The Debbie Nigro Show

Anybody Besides Me A Little Unrelaxed Thinking About Taking A Relaxing Dip In The Atlantic Ocean During 'Shark Season'? 

Several huge sharks have been spotted near New York, New Jersey, and Cape Cod. Field & Stream Magazine recently quoted , OCEARCH founder and shark researcher Chris Fischer as saying  “The moment you’re 3-feet in the ocean, you’re in the wild, and you’ve taken a risk." 3 FEET???  That sounded very 'UNrelaxing'.

I decided to put out an SOS for MY 'Shark Guy" Dr. Gregory Skomal to call me so we could...'discuss' just how UNrelaxed we should be at the beach this year.

'Greg' physically tags Great White Sharks for a living. He's the Senior Fisheries Scientist at the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries and currently heads up the Massachusetts Shark Research Program (MSRP). If there's a TV Shark Show, Dr. Gregory Skomal is usually in it. This is a guy who saw the movie 'Jaws' as a kid and couldn't wait to get back in the water. As opposed to most of the rest of us who saw 'Jaws' and never relaxed on a float in any body of water again. 

You'll notice at the very beginning of this live radio show recording  (podcast) of our conversation I'm talking about avocado robbers not sharks. That's because after my big intro it seems 'Greg' got held up and since I was doing this show remotely, I had no idea if he was even going to show up -  so I started talking about 'whatever'. LOL 

Luckily 'Shark Guy' arrived and shared really good news for beachgoers  in NY & NJ. He said, "The chances of getting bitten by a shark in those areas are really low - pretty much non existent." However he did say, up near Cape Cod near the outer Cape, white sharks are hunting seals close to shore so people probably don't want to go in past their shoulders. (Keep in mind wet suits resemble seals in the water. Why they don't make them in day glow colors or plaid I'll never know.) 

On the subject of shark teeth which people collect and wear, I mentioned when I was in North Carolina in May there were women walking the beach looking for shark teeth?  Why the heck are sharks losing so many teeth I had to ask? Greg says, ‘Sharks shed their teeth throughout their entire lives. They have multiple rows of teeth constantly replacing old teeth. Think of their teeth he said, as conveyor belts. It's what they do to keep them sharp." (Another UNrelaxing thought.)    And what does a Shark Scientist think about Shark Fishing Tournaments like the ones you hear about in Montauk NY?  As long as people adhere to federal and state regulations meeting the minimum size and bag limits, he's totally cool with them. In fact, he's used tournaments over the years to get shark samples to study.    Does a shark scientist eat shark? "Most definitely said Greg, it's delicious right up there against swordfish. Better than swordfish. Very good eating"   So much fun to have a 'Shark Guy' friend! even more fun I can now 'calmly' go into the ocean '3 feet'. Maybe.

You can follow Dr. Gregory Skomal  follow all the Great Whites and now you can also follow the sharks yourself too. The Atlantic White Shark Conservancy, created an app called "Sharktivity" in collaboration with the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries, the Cape Cod National Seashore, and officials from Cape Cod and South Shore towns to raise awareness of the presence of white sharks off their coast. That should app-solutely come in handy next time you're about to dip your toes in the ocean during shark season. 

PS Dr. Gregory Skomal's shark research has spanned multiple fish habitats around the globe. He's written dozens of scientific research papers and has appeared in a number of film and television documentaries, including programs for National Geographic, Discovery Channel, ESPN, and numerous television networks. His most recent book, The Shark Handbook, is a must buy for all shark enthusiasts.

 

I don’t know many people who get married to get divorced. (Well maybe a few) 

On the subject of 'High Net Worth Divorces' today you've probably noticed they can get ugly, embarrassing and downright nasty. 

Nationally Acclaimed Divorce Financial Expert Lili Vasileff will tell you, that being in the public eye with a messy divorce endangers sustainability of any potential agreement, threatens well-being of family, and eats up your resources.

Unless of course you're 'high net worth divorcee' Mackenzie Scott, former wife of Amazon Founder Jeff Bezos, now worth 57 Billion dollars and giving away money. She just gave $2.7 billion to 286 organizations around the U.S. By Forbes’ estimate, she gave away nearly $6 billion in 2020 to 500 organizations. She's also signed the Giving Pledge, promising to give away half of her fortune to charitable causes during her lifetime, or after her death. For this MacKenzie Scott gets a huge high five!  

Low Fives ( is there such a thing?) are going out to other loud 'high net worth' divorce stories in the news this week. These divorce stories are ugly, embarrassing and down right nasty. The kind of divorces that involve insane amounts of money that people can't stop reading about. The kind of divorces most wealthy people try and avoid like...Covid.

Divorce Financial Expert Lili Vasileff says, "These nasty high conflict divorces are thankfully the aberration not the normal standard. What draws people to them is them is the dollars that flash across the screen.  After 30 years of handling thousands of divorce cases of high net worth individuals I can tell you that they are ‘managed' successfully with discretion, integrity  and privacy."

"You will never see the divorce that I’m working on hit the tabloids like this one and why is it?  Because someone leaked that info. They leaked it for their own personal agenda. This leaks of these stories are done by one of the parties inside who's vindictive - no question about it because they’re not getting justice for their emotions"

She went on to explain, "What makes high net worth divorce cases different is that there's a high risk of publicizing wealth and that means that you put your family in a very vulnerable position. Your kids are vulnerable because people are going to know much you’re worth, you’ve just exposed the contents of your home, all that kind of stuff and if you own businesses or collectibles. Is that anyones business but your own ?" "You really need a trustworthy advocate who is used to this environment as I am, who works with individuals with that sense of trust that all remains private to be negotiated until its concluded. "

She even works privately withclients before they start with an attorney. "When you file divorce it becomes public right ? There's a public filing any tabloid reporter can go find, the very basic motions the details, who the players are, etc. Seasoned divorce financial experts make sure everything is confidential. It never hits the court system until its over. And that's huge."

Lili says, "When your in a high net worth case you have a lot of complicated finances and chances are one party vs the other is less knowledgeable and doesn’t know it and doesn’t have the skills resources or access to those professionals that mange those kinds of valuable assets to become educated.  So you need that whole 'step up' to understand whats at stake to get a roadmap of really of what your life looks like as a snapshot from a financial perspective .

Seeking out an attorney is not the first move you should make if your headed for a high net worth divorce. The first thing you should do is seek out a divorce financial expert. 

"You're working with an attorney not an a financial expert, says Lili. So to understand what exists what it costs what is required to sustain those assets in the future or what could be transferable or liquidated now is like Wow! You just grabbed the gold ring of becoming empowered at a negotiation table." 

She adds "Unless parties have been separated for a period of time, its very usual that one client  is much more prepared to trigger the divorce button than the other. And the other, has you know a little more of that emotional gap to come up to speed to say, I guess this is the way it's gonna go. Because once the person files for divorce there is nothing your can do to stop it." 

Though a gender friendly compassionate financial advocate, Lili shares most of the clients who seek out her advice are women. 90% women in fact. 'Late life divorce' she says is on the increase, and more often than not it's the women who are less knowledgable and have less experience managing assets for the longer term.  

"Most divorces you got a one shot deal to get it right." 

"You've got to know your stuff, she says. You've got to negotiate with a sense of confidence and knowledge to make fully informed good decisions because they last for the long term."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

38 Years? Could it have taken any longer for what's been called by some 'the best jazz film to date' to be seen here in the U.S. ?

The film is called 'Music in Monktime'. It's a film about jazz great Theolonius Monk and it will FINALLY be shown at this years virtual San Francisco Jazz Festival which starts June 10th at 7pm.

Hard to believe a film this special took this long to be shown in the U.S. market but hey it's sure is giving some joy to the guys who made it who never lost faith, one of whom joins me today.

Stephen Rice who produced "Music In Monk Time" with Executive Producer Paul C, Mathews and Director John Goodhue, expresses his awe that jazz lovers will FINALLY see interviews and performance footage of Monk's classic compositions by his legendary associates Dizzy Gillespie, Carme MvRae, and Milt Jackson. It was written and narrated by famous vocalist Jon Henricks.

Stephen who's worked with artists like Prince and more knows about creative patience... and rejection letters. He's got a thick stack related to this film. But no rejection this year! 

Stephen joins me to explain the incredible story behind the rare documentary and concert film that gives a peek into the life and music of Theolonius Monk who was known for a cool look and a cool sound and for getting up from the piano in the middle of a song to dance. 

For this films broadcast the money Stephen and all receive for the film will be donated and split 50/50 between the SF Jazz programs and liveinpeace.org. That organization  is near and dear to Stephen’s heart for the work they have done to provide musical opportunities for the children of the underserved community of East Palo Alto CA where he's taught middle school for the last 10 years. 

Check out SFJazz.org to buy your virtual tickets for the event. 

 

Did you read about Opera Singer Emily Hardman from Briarcliff Manor, N.Y.? She gave birth to her baby daughter 'Rosemary Claire' in the back seat of a Honda Accord a minute after telling her husband Travis to 'pull over' on a highway in New Jersey to which he responded, "I can't pull over it's a death trap." Imagine? Just talking about this freaks me out but Emily was prepared! Kinda. Seems there's an app for that! LOL

Emily is a super talented opera singer who majors in 'breathing', a value-added birthing skill that sure came in handy. Luckily her cool calm collected driver husband Travis Hardman, the CEO of The Daily Voice, majors in handling big picture challenges. Both join me to recap this crazy nerve-wracking and ultimately happy story.

Any woman who's given birth 'naturally' will tell you it's no picnic. (Understatement). Take it from this Momma who went the natural birthing route for my one and only child. I vividly remember spitting out ice chips onto the floor of the maternity ward like torpedoes and yelling for last minute drugs. Natural birth usually takes 'a while’. (Understatement).

Emily who had a C-section first time around with her son Wesley now almost 3, had been preparing her mind and body for this long haul natural birth for 3 years. Getting herself in shape, hiring a doula, pretty much planning out well in advance how it would all go. (If she had just hired a psychic she could have saved on the doula just sayin.)

So here’s the summary. The happy couple attend a wedding near Lancaster, PA 5 hours away from Danbury Hospital in CT where the delivery was planned down the road (vs on the road). They had planned everything out with the midwives from the Connecticut Childbirth and Womens Center.

They rent a hotel room in PA for after the wedding. They dance the night away and get back to the hotel at 11pm. They pass out by 11:30pm. At midnight Emily’s water breaks but she didn’t panic because she's been told how long these natural births take and she goes back to sleep. (I’d have hijacked a plane) At 3am her contractions are more intense and she wakes up her husband and they end up leaving the hotel around 4am.

Emily's laid out in the back seat of the Honda Accord next to their sons' car seat and she’s breathing along with her 'Gentle Birth Meditation app' which recently added a contraction timer when... uh oh and oh no. There was less than a minute between “Pull Over” and “There’s a baby!” 

The 911 help came within 5-10 minutes as did the emergency ICU unit just in case. In between they got their doula on the phone to walk them through the most harrowing part of the scene which was when the baby’s umbilical cord snapped. (I could pass out from the stress of just reading what I’m typing) 

All’s now well with the Hardmans and they’re a beautiful happy familyfamily of four now happily moving on. I hope you enjoy listening to their recap today about the birth of Rosemary Claire at Milepost 20.2 on Route 78 in Lebanon PA. It's on her birth certificate listed as place of birth. LOL Also on the certificate is who delivered the baby...MOM.

One last side note: It’s not been proven scientifically yet but I’m betting dancing causes birth. (Sometime it also causes pregnancy but hey that’s another story.) 

 

 

Did you read about Opera Singer Emily Hardman from Briarcliff Manor, N.Y.? She gave birth to her baby daughter 'Rosemary Claire' in the back seat of a Honda Accord a minute after telling her husband Travis to 'pull over' on a highway in New Jersey to which he responded, "I can't pull over it's a death trap". Imagine? Just talking about this freaks me out but Emily was prepared! Kinda. Seems there's an app for that! LOL

Emily is a super talented opera singer who majors in 'breathing', a value-added birthing skill that sure came in handy. Luckily her cool calm collected driver husband Travis Hardman, the CEO of The Daily Voice, majors in handling big picture challenges. Both join me to recap this crazy nerve-wracking and ultimately happy story.

Any woman who's given birth 'naturally' will tell you it's no picnic. (Understatement). Take it from this Momma who went the 'natural' birthing route for my one and only child. I vividly remember spitting out ice chips onto the floor of the maternity ward like torpedoes and yelling for last minute drugs. Natural birth usually takes 'a while’. (Understatement). Emily who had a C-section first time around with her son Wesley now almost 3, had been preparing her mind and body for this long haul natural birth for 3 years. Getting herself in shape, hiring a doula, pretty much planning out well in advance how it would all go. (If she had just hired a psychic she could have saved on the doula just sayin.)

So here’s the summary. The happy couple attend a wedding near Lancaster, PA five hours away from Danbury Hospital in CT where the delivery was planned down the road (vs on the road). They had planned everything out with the midwives from the Connecticut Childbirth and Womens Center.

They rent a hotel room in PA for after the wedding. They dance the night away and get back to the hotel at 11pm. They pass out by 11:30pm. At midnight, Emily’s water breaks but she didn’t panic because she's been told how long these natural births take and she goes back to sleep. (I’d have hijacked a plane.) At 3am her contractions are more intense and she wakes up her husband and they end up leaving the hotel around 4am.

Emily lands in the back seat of the Honda Accord next to their sons car seat and is breathing along with her 'Gentle Birth Meditation app' which recently added a contraction timer and uh oh and oh no. It was less than a minute between “Pull Over” and “There’s a baby!” 

The 911 help came within 5-10 minutes as did the emergency ICU unit just in case. While waiting for them to arrive they got their doula on the phone to walk them through the most harrowing part of the scene, which was when the baby’s umbilical cord snapped. (I could pass out from the stress of just reading what I’m typing) 

All’s now well with the Hardmans and they’re a happy family of four now happily moving on. I hope you enjoy listening to them recap the birth of Rosemary Claire at Milepost 20.2 on Route 78 in Lebanon PA. It's listed on her birth certificate as place of birth. Also on the certificate is who delivered the baby...MOM.

One last side note: It’s not been proven scientifically yet but I’m betting dancing causes birth. (Sometime it also causes pregnancy but hey that’s another story.) 

 

Theres so much great talent in then world that never gets acknowledged or discovered because they don’t have the right people representing them. Most talented people will admit they're bad at representing themselves because who the heck can everything well?    When I heard about a talent agent who created a built in TV network to showcase his broadcasting talent, I thought that was very innovative!    The owner of DBA Talent in Pennsylvania David Brunner risked an idea during the pandemic he might not have tried otherwise. He created the first ever online streaming network owned and operated by a talent agency. 24 hours of talk, sports, travel, cooking shows and other entertainment. He orchestrated it as way to support his clients and keep them engaged and motivated during a very hard time for work, and encouraged them to support each other as well. It not only worked but the network is expanding  and many of his clients are being seen and plucked away to other network jobs... which is the point of the whole thing.   DBA represents; anchors, reporters, weather people, sports and play by play announcers, hosts and experts, management and producers, radio talent, and professional voice talent. Most recently podcasters too.     I just love people who think out of the box and invited David Brunner to join me to learn more for those who may be looking for a talent agent to represent them.   "It was quite a job but now that we've launched we are proud of what we've accomplished," says Brunner who started in the radio business himself years ago.  DB&A Television features talent from every major market in the U.S. They're always looking for talented people.   DB&A Television, is a Worldwide 24/7 Streaming Television Channel with first run Entertainment, Travel, Sports, Information & Talk Shows. It's the only TV network in the world run by a talent agency now has 36 shows going 24/7 on Amazon Fire, Apple TV, a You Tube Channel and their own 24/7 network website.    David Brunner who goes by 'DB' prides himself on having created a talent agency he's run in the broadcasting field for 28 years that never has more than 100 clients at a time, so each client gets individual attention and a weekly communication which sets them apart from other agencies. They identify and secure new and more rewarding positions for clients, and they negotiate contracts and employment agreements as well as critique performance.   DB&A Associates is headquartered in Pennsylvania and represents television and radio clients at the network and local level.   I told him his TV network slogan should be 'Please Steal Our Talent Away'. Hey I like it. LOL. Enjoy the interview and share it with anyone looking for a talent agent.   dbandatelevision.tv                

Risk It! or Regret It! Whatever 'It' Is For You I Always Say. For Jim Campbell 'IT' was getting Bernie Madoff to talk to him and only him from prison to reveal for the first time and bizarrely the last time, the 'Untold Story Behind The Most Notorious Ponzi Scheme In History." That's the name of Jim Campbell's book he worked on for ten years. Bernie Madoff died in prison 2 weeks after Jim finally released the book. Today Jim joins me for an incredible conversation about what nobody else knew.

Reminder: In June 2009 to avoid trial Bernie Madoff pleaded guilty to 11 Federal crimes for defrauding up to 16,000 investors of 4.8 billion dollars. Their original investments were worth close to 19.5 billion. Madoff was sentenced to 150 years in prison. 

What motivated Bernie Madoff to launch the biggest Ponzi scheme in history?  The man who basically had the Gold Seal of Approval from every major investor as well as wealthy individuals and families ?

Jim Campbell in his first book ever, got the last word on this story about the man who built great wealth for many people and destroyed the well being and lives of many people without regret. Jim will admit he will never completely know why both the Madoff family members and Madoff himself decided to trust him to investigate and tell the story of who knew or didn't know what was going on for years on the 17th Floor of the Lipstick Building in NYC. 

Jim's book reveals incredibly that Bernie Madoff ran an honest business on 19th floor of the Lipstick building that was very ethically run by top caliber people. However, on the always 'locked' 17th floor of the same building, only young naive and unsophisticated workers being paid tons of money they couldn’t make anywhere else were allowed. It was a total fraud from day one. None who worked on the 17th floor knew they were operating a Ponzi scheme that would become the biggest criminal enterprise in history. 

The general perception of this human and financial tragedy was also that his family HAD to know. Jim Campbell gathered information that even the FBI did not have, to PROVE that Bernie Madoff's wife and his two sons did not know.  In fact, when Bernie Madoff came clean to his sons about the Ponzi scheme they immediately turned him in to authorities and never spoke to him again. Very tragically and likely from the stress of it all, both sons passed away. One from cancer the other from suicide. Bernie Madoff's wife Ruth survives and lives quietly in CT. Jim shares their very real conversations in his book. 

The personal family tragedy was also a financial tragedy that destroyed many other families and individuals who trusted Bernie with their life savings as well.

Totally insane this Ponzi scheme went on for so long as Jim Campbell also speaks to the fact that the SEC missed this incompetence for 40 years!

There's great insight in this book as to how Bernie Madoff's brain could operate in two complete separate worlds at the same time.  

PS I know Jim Campbell personally and like him very much from crossing paths often in the same radio studio over the years. Jim's nationally syndicated radio show 'Business Talk with Jim Campbell'  is known for his hard hitting interviews of leading figures from the world of business, politics and sports. 

I know Jim's integrity so I happily agreed to promote his incredible book. Right after we locked in an interview date, the biggest coincidence in the world happened to Jim who just finished working on this book after 10 years!  Bernie Madoff died in prison and CBS Sunday morning was interviewing him in his backyard. 

As of this post Jim now has a Hollywood agent who told him Netflix is making an offer on his book. I should mention the first agent Jim got tried and could not get anyone interested in his book. Life's like that.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Taxx Guy Mark Glazewski thinks it's funny that "The people that wait till the last minute to file their taxes never have enough time. You could give them a 7 year extension and on the 7th year on the last day they'd be scrambling till the last hour. The people who want to file and are set up to do that because that's how they work they get it done one way or the other. 

This was a particularly hard tax year for everybody including tax preparers like Mark who shared his own frustration trying to help his clients.  "This year was different they made a major tax change mid March which basically just paralyzed me where I basically I had to stop and figure out what the IRS was going to do. We couldn't file returns because we didn't know how to."

Mark says try to deal with the IRS as much as possible electronically because they're still working that end of communication efficiently particularly because there is zero human touch involved. On the other hand, if you've mailed stuff to the IRS and are waiting on an answer or maybe for money back, Mark says you may be waiting a long time. He got the inside word that there are actually  tractors trailers  illed with unopened mail outside the IRS filled with that  needs physical handling and they just don't have enough help to handle it.

Mark shared that most IRS folks are lovely people looking to help just looking not to get abused. He has gone to them representing some pretty sad cases and says they do have empathy but they can only do what they are able to do within the system. The IRS must abide to the rules and they do not have flexibility .

If you have some tax problems keeping you up at night should you talk directly to the IRS ? Without sounding self serving Mark said, "Would you represent yourself in court in a legal case? The same way you'd call on a lawyer if you got in a legal scrape to help you sort out your legal problems, is the reason why if you have tax concerns or issues you want a tax pro talking on your behalf.

If you need help communicating with the IRS 'Taxx Guy'  Mark Glazewski can help you. he gets great satisfaction from helping his clients sleep at night. You'll be in good hands as having Mark on this show has helped many people who have told me personally.

www.taxxguy.com

 

 

 

I would not have wanted to mess with Rena 'Rusty' Kanakogi, the  Mother Of Judo if I met her along the way but I do sure wish I had met her. She defied the rules and shattered the glass ceiling for  women to be taken seriously in sports.  I love stories of pioneers and triumph over adversity and thought you would enjoy this story too. 

Raised mostly by members of a boardwalk 'freak show' family on Coney Island in the 50's, this young jewish gal from Brooklyn was the leader of a girl gang who just wanted to fight. 'Rusty' had a lot of pent up energy and that was the way she released it. Until...

As a young married woman while accompanying her first husband to an AA meeting to support his battle with alcoholism, 'Rusty' met a friend there who was in unbelievable shape. She asked him what he did to get into that shape. He said 'Judo". She said. "What the heck is Judo"? So he picks up this big strong woman like a piece of paper onto his hip and she says, "That's it! Whatever it is you're doing I'm going to learn it. "

So next... this young Jewish woman walks into the Utica, NY Young Mens Christian Association (YMCA) a move unheard of at the time. and asks to take the class but they say, sorry women not allowed. Grrr. She persisted. It was 1959. They agreed to let her take a class some days if she also agreed to teach YMCA classes to other women other days. Ads for the YMCA classes in the newspaper read something like this. 'Come learn to be a good wife and serve your husband and press his pants but also come take a Judo class with Rusty'. LOL 

Then... The Utica YMCA Male Judo Team was competing in The Championships and was about to win, when a teammate got hurt. To save the day, the coach asked 'Rusty' to just go in and substitute so they didn't have to forfeit but said don't call attention to yourself. Just call a draw. Well that didn't happen.

'Rusty' who looked kind of androgynous with her short hair, wrapped her chest with an ace bandage and went in and beat the heck out of her opponent and won the Gold Medal. When they they found out she was a woman they asked her to give it back. She was soooo angry. She gave it back so  her team didn't have to forfeit but that anger set her off on a 50 year quest to make sure no other woman in sport would ever suffer that injustice.

Rena 'Rusty' Kanakogi founded, organized and financed the first Women’s World Judo Championships, held at Madison Square Garden in New York City on November 29 and 30, 1980, putting women’s judo on the map and earning the United States the international women’s level competition status required to qualify for inclusion in the Olympic Games. She has been recognized as “the  mother of women’s judo” for her inarguable contribution to the sport.  She was the first woman to rise to the rank of  seventh–degree black belt. In 2008 she was awarded the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette from the Emperor’s Order of Japan for her lifelong contribution to the  promotion of judo. Her ashes are interred in the Kanokogi Samurai family grave  site in Kumamoto, Japan, marked with the epitaph “American Samurai.” 

A street in Brooklyn has been named Rena “Rusty” Kanokogi Way.

Jean Kanogi considered  "the daughter of judo" joins me today. Jean spent her years on the mats with her Mom and these days is a Senior Special Agent for the U.S. Government, a fifth degree black belt and highly respected sensei (teacher) of judo. Most notably, Jean was one of the original signers of the American Civil Liberty Union suit to fight for women’s rights in the sport of judo. She mentors high-risk youth, earned her PhD (a promise to Rusty!) and serves on the evaluation committee for the Rusty Kanokogi Fund for the Advancement of US Judo, a scholarship program managed by the Women’s Sports Foundation.

"Rusty' passed 12 years ago and her daughterJean finally finished the book they started writing together which comes out June 1st.

Get Up & Fight: The Memoir of Rena “Rusty” Kanokogi, The Mother of Women’s Judo

By Rena “Rusty” Kanokogi & Jean Kanokogi, PhD

Foreword by Billie Jean King

Second Foreword by the late Dick Schaap

 

 

Anyone who has taken care of someone really sick at home knows how difficult and stressful it is. Yet care at home is what most people with serious illness want. Too often, they don’t know that's possible and don’t know where to turn.

I wish more people caring for a critically ill person knew, that rather than asking advice of doctors or friends or searching for advice online, they only had to make ONE phone call to get immediate world class 'in home' help regardless of where they live in the US and regardless of their ability to pay. Seriously. 

And as serious illnesses go, heart disease and heart failure are at the top of the list. Heart disease is the silent pandemic that affects every American family. Unlike Covid it is never going to end. 1 in 3 Americans have heart disease and 1 in 4 eventually die of it. My own fabulous father was one of those people. He passed away soon after I returned home from college from heart failure at the age of 55. I remember the pain my Mother and brothers and I went through watching him suffer. Heart failure takes hearts and breaks a lot of hearts like mine.

Though Covid has consumed out attention this past year you should know that heart failure is still the number one cause of death and the leading cause of hospitalization. "Tens of thousands of heart failure patients wind up dying alone in a hospital room or ICU", says Steve Cone, Chief of Communications, Marketing and Philanthropy of Capital Caring Health. "Many of those hospital stays could have been prevented and many of those patients could have lived longer and better lives through palliative /advanced illness and hospice care delivered directly to where they live, be it their home or a family members home or in an assisted living facility. In-home care, so patients don’t have to be rushed to the hospital and caregivers don’t have to call 911 and people don’t have to end up dying by themselves."

Capital Caring Health one of the largest not-for-profit hospice and advanced illness care providers in the nation are also a leading provider of in home advanced cardiac care. Their highly respected President and CEO Tom Koutsoumpas, came up with this national advanced cardiac home care initiative and got 70+ other not-for-profit hospice and advanced illness providers who offer at-home care in communities nationwide to join him.

The organization is called 'National Partnership for Healthcare and Hospice Innovation' and Tom serves as  it's CEO. Together they have made a national toll free hotline available to help families find a care provider near them, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.Families in need of hospice or care for an advanced illness can call to find a care provider near them.

HOTLINE: 1-844-GET-NPHI (1-844-438-6744)

(NPHI) National Partnership for Healthcare and Hospice Innovation

The joint mission prioritizes patients and not profits. Thus, regardless of ability to pay — they turn no patient and their family away.  Ever.

NPHI and the American Heart Association jointly released a Free Advanced Cardiac Care Patient and Caregiver Handbook. They  believe every family in America should have a copy and provide the handbook at no cost on their respective websites.

People in the heart business with heart!

Doing my part to share this important information and also share the enlightening conversation I had with Steve Cone of Capital Caring Health.  

Please share this information with anyone you may know who needs it.

Thank You,
Debbie

capitalcaring.org

https://www.heart.org