get one, name it, profit!

January 11, 2005 1:18 PM

FRANK MUST DIE The profit of positive thinking.
posted by page404 (29 comments total)

oh boy, front row seat!
posted by mudpuppie at 1:29 PM on January 11, 2005

Man, I don't even know what to say.
posted by Specklet at 1:30 PM on January 11, 2005

Even if some of the tone or the details feel snarkworthy, this is still basically a sad human struggle. It's right to hope things turn out well.

Unless it's a fraud. In which case, eternity in hell for everyone involved!
posted by argybarg at 1:34 PM on January 11, 2005

My hope meter is registering a blip higher than my skepticism meter today, so with that in mind, I dearly hope that Frank gets what he deserves and the child has the tumor removed successfully.

For more information:
Skull Base Institute.
Rhabdomyosarcoma

Sad statistic: Overall, 50% of the children diagnosed with rhabdomyosarcoma survive 5 years.
posted by purephase at 1:36 PM on January 11, 2005

Okay, now I feel like an ass.

Yes, it's a sad story. But it's been all over the news for the past week. I expected that fact to trump the human-interest element of the tale, but I'm glad it didn't.

I wish the family the best, and hereby gracefully desnark.
posted by mudpuppie at 1:39 PM on January 11, 2005

I don't know what to say either. I wish him well and was touched by the auction (even though I'd loaded my Snark Gun, it's back on the shelf).

I feel like going for a walk in the woods.
posted by fenriq at 1:41 PM on January 11, 2005

$10,000 for a bumper sticker? I don't get it.
posted by ColdChef at 1:45 PM on January 11, 2005

I'd assume the money would go to helping defer some of the incredibly high medical costs associated with having a 9 almost 10 year old in the hospital for several years.
posted by fenriq at 1:52 PM on January 11, 2005

I'm still heartless enough to snark about this, even if you guys aren't.

For instance, he's not even saying that the money goes to fund the surgery. He just says "My son's gonna be OK, so I'm selling his bumper sticker," and people are bidding thousands of dollars for it. That's absurd. People are retarded.

Also, a 99% success rate for a cancer that the other doctors thought was inoperable? Smells of bullshit.
posted by Hildago at 1:54 PM on January 11, 2005

99% rate of surviving the biopsy, not the cancer.
posted by crunchburger at 1:56 PM on January 11, 2005

I don't think it's necessarily inoperable, but the standard operation requires the removal of the face (I assume this means skin and bone) and the other doctor claims to be able to acheive a similar success rate going through the nose. It doesn't sound pleasant in any case. Perhaps this CNN article would help.
posted by tommasz at 1:58 PM on January 11, 2005

Wait. Is the sticker attached to a Geo Metro? 'Cause that would be almost right.
posted by ColdChef at 1:58 PM on January 11, 2005

I did a little more research, apparently the survival rate may not be as bad as the original link I provided stated (or, I did not read it correctly).

It looks as though the Skull Base Institute may be referral only (quote below off their site), it's possible that the original doctors were not as optimistic because the waiting list for this institution might be quite long, or the child's original diagnosis may have fallen out of their scope and/or expertise.

Who knows.

The Institute is on the leading edge and is an international referral center for patients with pituitary adenomas.

I still hope the money goes to help the medical costs however incurred.
posted by purephase at 1:59 PM on January 11, 2005

On clicking on the link, I thought Frank was the kid, and was severely disturbed.
posted by iamck at 2:16 PM on January 11, 2005

According to the CNN article, saying that money from the auction is going to go to a cause violates the E-Bay TOS, so they can't put that on the auction. The article goes on to say that they intend for the money to go to medical care. The family has paid $200,000 a year on this - insurance has paid an additional million. Egads.
posted by Joey Michaels at 2:23 PM on January 11, 2005

I wonder if they could raise more with a dutch auction or a Cafe Press store. Instead of one person paying 10k+, maybe 1,000 people would pay $10+.
posted by jonah at 2:29 PM on January 11, 2005

On clicking on the link, I thought Frank was the kid, and was severely disturbed.

Same, except I kind of snickered.

*shamed*
posted by The God Complex at 4:28 PM on January 11, 2005

I assumed that the child was like Damien, but named Frank and that the chair in which he was sitting was in his lair. I assumed that another kid set up the auction as a joke.
posted by crazy finger at 4:38 PM on January 11, 2005

I'm with jonah. I want a "Frank Must Die" sticker for my laptop. I'd pay $10-20 for a sticker, knowing I was helping a kid I'd never met beat cancer. But I don't have $10k. I'd be willing to bet that there are a lot more people like me than there are rich folks trolling ebay looking for a way to help a sick kid. Just a guess.

More from info David Grover's hometown paper.
posted by jimray at 4:41 PM on January 11, 2005

Well then, why doesn't Metafilter start a Frank Must Die Cafe Press site and find a way to turn over the proceeds? Seriously?
posted by mudpuppie at 5:15 PM on January 11, 2005

Lotsa people have cancer. I'm sure some members here do. I'm just sayin'.
posted by ColdChef at 5:17 PM on January 11, 2005

I've seen photos of the face peeling proceedure. It's horrifying. I'm sure we've all seen similar things on the internets. What the Skull Base Institute offers, however, seems very progressive. I wish all health care pros were as forward thinking. Good luck to the kid and his family.
posted by snsranch at 5:26 PM on January 11, 2005

You know what? Don't listen to me.
posted by ColdChef at 5:26 PM on January 11, 2005

mudpuppie: I bet if you contact them via the e-bay site, you absolutely could do this, Metafilter or no. Go for it!
posted by Joey Michaels at 5:30 PM on January 11, 2005

(With mild southern accent): "Well, I'm just gonna try to pray Frank away."

Okay, now that it's faith based, maybe Mr. Bush can kick in a couple of bucks too!

I know, kick me in the nuts. Just couldn't help myself.
posted by snsranch at 6:25 PM on January 11, 2005

I saw the kid and parents on Keith Olberman's MSNBC show tonight...the tumor is called Frank because as a younger kid he was scared of Frankenstein...anybody who saw the piece and made wise-ass remarks is a dumb-ass...the doctors are loath to operate because "Frank" is at the base of his skull...Godspeed, young man, and death to Frank.
posted by 1016 at 6:39 PM on January 11, 2005

There was a big special on this in the Washington Post last week, though I can't be arsed to look it up.
More power to them, I say.
posted by mote at 8:36 PM on January 11, 2005

I feel sorry for Hildago.
posted by Ogre Lawless at 2:35 PM on January 12, 2005

From tommasz's the CNN link:

"They say if somebody would pay $28,000 for a grilled cheese sandwich thought to bear the image of the Virgin Mary, somebody might pay big money to help their son."

and the same buyer, Golden Palace Casino, buys the sticker for $10,700.00!
posted by page404 at 8:05 PM on January 12, 2005