Names of the Dead

In mid 2006, my housemate and long time friend Cary began having difficulty with his vision. He was a self-employed court recorder, who could not obtain health insurance because of a prior condition. - - The vision problem turned out to be a tumor pressing on his optic nerve that would eventually have rendered him totally blind. Given that he made his living as court recorder, blindness wasn't something he could endure, however, with no insurance the hospital and doctor who could do the surgery required he pay the amount up front -- $10,000. The success rate was roughly 50%. His friends and family would have found a way to help him come up with the money and the tumor itself was not life threatening, however facing his advancing years, the fact that he would unlikely be able to ever get or retain insurance, and not wanting to become a burden to his family and friends either financially or due to declining health, he took his own life in January of 2007.