Calling everyone: We can make a difference!

[KFCreator]

Hi everyone. As a lot of you know, I have been around on this board for many many years now and am glad to call so many of you my friends. A lot of you also know some of my backstory but for those of you who don't, I was born in San Diego, California, 2 1/2 months premature which, back in 1981, was almost unheard of to have a baby survive that. I spent the first 6 months of my life in the hospital in ICU and spent the next 8 years in and out of the hospital for various surgical and illness-related issues caused by being born a preemie. By my early teens, I was beginning to grow out of most of my medical conditions. At 14, I was diagnosed with severe scoliosis and had to wear a back brace for the next year to attempt to halt its progression. Unfortunately, that was unsuccessful and as my scoliosis got worse, it started to threaten my life. 4 months before my 16th birthday, I had a complete spinal fusion to halt and correct about 50% of the scoliosis. Luckily, I have had almost no more major medical complications since my recovery and I am now completely healthy at 28 years old.

Now for a quick version of the story on how I came to know David Hasselhoff. When I was 11 years old, I came to find out that a family friend of ours that we met up with in Las Vegas on a vacation knew David. Being the avid KR fan that I am, I got excited beyond all belief and begged to see if they could get me David's autograph. Not long after, I got really sick with pneumonia and had to be hospitalized for it. David found out about it and sent me an autographed picture and I was astounded. But apparently he wanted to do more when he found out I was sick and found out about my medical history so he secretly arranged with my parents to meet me in downtown San Diego at a restaurant. David rented out an entire wing of the restaurant just to meet me and my family and he brought his wife and best friend too. We sat and talked for about an hour and he gave me all of this stuff from Baywatch and said they were filming an episode on a cruise ship in the harbor and invited us to join him on board later in the day. Several hours later we met up and he even got me a walk on part playing shuffleboard on the deck of the ship with him and Alexandra Paul. Over the years after that, David and I kept in fairly steady touch and my sister would call him all the time with updates on my health and David would send gifts, Christmas cards, letters all the time. When I got very sick again in 1995, David mentioned me during an appearance on Late Night with Conan O'Brien and held up a Baywatch book I had made for him on TV. I nearly fainted.

When I had to have my scoliosis surgery, my parents couldn't figure out how to afford it so my uncle organized an enormous benefit fundraiser with an auction, raffle, dinner and dancing and held in in the lobby of a Marriott hotel. 300 people, mostly strangers, attended and bought stuff. David personally donated a lot from Baywatch, including a screen-used rescue can, lifeguard swim trunks, autographed pictures and a certificate guaranteeing a day on set, a walk-on part on the show and lunch with the cast and crew. Most memorable though was a videotape that David sent that was a personal message to me and a pair of commercials he filmed to advertise the benefit on the local TV stations. In the end, $35,000 was raised! Needless to say, David has a very special place in my heart and we continued to keep in touch for years after that. Unfortunately, we fell out of touch when my family and I moved from Virginia Beach to the Washington D.C. area 6 years ago.

Now on to what this all comes down to. One of my best friends that I've known since third grade, Katy, out in San Diego is very very ill right now and she needs someone to step in to help her the way that I have been blessed to have so many times before. She has several chronic illnesses and has dealt with some almost her whole life. She has been battling very hard the last 3 years with some new complications that have changed how she looks and have put her in nearly unbearable physical pain on a daily basis. The pain usually comes in waves for a weeks and then goes but this latest bout has been constant since October. She has been to numerous specialists in almost every field in San Diego for years but none seem to be able to or really willing to help her, first and foremost with getting the pain under control, nor are they able to give her any real answers as to the cause of her numerous conditions. I don't think she is seeing the cream of the crop though and that's where I think her problems really lie. Because of the constant nature of her medical problems and because she is always in and out of hospitals and having this procedure and that testing done, her medical insurance is almost at the point where they won't cover any more. As if she needed any more stress in her life, her mom recently almost died after suffering complications from acute pancreatitis but luckily has recovered and is doing well now.

Katy is one of the most incredible young women I have ever met and she has nothing but the kindest, sweetest, most giving personality. She manages to find a silver lining in every cloud that comes her way, even through all of the latest battles. She definitely has a willpower that almost anyone else could only hope to have, telling me that "it will all work out when it is meant to" even when she is writhing in agony or is in the hospital. She has an "old soul" and is a total free spirit and a dreamer. She is an aspiring pilot and loves nothing more than being in control of an aircraft. She has one of the largest DVD collections of anyone I know because she is a huge movie buff and tries to see a new movie at least every other week. She says that her heart is Hawaiian, because she loves hula dancing and the native Hawaiian culture even though she has never visited and has no ancestry from there. Best of all, she is a loyal friend, truly someone you know you could count on when the world crumbles around you and all hope seems lost.

I was hoping to get in touch with David again, I haven't spoken to him in a few years unfortunately because I no longer have working telephone numbers to reach him at at home or his office and his publicist will not return any of the calls I've made since September. I called his agent and left a message but am awaiting a response. My goal is to help get Katy to a medical center that will help get her well again and give her the answers she's been looking for and I think her best shot is the Mayo clinic in Arizona. There is a nonprofit group of pilots who can transport her for free (Angel Flight) so I figured that would be the best way to get her there. The biggest challenge is money for covering the cost of the medical bills and stay at a place like that, and making sure that she has the attention and care that she needs from the doctors.

I make this plea to the community here because, in the best spirit of Knight Rider, and in the words of David, "One man can make a difference. You can make a difference in someone else's life." I want to make this difference for Katy, she deserves it more than anyone else I can think of. This is deeply important to me and I wont stop until I can find Katy the help that she deserves. If there is anything any of you can do to help me, whether it's getting in touch with David or someone else, or coming up with ideas on what else could possibly be done to help, it would mean the world to me and to Katy. I have been on the receiving end of tremendous outside help for most of my life and I'm always looking to pay it forward. Right now, this is where all my energy will go. I will keep you all posted on updates.

[KFCreator]

Quick update:
I was successful in finally getting a hold of David's publicist today and she is going to try to help me reestablish contact with him. I also was able to get back in touch with the family friend of ours who originally helped put me in touch with David when I was a kid so I hope that will yield some results as well as a fall back plan. I really hope this works out!

Katy was supposed to have some testing done on this past Monday to try and find some answers to what's going on but her doctor got sick and had to postpone things until mid-February. I feel so bad for her that she has to suffer for at least another month now, it's just not right.

At this point, if anyone here has any contacts to any celebrities or anyone who they think may be able to help in any way, please PM me as soon as possible.

To the moderators: I realize this isn't strictly a thread related to the show at all but felt like if this was posted in the Lounge section that not as many people would see it. I appreciate that this hasn't been moved yet, if you feel that it needs to be, I will defer to your judgment. Again, thank you!

[iKUJO]

Goodluck Man. I'll be praying.