This story was on page 13A of the May 11 edition of The Toledo Blade. I didn’t catch it until I was doing the recycling this weekend, but it’s worth a read: Financial woes forcing the ill to ask for aid.

A snippet:

Families such as the Laffarthas increasingly are turning to spaghetti dinners and other fund-raising efforts to help cover mounting health-related expenses.

Five years ago, for example, the National Transplant Assistance Fund opened 30 funds for patients in a busy month. Now that number is approaching 40, said Susann Reiher, patient services coordinator for the nonprofit in Radnor, Pa.

“We’re opening record numbers of funds each month,” she said. “It’s been amazing, really amazing.

Locally, the American Cancer Society is fielding more calls from patients seeking help with raising money for medical-related expenses, especially in the last 18 months, said B.J. Fischer, an organization spokesman.

What can you do when you are in that situation?

If you decide to go the fundraiser route, do understand that it can be difficult to get your fundraiser to stand out in the crowd. You need to get the time / date / location details confirmed as soon as possible and start the publicity five to six weeks in advance to get the best use of the free publicity options that are available for non-profit causes. While I can place a notice in the Community Page of The Monroe Evening News with about a week’s notice before your event or reservation deadline, you’ve missed a lot of other opportunities for free local publicity if you wait that long to get the word out.

In the meantime, soak up any opportunity you can find for assistance both with medical and non-medical expenses.  Julie’s List is a fantastic resource for those of us who live in southeast Michigan.

And if you’re new to this sort of thing, read my sidebar: Do you need assistance? Tips to read first.