have choices!!Terry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Bob Call Posted February 12, 2014 Share Posted February 12, 2014 JimDoes Florida have taxpayer supported public hospitals? I have lived in Texas and they have public hospital districts where larger counties have a hospital supported by real estate taxes. Some rural counties group together to support a district. These are full service hospitals often teaching hospitals affiliated with well know universities. If one can't afford to pay there is no charge. The public hospital in Houston is affiliated with Baylor University School of Medicine.What about the American Cancer Society? Can they provide some assistance?I wish the best for you and will pray for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bofusmosby Posted February 12, 2014 Share Posted February 12, 2014 Thanks guys. Truth be told, I have never accepted or received a penny of public assistance. No food stamps, Welfare, handouts, nothing. My parents taught me to pull my own weight in this world, and never rely on any kind of assistance. This is one of the things that is really getting to me. I had my last cancer surgery in 2009, and after that, no insurance would cover me, well, that I could afford. I've never been unemployed my entire adult life. I guess it's the timing of all this at the same time that is putting a heavy toll on my mind and body.Actually getting cancer was the main reason why I bought my old Pontiac. I had always dreamed of owning an old car, and there is nothing like a slap-in-the-face illness that makes a person re-think their life. I decided then, that if I didn't make the move, I would never experience the joy of driving an old car. So I bought my Pontiac. I will say this though, by joining this site, I have never met a more generous group of people in my life! From the very beginning, I was welcomed into this community. I will never forget the friends I have made here, and all the help that was given to me, even though my knoweledge on old cars was very limited at best. I want to thank each and every one of you for this. Thank you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hddennis Posted February 12, 2014 Share Posted February 12, 2014 Found this picture of how FDR's 1936 Ford was controlled.Howard Dennis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Mellor NJ Posted February 12, 2014 Share Posted February 12, 2014 I knew a guy with one leg named Pete. I don't know what the other leg was namedIf he only had one leg what other leg are you talking about? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dandy Dave Posted February 12, 2014 Share Posted February 12, 2014 If he only had one leg what other leg are you talking about?Tthththththththt, ... Peter, the middle one. Got it now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dandy Dave Posted February 12, 2014 Share Posted February 12, 2014 (edited) I have had my share of handicapped controlled vehicles. My ex-wife was born with OI which is a brittle bone disease. She had an 87 Pontiac Sunbird with a hand control. Of course this was an automatic trans car. Next vehicle was a 92 Ford Econoline Van. This was equipped with a Wheel Chair lift. The switches would sometimes go out of adjustment and I would have to do some adjusting to get them to work. This van had hidden magnetic switches in the rear right of the vehicle. The wheel chair lift could be deployed while on the ground by operating the switches with a magnet that was on the key chain. She ran the wheels off of that vehicle. We had two children that were dealt with the same problem as she. When they were 3 and 5 she and I split. I was granted custody so more handicapped equipped vehicles were in my future. Next was a Dodge Van with a high top and wheel chair lift. Did not keep that one long as the rear end howled and it had some other issues. I think it was around a 96. Next was a Chevy Astro Van with a Wheel chair lift. that ran good but had a ton of miles. The last one was a Chevy Express with a wheelchair lift. Very nice van. The lift deployed with a remote control, from outside. All these vans also had switches on the inside so that the lift could be from the drivers seat or off of the lift its self. The children are no longer with me, so I had no need for a special needs van any longer.As far as insurance, I would bet that you can get covered much easier now than a few years ago. I had surgery on a left knee back in December and was 100 percent covered under the new insurance laws. I have also been self employed for many years. When I went to apply, they did not even ask me if I had old cars. You should not have a problem getting covered and retaining your assets. The law is that you are required to have it, and it must be affordable. Look around on the Web for your state insurance programs and get the ball rolling. Dandy Dave! Edited February 12, 2014 by Dandy Dave (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest AlCapone Posted February 12, 2014 Share Posted February 12, 2014 (edited) Thanks guys. Truth be told, I have never accepted or received a penny of public assistance. No food stamps, Welfare, handouts, nothing. My parents taught me to pull my own weight in this world, and never rely on any kind of assistance. This is one of the things that is really getting to me. I had my last cancer surgery in 2009, and after that, no insurance would cover me, well, that I could afford. I've never been unemployed my entire adult life. I guess it's the timing of all this at the same time that is putting a heavy toll on my mind and body.Actually getting cancer was the main reason why I bought my old Pontiac. I had always dreamed of owning an old car, and there is nothing like a slap-in-the-face illness that makes a person re-think their life. I decided then, that if I didn't make the move, I would never experience the joy of driving an old car. So I bought my Pontiac. I will say this though, by joining this site, I have never met a more generous group of people in my life! From the very beginning, I was welcomed into this community. I will never forget the friends I have made here, and all the help that was given to me, even though my knoweledge on old cars was very limited at best. I want to thank each and every one of you for this. Thank you!I also wish you well and pray for a complete recovery for you! I have a substantial collection of antique cars that I am unable to drive at the present time due to health conditions. My very compassionate wife has traded me sides on the seat and we enjoy them immensely. I am enjoying teaching her and the kids and grandchildren how to drive also. They had to learn some time and the experience was wonderful. So do I still enjoy my old cars......of course I do, just in a different manner.in prayer and thoughts, Waynep.s. I am seeing scenery I never knew existed ! Edited February 12, 2014 by AlCapone (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Dobbin Posted February 12, 2014 Share Posted February 12, 2014 Congratulations to all you that have overcome this situation. I'd like to share a story of a guy some of you may remember.Ken DeWitt in Clearwater Florida was in a auto accident in he 80's and lost a leg. He got a wooden one and continued life as normal and was restoring Model A Fords to age 100. He was building metal bodied roadster pickups with new bodies and old restored chassis & running parts and selling them as fast as he could build them. Friends organized a 100th Birthday Party two weeks before his actual birthday, which he attended and enjoyed. Then a week before his actual 100th, he died.He enjoyed telling the story of driving one of his Model A's down Gulf Blvd. in St. Pete Beach when his wooden leg became wedged between the brake and clutch pedal. When he pulled back the leg came off. Then he reached downwith one had to retrieve the leg while driving the Model A with the other hand and foot. As he told it he then waved the wooden leg in the air while honking his horns and weaving through traffic yelling, "my leg came off"!Every time he told the story he relived the excitement and the humor of the moment. My hat is off to him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CarlLaFong Posted February 12, 2014 Share Posted February 12, 2014 If the jokes are going over your head, get a stepladder:oThe joke is, he had two legs, One was called "Pete", but I don't know what he called the other oneInsert groan here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john2dameron Posted February 12, 2014 Share Posted February 12, 2014 We answered a call for a car wreck one night. One of the guys ran up to the wrecked and asked the driver if he was OK. His reply was, "I can't find my leg." It had also came off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amphicar BUYER Posted February 13, 2014 Share Posted February 13, 2014 Years ago in my 1st 1966 Cadillac convertible, the pitman arm broke sending us into an oak tree at 35mph. My friend Matt who had lost a leg when he was 15 was in the back seat. The force pushed his prosthetic under the front seat, tossing him forward breaking the knee. He got out of the car as the cops got there and saw Matt trying to walk with his leg swinging back and forth. The one cop turned grey and panic set it. He is screaming at Matt telling him he's in shock and needs to sit down. Matt calmly looks at him and said "it's OK, I have another one at home" It took me several minutes to convince the cop he really was OK.I have been paralyzed for 32 years now. I've been restoring Amphicars for 12 years. I do 97% of my work alone. I find more often than not people spend more time trying to help me do what I'm doing instead doing what needs to be done by them. I have used my hoist to lift me into the rafters to install an air hose reel. I stacked couch cushions on my bed so I could crawl up onto a chest of drawers to install a ceiling fan. An old roommate lifted me onto an old pop machine to do another ceiling fan for him (he had a fear of electricity). On my riding mower, I have Velcro on my boots for keeping my feet on my Harley's floorboards and more on the mower's clutch. I push on my knee to actuate the mower's clutch when I mow or have to use the blade. I drove my 1969 Bonneville to Montana and back using a tube from my vacuum as hand controls. So many other examples as well. My point is there is a way around EVERYTHING! I may not always be quick or graceful, but I do get it done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest kaycee Posted February 14, 2014 Share Posted February 14, 2014 And done well, John!!! kaycee Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bofusmosby Posted February 14, 2014 Share Posted February 14, 2014 John, you are a true inspiration! Thank you for posting all this info, it is well appreciated.Well, I FINALLY spoke to someone who knows what's going on. He never could pull up my application number, so I had to start from scratch. I had a plan in mind (before talking to him) that had a $6,000 deductable, and after that, they paid 80% of costs after that. I would have had to pay over $350 a month after the subsidies (discounts), which was more than I could afford. Well, not I have got a price on another plan, and I will be calling back this morning to sign up. On this new plan, I will have a $500 deductable, with a total out of pocket (per year) of $2,000, and after that, the insurance pays 100%! I qualify for a $450 discount, so my out of pocket per month on the premium will be $97 a month! Damn, I can actually handle that! He (the guy from the Obama site) said it makes a big difference on me being self employed.Now, I will call up Moffitt hospital this morning just to make sure that they will accept that insurance, and if they do, I will be signing up today Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dandy Dave Posted February 14, 2014 Share Posted February 14, 2014 Good. Glad to hear. Dandy Dave! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TerryB Posted February 14, 2014 Share Posted February 14, 2014 Glad to hear the good news, Jim. Sounds similar to my outcome with the ACA site. Hope all goes well for you!!Terry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Texas Old Car Guy Posted February 14, 2014 Share Posted February 14, 2014 (edited) Jim:Hope all goes well for you. Regarding your initial question (post #1), driving old cars with a disability has probably been around as long as cars have. On page 63 of the "Seventy Years of Buick" book by George H. Dammann there is a picture of a family in front of a 1918 Buick with the caption: "Mr. and Mrs. Phil Miler of Kewanee, Ill., posed proudly with their newly purchased 1918 Model E-37 Buick Sedan, shortly before they left on a trouble-free 6,700 mile trip through New England and down the east coast. The trip was a bit remarkable because Mr. Miler had no legs, and had to operate the car with his cumbersome artificial limbs."Not trying to be tasteless (just to lighten things up a bit), a friend of mine's father served in the Korean War as a tank commander and got a very serious case of frostbite. Over the course of several years gangrene set in and he had to have multiple amputations. He lost eight of his fingers and both legs just above the knees. He had a great sense of humor about his situation and made the most of it all of his remaining life. He would comment, "I'd do such-and-such but I don't have a leg to stand on." One morning he was sitting on his back porch in New Braunfels, Texas and saw a rattlesnake crawling through his yard and told his wife, "Honey, I'm gonna go kill that snake." She replied, "Bill, please be careful." He said, "What the hell, if he bites me all he's gonna get is a mouth full of splinters." After one of his many surgeries he was discharged from the VA hospital and while driving home using his hand controls in his late model Oldsmobile a lady ran a stop sign and plowed into his car at about 20 miles an hour. The fender bender made him ram his freshly bandaged "stump" into the dashboard. She jumped out of her car and when she walked up to his window he raised up his now-soaked in red bandaged stump and said, "Look what you did to me!" - She fainted and fell back into the street.I also worked with a former Marine who had been injured in combat and had a wooden artificial leg. The company we worked for was pretty tight when it came to expenses so when we would have national sales meetings, they required the salesmen to share a hotel room (2 guys to a room). It was an annual tradition that Vern would get up early and sneak out of the room with Tom's artificial leg. In a little while Tom would come hopping into the hotel banquet room for the sales meeting yelling "Vern, damn you, where's my leg?" Thankfully Tom too had a good sense of humor or no one would have attempted such a thing.No matter what happens to you in life, it's good to maintain a sense of humor.Fred Edited February 14, 2014 by Texas Old Car Guy (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GLong Posted February 15, 2014 Share Posted February 15, 2014 Most if not all hospitals have some form of payment plan for those who don't have deep pockets, but have assets or income.. Usually you can get help on who to talk with from the American Cancer Society, or other assistance programs.One suggestion: you have been an independant, tax paying citizen for your wage-earning years. Some of that 'public assistance' was paid for by YOU, in my mind that means it's YOUR's to use.. You are not taking advantage of the system, you are not a lesser person or of lower moral integrity because you NEED the programs that we have paid taxes into for all these years.. So, don't be a martyr, go get some advice, figure out what can be done to either lessen the financial burden on you or relieve it completely.. This is what a society is for: to help each other.Greg L Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bofusmosby Posted February 15, 2014 Share Posted February 15, 2014 Thank you guys. I now have an appointment with the hospital Dr on the 24th of this month, and before seeing the Dr, I am supposed to go by the finanace dept. I asked about the payment to see the Dr, and they told me N/C. Things are looking better!All you huys have really been an inspiration to not only me, but to any others that might be faced with a situation like this. All of this is well appreciated. Oh, and BTW, believe me, I still have my sense of humor. I use it every day, even with the Drs when they give me the news. LOL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1937hd45 Posted February 16, 2014 Share Posted February 16, 2014 Bill Schindler may have the only guy to race in the INDY 500 without a leg. Bob http://near1.speedwaylinereport.com/HALL-OF-FAME/2004/BILL_SCHINDLER.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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