this post was submitted on 07 Aug 2024
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Dragoneer has died... (pawb.social)
submitted 3 months ago by knightly@pawb.social to c/furry@pawb.social
15 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

And I'm fucking pissed off about it.

Furries are going to have to get organized and fix the healthcare system before it can murder any more of us..

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[–] TacticsConsort@yiffit.net 25 points 3 months ago (1 children)

RIP, he shall be missed. That site's been a good one throughout the years, I've made genuine friends over it even outside its' more famous uses.

This does raise some worries about the future of FurAffinity. That site runs at a deficit, so if a corporate investor gets their hands on it then it will be swiftly thrown into the Shit Pit in order to make a quick buck. Decades of art, literature and culture gone in a flash.

Thankfully, we are the furry fandom, so the chances of getting touched by corporations are a bit lower than other sites which are more marketable. But still, making sure that the site has sufficient funding for the future is going to be a real concern. I can't back this up, it's just a rumour I heard, but the most likely reason that Dragoneer died now is because he chose to use his money to keep the site running instead of buying medicines. While the shitty US healthcare system is absolutely to blame for this death, it also makes a pretty stark point about the cost of the site, if it's comparable to having to buy US Medicines.

[–] Spitfire@pawb.social 7 points 3 months ago (1 children)

One thing to remember is that FurAffinity was bought previously by IMVU for a while. Dragoneer bought it back from them after they were going to shut the site down. So it narrowly escaped that fate once… and the future is very uncertain from it as from what I’ve heard, rumors mind you, is that Dragoneer was the main source of funding for the site.

[–] SloanTheServal@pawb.social 3 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Knowing how important the site is to the fandom, I'd be surprised if anyone lets it go under.

That being said, as a precaution, a PixelFed instance attached to pawb.fun and pawb.social might be nice to have.

[–] Draconic_NEO@pawb.social 3 points 1 month ago

Agreed, it would certainly be a good idea for us to have our own pixelfed instance.

[–] PonyOfWar@pawb.social 21 points 3 months ago

His last few tweets are incredibly depressing to read. The US healthcare system really is utterly fucked up... RIP

[–] SoJB@lemmy.ml 14 points 3 months ago

I just took a look at their final few BlueSky posts. I hope they can at least rest in peace now.

What a heartbreaking tragedy that had no reason to even happen except for the greed of capital.

Stories from the evil empire like this dig up such a deep seated rage within me.

I’m gonna go listen to some System and buy someone a meal, because that’s all I can do besides vOtE. God help us all.

[–] Spitfire@pawb.social 8 points 3 months ago

May he rest peacefully now in the digital world.

[–] l_b_i@yiffit.net 6 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) (3 children)

As much as I would love to complain about the healthcare systems, this looks more like some condition that he had for a month or two and didn't appreciate the severity. Based on the fact he complained about the cost, but never brought up not being able to afford it, its unknown if he didn't seek treatment earlier because he didn't know that he needed to, or that he couldn't afford it. Biopsies and specialists take time unless you are actively dying, and when he was seeking treatment, that did not seem to be the case. This is true anywhere. Unfortunately he ran out of time, ~~pneumonia~~ Lung issues ~~is~~ are no joke and there isn't really anything you can do about it until you know whats causing it, even then, sometimes there is nothing that can be done. There is another discussion at !chat@yiffit.net

Edit: made an edit above, additional thoughts below
I will put suffocating because of coughing towards the top of the list of horrible ways to die.
Looking back through posts, I still don't know if he didn't seek help months ago because of cost or need. If it was cost, that sucks. I'm not a doctor, but looking into the two options presented, neither had a positive outlook. Based on posts indicating long covid and a recurrence of shingles, I will put him in the immunocompromised category. Whether cancer or fungus, prognosis on both is poor.
Is the healthcare system in the US too expensive, yes, no question. Its full of perverse profit incentives at every level and inelastic demand with near monopolistic supply. Did it make a difference here, I don't know, but I don't think it forms the basis for a compelling argument or complaint. If the biopsy came back and he couldn't afford treatment, this would be different.

His life ended in an unpleasant way I would not wish on anybody. May his contributions not be forgotten.

[–] knightly@pawb.social 20 points 3 months ago

I'm not concerned with excuses, I want a healthcare system that puts human lives over corporate profits. There's no reason why his medicaid case should have been dropped because he was too sick to come in for an interview, or been discharged from the hospital after his biopsy when his condition wasn't stable, or put on the hook for an average year's wages for a single pulmonologist appointment.

[–] corsicanguppy@lemmy.ca 11 points 3 months ago

this looks more like some condition that he had for a month or two and didn't appreciate the severity.

The biggest problem with mercenary healthcare is that people with no spare cash - ie 80% of us - will delay or skip a medical test in the magical hopes that next week or months they'll have the spare cash if they just sacrifice a bit more, and then they can get examined. People are too poor to both take up a new medical hobby and eat.

Based on the fact he complained about the cost, but never brought up not being able to afford it,

Because "affording it" ever happens?

its unknown [whether] he didn't seek treatment earlier because he didn't know that he needed to, or that he couldn't afford it.

Or both. Probably both, since the cost is guaranteed to be high.

Biopsies and specialists take time

And money.

There's a theme here but I'm not sure whether I'm making it clear enough.

[–] Sylaran@lemmy.world 5 points 3 months ago (1 children)

It wasn't even pneumonia though, they did his scans and instead of doing anything about the things growing in his lungs they sent him home and gave him the run around

[–] l_b_i@yiffit.net 1 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Pneumonia is fluid in the lungs, there are many causes. They were searching for the cause of the Pneumonia.

[–] Sylaran@lemmy.world 9 points 3 months ago (1 children)

According to Neer he didn't have pneumonia

[–] LordAmplifier@pawb.social 5 points 3 months ago

This is so heartbreaking to read. A week after seeing the specialist. That sucks so much, especially after finally recovering from covid :(

FA was a huge part of my fandom experience when I was a young fur. I never knew him personally, but this website that he made has had such a big impact on my life that it still feels like losing a close friend.

[–] OmegaMouse@pawb.social 6 points 3 months ago

I didn't know much about him beforehand, but my life would be drastically different without FA. There are so many people I wouldn't have met, including my partner. He must've improved the lives of so many people through the platform. RIP.