Tuesday 26 March 2013

Nev's First Ever Public Rant!

It's not often I have a little rant about something but this morning on Twitter I saw a tweet go out to help one of our own fellow WoW players regain his sight by raising funds for his treatment. His disease is so rare that the authorities in his area won't pay for the treatment. I'm talking about @DemonicRic aka @Richard_Harlow, a young man I first heard on Hearthcast - talking about how he manages to play World of Warcraft although he is legally blind.

So why did that make me rant? Well, with all the excitement of Blizzcon being announced recently, several fairly well known players with livestreams, podcasts, forums, networks etc are raising money to go to Blizzcon & it's all over my Twitter feed. I am NOT pointing a finger at any one person - there are several going on - I also have nothing against them personally - I applaud their efforts & wish them well - I just wish they'd take a break from raising their own cash & perhaps point their followers to Richards cause. Maybe this post will make them aware of the situation if they don't follow Richard on Twitter.

Having tried to raise money for Breast Cancer Care last year when I was hit with breast cancer myself, I was hoping that my little bit of 'fame' in the gold making world would help me raise just $1500 for such a good cause. I ended up raising just $440 even after some great support from fellow bloggers & being able to talk about it on a couple of podcasts too. At the time I was raising money, there was a fundraising effort going on to raise cash for a CD of original hunter music - that raised $1000's. I know the Hunter community doesn't know me but it still kind of frustrated me.

Now we have a similar situation - a guy who is always positive, actively working to benefit disabled gamers of all types needs some help. I know he's trying to raise a huge sum of money but that shouldn't stop us all dipping in our pockets - even $5 (the cost of a raffle ticket) makes a difference, especially if enough of us donate.


By my rough calculations, those raffles going on have raised over $4000 already - just how much does it take to get to Blizzcon from inside the USA? That would be enough for me to get there from the UK!

I know there have been arguments & disagreements about advertising on blogs, paid for guides etc but at least that is upfront & is obviously there to make money. I have advertising too - it makes me almost nothing to be truthful, but then I don't push it & I don't have my own guide to sell. I'm not perfect but other than my charity fundraising last year, I have never asked for donations & I never will even though I honestly could do with some help myself right now!

I'll probably surprise a few people with this rant - I'm not known for ranting after all but this really galls me. If you can afford $5 for a raffle ticket for a chance of winning an electronic/virtual pet or mount, can't you dip your hand in your pocket for $5 for Richard's medical bill? You could help save his sight.


7 comments:

  1. Nev,

    First, I'm deeply sorry I didn't know you while you were going through your own battle with cancer. I'm completely new to this community. I would've contributed to you without question. My brother's fiance is going through that now and has lost both her breasts but she still smiles. That shows me that life has a lot more to offer than anything material or any place we would want to go. It's about helping people, whether you know them or not. Love your fellow man. I hope you're staying positive and keeping the chin up.

    In regards to Richard, thanks for sharing this information as well. Sometimes information is spread so fast that it's simply overlooked. When it comes to helping, I want to assure you that I care for people who are struggling no matter what. I've contributed to him and hope everything goes well.

    Keep smiling my friend.

    Sincerely,

    WowProfitz (Ray)

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    1. It's a tough thing for a woman to lose her 'assets' but the way I look at it, I got off lightly compared to so many. I caught it early & the Doc's moved fast too. Tell your sis-in-law {{{hugs}}} from a fellow survivor & I hope it all turns out well for her.

      As for Richard, I'm sure every donation will be greatly appreciated & I look forward to the day when he can tell us he has his sight back :)

      Keep smiling yourself hon, mwah!

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  2. I have to say that in defense of those raising money for funds to go to BlizzCon, it is up to the donor what they want to spend thier hard earned money on. While I agree that people should contribute more to charities, there are pople who sould rather spend thir money on things like gambling, alchohol and drugs. Supporting a fellow community member to go to BlizzCon is the donors choice.

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    1. Oh I agree with that - each to their own after all. The same can be said for advertising guides or asking for donations etc but many bloggers take flak for that too. I just did the math in case some of those 'donors' hadn't realised just how much was being raised. I purposely did not include names or the fact that 'raffles' are against paypal rules or any of the other inflammatory stuff.

      I'm sure we would all love to go to Blizzcon but if I can't afford it, then I simply can't afford it.

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  3. It's a very worthwhile cause, Nev.

    I've never attended a Blizzcon, have no intention of attending a Blizzcon, but I do watch the streams. As a person that works 2 jobs and still contributes time and money to the charities of my choice, I would definitely ask people to look at donating as something you do for a cause, and not something to provide an income for one individual.

    There are lots of puppies and kitties that need help, diseases to cure, parks to rehab, and people that need surgeries. I'd ask you to dig deep, and if you don't have the spare money, donate your time.

    A nice first rant, Nev. Although I wouldn't call it a rant, more of an observation.

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    1. So those streams that you watch should just be free with no input from you or other fans? In your post you directly tell people not to donate to someone to help them provide an income to someone, why not? You think that I should be in a position to tell you what to do with the money from your jobs? Unlikely then why do you think it is your place to tell people what NOT to do with their money. I applaud Nev for writing about the things she feels important but I don't want to be browbeaten by people with hints of their holier than thou-ness because they regularly contribute to charities.

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  4. We have completed our interview with Richard and it will be coming out soon on Episode #45 of The Eviscerated Gaming Podcast.

    This is a special feature episode with none of the usual crazy stories, music, or anything extra. It's a full show devoted to interviewing and chatting with Richard Harlow.

    So this isn't a plug for our show, but I highly encourage you to listen to episode #45 once it launches (on iTunes and Stitcher), especially any doubters or anyone who just doesn't get how a blind guy could even play WoW is possible.

    After completing the interview we had a very clear picture of just how very hard it is for him to play or see anything in general. I highly encourage you to listen to the interviews because they will help clear up your assumptions or wonderings.

    Let's get Richard to his goal and get his sight restored!

    Thanks again for this post as well, Nev.

    Keep fightin' the good fight!

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