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We are home again.
SJ Tucker had an exploratory laparotomy (abdominal surgery) on Tuesday (January 13th), and everything went well. Before the surgery, we merely knew there was an abnomality in the area of her right ovary.
The current theory, supported by observations during the surgery, is that SJ did have appendicitis (which was the source of her painful hospitalization before Christmas). There was also a benign and unrelated "chocolate" cystic mass on Sooj's left ovary, which was probably caused by endometriosis.
The surgeon removed SJ's left ovary and its fallopian tube and then called in another surgeon to remove the appendix. We have dubbed the surgery an appendecto-salpingo-oophorectomy, based on the magic of wikipedia research by an instant-messaging monkey combined with sleep deprivation.
The endometriosis has probably been building up slowly for some time, without showing identifiable symptoms. In a way, it is very fortunate that Sooj's appendix flared up, so that the problem with her ovary was noticed and dealt with before it got worse. Kind of amusing to think that it was a good thing that Sooj had appendicitis.
The surgery was successful and smooth and the incision was small (but not tiny). Sooj is recovering quickly, and we were discharged from the hospital late Thursday night. She is going to rest at her mother's house for a couple weeks and we have the doctor's permission to start traveling again at the end of January.
I am very sorry I didn't post this status update earlier. There are so many things to take care of, but I absolutely must take care of Sooj first. She is not yet completely indepenent again.
On the medical billing front, we are glad that we only spent spent two nights in the hospital this time, although the second surgeon may add to the bill, and we still get to find out what the surgery room, the biopsies, and the anesthesiologist are going to cost.
I'm really not worried about getting it all paid for, eventually. We have so many fans and friends who have given us their support, and we have this incredible benefit anthology that will be coveted by every fan of Neil Gaiman, Terri Windling, Ari Berk, Holly Black, Catherynne M. Valente, Storm Constantine, or any of the other amazing authors and artists who are contributing to it. (Amy Brown, anyone?) If everyone buys a copy of this book (and I know you all want one), then we are certain to have all of our bills covered.
Although we are not yet out of the woods (nor do we quite know how deep the woods are), I think we are ready to tell everyone to relax. Sooj is healing, and she will get better very quickly with all the positive energy and support that everyone is sending to her. The benefit anthology and the numerous fundraising efforts that have been set up and the generous donations we have been promised or already received are certain to take care of all the medical bills.
I will continue to make updates here, on Facebook, and at the Save our Sooj Livejournal community. The LJ community is the most active discussion point, so I will make all news updates there first, and update the others as I have time.
As a special thank-you to all of you, we are continuing our "Give a Healthy Dose of Sooj" fire sale until the end of January. You can still pick up any of SJ Tucker's eight current albums at wholesale prices on our discounts page or you may choose to buy the albums and t-shirts at standard retail prices on our normal merchandise page.
If you love Sooj and her music, you can still help share the music anytime using the bandcamp.mu embedding tools.
Still, please help us continue to spread the word. We won't be completely out of the woods until we've received the last hospital bill and negotiated the last payment and figured out how all of this is going to affect our taxes. We won't actively encourage donations unless a direct need emerges, but we need you to keep telling folks about the music, the benefits and auctions, and most importantly, the anthology.
Again, thank you. From the bottom of our hearts, we will be eternally grateful for what you are doing for us. Your generosity and support and overflowing love are truly inspiring.
We are still overwhelmed.
SJ is feeling pretty good - still the occasional twinge of pain and discomfort, but she hasn't needed painkillers for a while. She is still taking it easy and avoiding any potential strain. She was subjected to CT scans and an ultrasound at the medical center yesterday, and while they didn't actually TELL us anything about the results, there was no emergency panic or shuttling her off to surgery. So, we've got good news there, even if we still don't have any answers. Tomorrow, we will find out from the doctor whether Sooj is well enough to get back on the road. We are confident that she'll be okay if she takes it easy and lets us do all the heavy lifting. All she has to do is sing.
The livejournal community has been rocking our worlds, as have the continuous flood of donations and sales and online support. The online support and the spreading of the word has done more for Sooj's healing and well being than any doctor ever could.
And, then there is the benefit anthology. Our minds were truly blown when we found out. Our friend Phil Brucato called us and told us to sit down before he gave us the list of authors who are contributing to this book. (That list includes Neil Gaiman, Charles de Lint, Terri Windling, Catherynne Valente, and Storm Constantine!) This book is going to be incredible, and it's all to support our Sooj, and we can now confidently say that we have no worries about our ability to pay our hospital bills, once we manage to talk them down to $25,000.
Oh, did I mention that? Some of our dear friends who have experience in the mysterious and scary world of hospitals and medical bills have warned us that the medical bills could very well come in MUCH HIGHER than $25K over the course of the next several months - but the good news is we will probably be able to talk them DOWN to $25K, because most hospitals and doctors have systems in place to reduce or write off part of the bills for uninsured patients.
You have to ask them for it, but it's possible. If Sooj were truly poor (ie. didn't own her truck, didn't have collateral assets in the form of eight albums and 150 original songs, et cetera) we might have even had a chance of getting the debt written off entirely. There are systems in place for that, that most people never find out about - even the ones that need them. This is something that we're going to put effort into, I assure you. Even if not for our own benefit, we're going to do our best to change the state of the current medical billing and "insurance" system for the benefit of all the unfortunate folks out there that don't have Sooj's incredible support group of friends and family and sponsors and unbelievably generous fans.
Happy New Year, everyone!
I think I can actually say that, now. The heartfelt response and positive energy that is flowing toward us this week has been absolutely overwhelming. We feel you, out there. We appreciate you, and you are making a difference. That, and the orders are really coming in. I've had to drive to Memphis and St. Louis to supply a couple of friends who will be helping us with fulfilling all the orders.
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s00j is feeling MUCH better. She hasn't needed painkillers for a couple of days, and she is smiling and reasonably active. She is still taking it easy and avoiding any potential strain. No hula hooping and no long drives, because she's not out of the woods yet.
At this time, the most likely potential cause is appendicitis. Ovarian cysts or (unlikely) a gall bladder malfunction are also possible. We won't know until the CT scan and the ultrasound on Tuesday the 6th. The good news is that a laproscopic appendectomy is practically (but not quite) outpatient surgery. If said surgery is necessary, s00j will be in and out in 24 hours and suffer minimal scarring.
As we understand it, they were not able to determine the cause of s00j's distress on the first CT scan because the infection obscured the affected area. They scheduled next CT scan and ultrasound for the 6th of January (Tuesday) so that the infection would have a chance to clear up and allow the doctors a clear view.
While we still have no bill from the hospital (I expect they'll hand us a bill at the very end), we are already applying for financial aid through several resources, including MusiCares, Sweet Relief, Society of Singers, and through the standard Arkansas medical financial aid application process. We have no idea how much, if any, they will be able to help. Apparently MusiCares and Sweet Relief have been underfunded lately (what with the economy and all) and have had to cut back significantly on how much they can give and to whom.
We are also researching and preparing to negotiate directly with the hospital and the individual doctors (they will apparently all bill us separately). I have learned a great deal about the way hospitals handle billing, and there is good news and bad news. The bad news is that we may still need twenty-five grand AFTER I talk them down.
Thank you all for the care and the concern and the love and the donations. We have raised a surprising amount of money already, and we are getting an amazing amount of attention from all corners of the country. That, right there, is our super-shiny silver lining. Thanks to all of you, dozens of outside mailing lists and radio stations and big-name authors and other musicians are all covering s00j and her plight, which is drawing attention to her music, which means that more people are becoming fans. I don't know if we have ever experienced such a striking surge in exposure and popularity as this.
And we need it. Now, more than ever. We are inching towards our fundraising goal, a little bit every day. And you can help. You can write or tell someone about your favorite s00j song or album, or you can use the tools at http://skinnywhitechick.bandcamp.mu/ to embed your favorite song or album into your LJ or facebook or myspace or e-mails. It could look like this:
Dear friends,
I know that some of you have already heard about SJ's recent emergency and hospital stay. It looks likely that it may actually be appendicitis, although the doctors want to confirm this with another CT scan before they do any surgery.
We -do- know that the hospital bills are going to be significant, since this first trip to the hospital involved two emergency rooms, four doctors, a 45 minute ambulance transfer between the two hospitals, a CT scan AND an X-ray, multiple IV antibiotics, nearly daily bloodwork tests, and five and a half nights in the hospital.
Another CT scan and an ultrasound are scheduled after the next batch of test results come back, and if it turns out to be appendicitis, they'll have to do surgery. If it -isn't- appendicitis, then something else will have to be done to keep all of this from happening all over again, but we don't know what.
In short: we're looking at medical bills that could go as high as twenty-five or thirty THOUSAND dollars by the time this is through.
Have I mentioned that we do not yet have medical insurance?
The biggest reasons that Sooj and I can afford to tour around the country to perform for all of you wonderful folks is that we have been healthy and unhindered by debt. We don't want that to change, so we're turning to you for help.
Please help us raise money to pay for these medical bills. Buy CDs. Spread the word. Share links and diggs and do all that interweb magic. What we need is 1000 people with $25. Do you have $25? Do you know someone who does? If you can't give us money, please tell people who might.
Of course, we want you to get something for your money! Even if you already have every album, you could buy CDs as late holiday gifts for your family and friends. Help us, and make people happy at the same time!
In this spirit, we're offering a "Give a Healthy Dose of Sooj" sale. All current SJ Tucker CDs are $10 each (that's our wholesale price). Find more info on the CDs here: http://www.skinnywhitechick.com/discounts.php or buy them right here. (With optional GoogleCheckout or Paypal)
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Sirens |
Tangles |
Haphazard |
Solace & Sorrow |
Tales of I-10: Volume I 
We're also offering digital downloads through an amazing new service called bandcamp.mu: http://skinnywhitechick.bandcamp.mu/
You can download individual tracks and whole albums, and help spread the word by embedding albums or songs in your blogs, facebook posts, and myspace pages!
Now is the time to complete your collection of SJ Tucker's albums. Now is the time to introduce your friends and family members to SJ's music. Please go and buy CDs.
Alternatively, you can sponsor SJ's health directly, and become a Skinny White Chick Sponsor for either a simple donation or a $10 monthly subscription. Money collected through these vectors will be used to cover our medical bills first, and will then be used to set up a decent health insurance policy. (more info at http://www.skinnywhitechick.com/sponsorship.php)
As a special bonus to subscribers and big sponsors, I will begin to periodically upload live SJ Tucker show podcasts to the new forums at http://www.skinnywhitechick.com/forum/, providing our generous donors with recordings of live shows that Sooj has done over the last couple years. These podcasts will be a mix of past and present shows, ranging as far back as 2005.
Anyone can join the forums to discuss shows and projects, but only sponsors will be able to download the podcasts. This is a forum setup I have been working on for about a year, and it was just about ready to launch in the middle of December.
So, $10 monthly subscriptions as Skinny White Chick Sponsors allows full access to the weekly podcasts as downloads for the duration of your subscription. A $100 or higher donation as a Skinny White Chick Sponsor will count as an annual membership. For donations of $1,000 or more, we will discuss something special to thank you appropriately for your generosity.
Please, take advantage of our wholesale CD prices, give albums to your friends and relatives, become a sponsor, use the sharing tools at bandcamp.mu, and tell people about the music and our fundraising needs. We need your help spreading the word, even if you can't afford to give financially.
Thank you very much for your time and attention and your generous support.
Blessings and love to all of you,
Kevin K' Wiley
SJ Tucker's assistant