mraardvark 0 #1 August 3, 2004 PLEASE READ AND HELP! On July 28, 2004 Joan Marie Meadow had a skydiving accident at Skydive Monroe www.skydivemonroe.com near Atlanta. Joan was airlifted to Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta where she remains in critical condition. Joan has cracked vertabrae in her neck and back, broken pelvis and hip, most of her front teeth are broken out, and most of her ribs are broken. Joan is not responding to any stimuli. We expect her to come around but she has no health insurance. She is a single mom with 2 wonderful girls ages 3 and 7. We need to help her! We must help her maintain the mortgage of her Gainesville, Ga. home and support these children who probably will be living with her brother's family in Athens, Ga. My name is Charles Pharr. I made the skydive with Joan. We made a big mistake. I was beaten up but she is paying dearly. Joan has been a friend of mine for 11 years as well as a faithful employee. She is a wonderful mother whose children thrive under her. She does volunteer work with her church, her children's school and other areas. Again she needs our help! I am starting a fund for her family to use to help her. Please, please, if you can. Just send a check for the amount of one jump or more to help her. Just one jump at least! Make checks or money orders payable to Joan Meadow Recovery Fund and mail to the address below or you may make a deposit at any BB & T . These checks will be put into a trust account and her family will use them to support her and her children. Please contact me personally with any questions. My name is Charles Pharr Jr. Thanks so much for your help! I assure you, all funds will go to Joan and her family! [email protected] cell 770-540-1939 home 770-534-0909 office 770-534-6611 Please send funds to: Joan Meadow Recovery Fund Brand Bank & Trust P O Box 2342 Gainesville, Ga 30503Thanks for reading! Charles Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GravityGirl 0 #2 August 4, 2004 I am turely sorry for this tragedy. However, you should consider filling in more information about yourself. I have not heard about this incident. The first I am hearing is from someone I don't know at all. I'm sure you will find the skydiving community to be amazing and helpful in the time of need. But the response will be far greater if you offer more information on the incident as well as yourself. Please don't take this the wrong way. Just trying to help. Edit: I just found this at www.skydivemonroe.com -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- QuoteThis is information on Joan's Condition as 10:30pm. Russell just called from Grady with this update. All Ribs on Right side broken Some Ribs on Left side broken Pelvis on right side broken 2 broken vertabrae, no spinal cord damage (Thank God) Nicked Spleen Some type of Head Trauma (Unsure still on this part) no bleeding on the brain, but her right eye is not responding or moving. This, according to Russel, is what concerns them most. She is heavily sedated but is responding to her Pastor and family. (Another Thank God) She will stay in the emergency room overnight, I guess that is how they do it at Grady. There is a Neuro Surgeon on duty who will be with her all night. She needs all our prayers, vibes or whatever you believe in, so keep it up. I am going to stop by Grady tommorrow around mid-morning so I'll post again tommorrow. Becca ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Peace and Blue Skies! Bonnie ==>Gravity Gear! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
chaoskitty 0 #3 August 4, 2004 I had a couple of fund-raising ideas, I PM'd to Becca. I am glad you are doing well, and hope Joan recovers quickly. Peace and love to her family and dz family. Kristi Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rmsmith 1 #4 August 4, 2004 QuoteWe expect her to come around but she has no health insurance. She is a single mom with 2 wonderful girls ages 3 and 7. We need to help her! We must help her maintain the mortgage of her Gainesville, Ga. home... No insurance, single mother with two dependent children, and a home mortgage responsibility? Amazing! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hottamaly 1 #5 August 4, 2004 I hate to sound uncareing because I do feel bad when someone gets hurt but, I make sure I jump with insurance. I'd be a fool not to. I don't expect the skydiving community or anyone else to carry me if I have any kind of accident. We skydivers give all the time, but it just makes me sick that so many have huge responsibilities (at home, kids, etc) and don't have health insurance or any other kind to help if there is a problem. Sorry about the rant, but we can't support the whole skydiving community. Skydiving gave me a reason to live I'm not afraid of what I'll miss when I die...I'm afraid of what I'll miss as I live Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MrHixxx 0 #6 August 6, 2004 I hate to sound caring, but your response might the tackiest thing I've read in the history of the forums. You are certainly overstating the obvious by saying she should have had insurance. The point of the post is to raise money for her children, not to discourage it because their mother made some poor choices. The insensitivity of your remark makes me ashamed to be in this sport and use your products. -Jon Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
billvon 2,400 #7 August 6, 2004 >The point of the post is to raise money for her children, not to discourage > it because their mother made some poor choices. And the point of Linda's post is that people should think very hard about insurance. It's too late for Joan, but is not too late for the great majority of people reading this thread. If, as a result of this thread, even a few people end up with insurance that later makes the difference between suffering and good financial support for them or their families, this thread will have been worth it. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
littlestranger 0 #8 August 6, 2004 QuoteI hate to sound caring, but your response might the tackiest thing I've read in the history of the forums. You are certainly overstating the obvious by saying she should have had insurance. The point of the post is to raise money for her children, not to discourage it because their mother made some poor choices. The insensitivity of your remark makes me ashamed to be in this sport and use your products. At the risk of getting flamed myself, I totally agree with Linda. Whether you skydive or not, if you have children you should have insurance, it's part of the responsibilty of parenthood. It's interesting that you can take offense to someone stating the truth as opposed to whitewashing around it. Also, some people have to be clubbed in the head with "the obvious". Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MakeItHappen 15 #9 August 6, 2004 I am going to put forth yet another view on this, possibly suitable for flaming. An adult with two kids ought to have health insurance or at the very least life insurance to bridge the gap from their injury or death to when the children can be taken care of properly. I wonder where 'Dad' is in this situation. Wouldn't child support help with mortgage and daily living expenses? I wonder why an employee of 11 years does not have health or life insurance, unless they were part-time for all of those years. But if they were part time, how could someone afford a mortgage, while raising two kids? I wonder why USPA has no record of Joan Meadow as a member or license holder. I wonder why two 'less than 100 jumps jumpers' are jumping together and run into big-time trouble. I wonder if the age-old gender bias of a 'more experienced male jumper' convincing a 'new female jumper' into jumps over her head is at work. I am really at a loss to explain why MrAardvark or Becca or anyone else has not provided experience levels for the jumpers involved. MrAardvark's A license is listed in June Parachutist, pg 77 'Charles Pharr A-44869 GA'. This would suggest that Charles had at least 25 jumps by the end of May or mid-April. I am sorry to hear about these injuries, have compassion for those involved and the devastation it has upon those involved. But I do still ask the questions about 'this could have been avoided if…' I am not out to bust anyone's chops on a BSR violation or a GM Pledge violation, I just want to know if this accident was a scenario where a 'new' jumper went out on a jump with a 'student' jumper because they were the only folks around and there was a great deal of personal friendship involved. [My red flag indicators suggest that Joan had passed her AFF levels1-7 or 8, but had not yet attained an A-license. This is speculation.] I do not see the whole picture here. .. Make It Happen Parachute History DiveMaker Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PhreeZone 15 #10 August 6, 2004 With the new A cards that don't need mailed in a lot of people around here just seem to be using them until they get their C or D. Could explain why there is no licence for her on file at USPA. Also a lot of places let the USPA membership slide if you were a student there until you mail in for a licence it seems.Yesterday is history And tomorrow is a mystery Parachutemanuals.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
argon 0 #11 August 7, 2004 If you can afford two kids and a mortgage. If you can afford to pursue any activity using discretionary income,especially ANY sport which injuries can and do happen then it should occur to you that health insurance is VITAL to your family.The fact that even routine illness has the potential to bankrupt you without a healthcare plan points out the fact that Joan should have rethought alot of things. Skydiving is the tip of the iceberg. Asking for donations is indeed noble-but as other posts have already stated there is simply not enough information available. I can only wish her a speedy and successful recovery.*********** Freedom isn't free. Don't forget: Mother Earth is waiting for you--there is a debt you have to pay...... POPS #9329 Commercial Pilot,Instrument MEL Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lawrocket 3 #12 August 8, 2004 This thread is the reason why I have not jumped in over a year. A kid on the way, a business to run, a wife to worry about. I'm not jumping again until everything is straightened out and this happening to me won't devastate my family in more ways than one. My wife is hotter than your wife. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
