By now, you’ve probably heard about how Olympic skier Sarah Burke died yesterday after being on life support for nine days following a skiing accident in Utah. Well, it gets worse: because Sarah was a Canadian and wasn’t covered by any health care plan in the United States, the hospital stuck her family with a $550,000 bill. The good news is that fans and supporters are donating to help off-set the costs of her hospital stay. The Toronto Star reports:
Donations have been pouring in on behalf of Canadian freestyle skier Sarah Burke who died Thursday at the age of 29 in a Utah hospital. A fundraising website has been set up by Burke’s family for the skier’s medical costs and related expenses. The website originally set up at www.giveforward.com/sarahburke was organized by her agent, Michael Spencer and has marked a goal for $550,000. Her husband Rory Bushfield, a fellow skier from Alberta whom she married in 2010, is listed as the beneficiary. “Sarah did so much for females and winter sports during her time with us; now we are asking for your help,” the site’s opening page reads.
Look, if you have a couple bucks to chip in, now would be a great time to maybe throw something into the pot. It’s bad enough losing someone you love, but then subsequently being forced to pay over half a million for health costs? That’s pretty harsh.
