Over at BoingBoing, Xeni Jardin is justifiably outraged that some kids have to resort to selling lemonade to help raise money for a parent’s cancer treatment. And she shares my deep disdain for the cloying treatment these stories receive in the media. Rather than questioning why our health care system forces families to the brink of financial ruin, the reporters who cover these stories for the local yammer on about the family’s can-do attitude and the generosity of friends and family. But generosity has its limits. The boy’s efforts have raised about $10,000 thus far, enough to cover one or two chemotherapy treatments. I hope the kid raises lots more, but I also hope that we aren’t too far from the day when families will no longer have to go begging for the money to keep Dad alive.
But that may depend on the actions of five Supreme Court justices.
