Ex-Marine In Raffle For His Life

Needs Double Lung Transplant; Insurance Would Only Cover Fraction Of $550M Cost; Family, Friends Raffling Off Condo, Car

(CBS)  Chuck Campbell needs two new lungs.

The former Marine, a Milfdord, Del. father of four, has Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), which has cost him 80 percent of his lung capacity. Just walking around is difficult, he told Early Show co-anchor Harry Smith Tuesday. Campbell, 45, used to smoke, and is hooked up to an oxygen supply at all times.

But he says his health insurance carrier would only pick up about $80,000 of the estimated $550,000 tab for the surgery. Post-op care could almost double that if there are any complications.

So, his family and friends started a raffle to get the money to cover the cost.

The two grand prizes -- donated in part by the owner of the car dealership he works for: a new Mercedes Benz SL convertible, and a golf course townhouse in Sarasota, Fla.

To learn more about Campbell and the raffle, click here.

[tommynutz]

Obama should step up and help people like this, otherwise he is not only as bad, but 10 fold worse than facist bush.

Obama is kiling this man. He can make it happen, but he chooses to appease the homos and terrorists instead.

[rexchiquita]

My Husband is 49 years old and allso has copd and emphzema and only has one lung the other one is gone. so i feel for the family .
he has been denied disability and he has worked all his life . he need medical help but we couldnt afford it. since he cannot work and it very trying on us.so as it allways said
Don,t judge no one til you walk in their shoes.

[poster2009]

NancyLou9
I worked in a respiratory clinc for a couple of years and delt with people who came in sick because they smoked. They knew the dangers and continued to smoke. Even if he has some genetic problem it does not excuse that he still smoked and now wants help. It is funny how people are always looking for a way to remove their personal responsibility. Smoking can cause and excaberate problems. There is no excuse for smokers, they should crawl in a corner, die and quit causing us so much money. They are aware of the possible side effects and yet they continue to smoke. This man had trouble breathing before he was diagnosised and did he quit? No he only quit when it got worse. I am sure had he not gotten sick he would still be smoking.

[candy-apple]

One is never an ex-Marine, they are FORMER MARINES!!

[nevajohn]

I am assuming since this man has evaluated for lung transplant that he has been tested for Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency. This is a genetic cause of COPD. Most people, without a genetic cause, do not have COPD at this age. If this man or anyone that know him is reading this please ask your doctors about this genetic cause for the COPD. I have this condition and I am 46 years old with 28% lung function so I know where he is coming from. The treatment for Alpha-1 is different and regular COPD and he needs to know so he can have his family members tested to see if they are at risk. For more information contact the Alpha-1 Foudnation - www.alphaone.org or 877-228-7321.

[NancyLou9]

bonjour
, eh bien pauvre homme, il a été remercié de la meilleure des façons, aprés des années de services au sein de l'armée, le voila ..rejeté, ...réduit a faire la quete pour ses soins....bravo
Posted by sam-kiley at 7:57 AM : May 13, 2009
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(loose Translation based on High School French): Hello, ah well, poor man. He is being thanked for his time in the best of ways for his many years in the Army. Here it is, rejected... Reduced to searching for his care. Cheer, Sam Kiley
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Oh my GAWD, evern the FRENCH get it!

[NancyLou9]

This man does not deserve any help, regardless of his being a veteran. He CHOSE to smoke so now it is HIS RESPONSIBILITY to provide for his own health care. I am tired of smokers thinking they have a right to healthcare. They do not. It is thier OWN FAULT if they get sick. We should just let them die at home. It would be cheaper.
Posted by poster2009 at 10:35 PM : May 12, 2009
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Actually, you heartless piece of dung, COPD is an illness that DOES affect smokers but for him to be this bad this early in life tells me there are some underlying genetics or environmental factors. COPD is not "just" a smoker's illness but it generally affects people much older than this man. My mother suffered from COPD towards the end of her life and it was due to being exposed to Asbestos in the 40's and 50's before people knew the damage it did.

My oldest brother was a smoker and died at the age of 28 due to a cancer that should have killed him when he was 12 or 13. How did he get it? My father was part of "Operation Plumb Bob", a nuclear test in the Nevada Desert in the late 50s. He was hit with so much radiation it was passed on to my brother, who was born 11 months after my father came back from the test. Did my brother deserve to die? No. Was his cancer a result of his smoking? Absolutely not!

You need to do some research before spouting off like you do. It's as the quote says, "Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt."
Abraham Lincoln

[batchitcrazy]

Germany has the world's oldest universal care system and is arguably the most successful. Like Americans, most Germans get their health coverage through their employers. But Germany's rich pay higher premiums to subsidize insurance for the poor ? a principle the Germans call "solidarity."
Posted by andie52 at 5:16 AM : May 13, 2009
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Slight correction is needed here.
Each persons "krankenkasse" (Med. insurance) has set rates. The rich do not subsidize the poor. Not all treatments are fully covered by the insurance. A simple visit to the doctor will cost you 10 Euro up front. A visit to the dentist is another 10. If you are there for a check-up and nothing is found you get your 10 Euro back. This little additional cost was put through legislation by the united groups of medical insurance companies.
If you are self employed you can pay for private insurance. You pay a bit more but get treated much better.
The principle you call "solidarity" has absolutly nothing to do with the medical insurance. The "solidarity deduction" was put through legislation shortly after the re-unification of Germany. This "deduction" affected only citizens of the former western sector. The initial plan was to have this for just one year to help rebuild the newly opened eastern sector. Unfortunatly the "solidarity deduction" has not gone away and the east is still a bit behind the rest of the country.

[sam-kiley]

bonjour
, eh bien pauvre homme, il a été remercié de la meilleure des façons, aprés des années de services au sein de l'armée, le voila ..rejeté, ...réduit a faire la quete pour ses soins....bravo

[andie52]

hehehe you are such an imbecile. ....... look moron, in germany where there is universal care, not only german citizens get surgery but also a friend of mine from the US got 2 back surgeries, and he still hasn't paid for any of them. He owes the german government 20 thousand..... but if he would have proceeded with the same surgery in the US the cost was 100 thousand dollars plus and they wanted to send him home after the first night in the hospital. Go inform yourself stupid.
Posted by mejordelahistoria at 1:08 AM : May 13, 2009

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Germany has the world's oldest universal care system and is arguably the most successful. Like Americans, most Germans get their health coverage through their employers. But Germany's rich pay higher premiums to subsidize insurance for the poor ? a principle the Germans call "solidarity."

But many countries provide universal insurance yett deny critical procedures to patients who need them.