FROM SOPHIE LAPORTE
Hello all,
Sorry about the length of this post, but I wanted to be as clear and honest as possible, which means going into details that will cost me precious time I don't have. My guilt issues, as usual... Richard has been telling me for a while now that many questions have come his way about whatever happened to me. Please be gentle... I've sat in Hollywood Studios boardrooms to negotiate the impossible, I've walked on wires 40 feet up (guess who's idea that was? Richard of course!), I've said "I love you" on family members' answering machines who never take my calls. Yet, writing this is the hardest thing I've ever had to do... Emotional courage: a valuable lesson I learned from Richard, the most loving Human Being I've ever known. :) Thank you, Richard! You are my best friend, here, now, and in the afterlife. If it was just me and my life at stake, I would rather crawl into a mouse hole forever than posting this. But there are innocent creatures involved too and for them, I am willing to put my heart out there...
NATURALLY ALL THE FOLLOWING CAN BE VERIFIED BY RICHARD HIMSELF:
There's been rumors and stories and I had begun writing a couple of pages which start with my time as a freelance writer pitching for the Star Trek series back in 1995. But I am running out of time and had to stop to write this, or rather to dictate this to someone here typing it for me. I've been asked to write a "tell all" book of my experiences with Star Trek, BSG, Conventions, and BSG & GWOM Trailers for a few years now. I turned it down repeatedly, out of loyalty. Not because I have "dirt" on actors that would create mini-scandals, but because I didn't want to make anyone feel violated, even though most of it is actually positive and funny. If I had accepted, I wouldn't find myself in the situation I am in now, but I feel that I did the right thing and so I have no regrets. If I somehow survive this, I will post what I have written so far on the internet for you all to enjoy.
I hope this isn't my last communication. There are so many nice people I met going to conventions with Richard and once Richard decided to book his own, I suddenly lost touch with most of the friends I had made there. I had put my career in the corporate world on hold to book conventions and Richard was nice enough to separate love and business and paid me 10% of his convention earnings from 1996 to 2001. It turned out to be not enough to pay my bills, while at the same time, too time consuming to earn other monies on the side. Between calling promoters, negotiating, writing contracts, booking flights, booking TV, Radio & newspaper interviews to advertise his appearances and get more last minute people through the doors, doing the bookkeeping, and then the outrageous amount of time we all work our little butts off filming both trailers, I was swamped. But I also learned a lot and have Richard to thank for that. What I didn't expect, was that once it ended, it was impossible for me to get a job in the industry - and i was willing to answer phones even though I have college degrees! - or to even get back to the corporate world that seemed so appreciative of me before!
That, is where I was standing in the mid 2000s when I found out I had a breast tumor... And no insurance. I was able to get into a research program and therefore lower costs considerably, but it still wasn't enough to pay for the treatments I needed. Richard gave me some work to do and even paid for many of my treatments, even though he was low on $ at that time of year (less conventions) and had important expenses. Still, he basically saved my life. Treatment wasn't easy; after about the 3rd week, I was too sick to ride the bus back home and had to wait at UCLA for hours before I could ride the bus back. I even slept in a car for a while so that any income could go to my treatment. I'm not ashamed of it. It is something many Americans have had to do these days including an accountant I knew at the time! God chose this for me for a good reason which I will know someday when He chooses to reveal it to me.
I couldn't tell my family in France at the time: my sister was going through breast AND lung cancer at the exact same time! She had an even harsher time than me painwise as she had to undergo Chemo twice and even Radiation Therapy! The only thing she had easier than me, was that she paid for none of it, they sent a car to pick her up, and her bills and cost of living were taken care of 100% as it always is there when someone has cancer. I considered going there myself, but having been gone for so long, I no longer qualified for free healthcare...
God chose to spare my life, for whatever reason only He knows. I was put on Tamoxifen and other medications, one of which I discovered very quickly had side-effects both fortunate and detrimental: my hormonal breast cancer was now in remission and not likely to return if I took my meds regularly, and unexpectedly, the rare seizure I'd started having in 2003 (which my mother also gets and which have freaked Richard out more than once) were no longer happening. My blood pressure, which even a cocktail of the usual blood pressure meds out there had failed to bring down to safe levels, was also now in check. I did, however, gained about 30 pounds the first 6 months and plateau-ed there. Healthy, or fat? I'll take fat any time!
I was stabilized for a while, and when an opportunity to take care of an 80yo+ Alzheimer's patient in Las Vegas for room, board and $80/week presented itself in Feb. 2009, I took it. After all, I had helped taken care of my grandfather through the same ailment while studying for college years ago. This is where I am right now, sharing the 24/7 care of my "charge" with his son. Thankfully, he is also helping with the care of my beloved pet cats as well as the fosters I often rescue, spay/neuter/immunize at my own cost, rehabilitate until they are loving lapcats, and place with loving and responsible individuals or families.
I underestimated what would happen if I skipped my meds for days, or even took less than commended by my oncologist in L.A. And in December of 2012, an unexpected complication fell on my lap: I was the victim of a crime and my wallet was now gone. Even with my previous ID & Green Card and a police report detailing what happened, I was no longer able to get my medications! My pleas fell on deaf ears and within hours of X-mas, my blood pressure kept on rising, eventually reached 240/153, and I had a stroke. To make a long story short, my charge's son saved my life: he found for me 1 and only 1 pharmacist willing to honor whatever identification I still had, along with a letter from the French Consulate explaining the time consuming course of action that was now to take place in order for me to proove my being a legal resident before obtaining a replacement state ID - the very last step and the one document I couldn't get my meds without!
I've lived in fear of not having my meds ever since and about a month ago, the worst case scenario came true again: only this time, the stroke came while I was at the top of a staircase! There is irony in there somewhere... My left side was very slow for 3 weeks, my right side was injured in the fall including my knee which will need an operation to be "normal" again (I have to wait until France to do that), my right ring finger was broken but doesn't seem to be getting better, less swollen or even less painful, and I broke a front tooth! (That'll have to wait for France too & no smiling until then!) I didn't die, I'm not in a wheelchair for life, and my beloved IQ, my one and only source of self-esteem left, is still intact, thank you God! Which means I can still read Science news, and write Sci-Fi. :)
Hospitalization helps nothing each time save for receiving high bills in the mail later, and failed to even stabilize me even once! The last time, they even refused to admit me once I arrived there by ambulance and I'd have a lawsuit on my hand if I had time for such details... But I don't:
Where I stand now, my "charge" just spent a few days at Mountain View Hospital, where, when he was released, it was discovered that these idiots not only allowed an Alzheimer's patient to hold on to his own wallet (instead of storing it in a safe place), but also allowed it to be stolen right from his nightstand!!! What this means, is that he cannot access his bank account for at least a few days. I can't collect the little money I get per week to pay for my meds, cat food, cat litter, and cat care! It also means that the rent for the weekly place his family moved us into 2 years ago is VERY LATE! We were given a 5 days notice 4 days ago and now have until tomorrow Saturday the 22st, NOON, to pay the $190 + $15/day late fees! (And Management is not very open-minded.) What I care most about, is that with nowhere to go, the foster cats - and very young kittens I rescued with their mommy who deserve a fair chance at life! - will end up at the pound, where, in spite of what they claim, they are KILLED WITHIN 3 DAYS if not adopted! I have built a site for them as well but haven't been able to finish it. I cannot let them die! Rescues here are filled up, and I stand a better chance at getting them good homes as I was going to enlist some of the BSG actors to help advertise them: I named the site "GalactiCats" and gave them all names after the show's characters!
My "charge"'s daugher, an irresponsible gambler, isn't going to honor her responsibility. His son, a Broadcast Engineer who has been looking for work - any work! - for 5 years now, would love to help but cannot. And the so-called friends I thought I'd made here and have helped countless times are now conveniently unavailable!
Same with the other countless people I helped out in Los Angeles: I helped land newcomers in L.A. good paying jobs in the film industry who now are too busy to return my calls. I helped wannabee writers book pitch sessions at Star Trek who actually remember getting that for themselves instead! (Richard remembers it MY way though...). I had a great big single apartment in the middle of everything in West-Hollywood for 7 years and during that time, 11 different individuals stayed with me for free and were fed and had gas put in their cars and were "built up" before job interviews - some for months at a time, without complaint, and without thinking for a second about the loss of privacy that it meant for me, as what mattered most was their getting their lives back on track.
I am not going to hate, be resentful, revengeful or even negative. It IS very disappointing, but I didn't give to receive then. The way I see it, the circle of life takes over and giving is what matters, God is watching, and who gives back later is acting through God just as I had. God, Karma, it is all 1 and the same. I also can't sit here and wait to have the next stroke, which my doctor gave me a 20% chance of surviving... - as I believe that we aren't "Children of God", but "Adults of God", taking responsibility for our lives. So, as embarrassing as this is for me, as I am normally comfortable giving but not receiving, I am reaching out here because I am very quickly running out of time...
I do NOT want CHARITY! So I thought about what I could give in return and here are some things I can offer:
1 - YOU CAN BUY MY JEWELRY DESIGNS:
I taught myself to make jewelry - mostly "costume jewelry" which means that the most expensive beads and pendants used are semi-precious gemstones. I have made a few pieces over the last year, and built a website on Weebly with preset templates. It took a while but it is done, save for measurements and prices for each piece, which Mike here is going to attempt to help me do tonight. I also can make any design you either find in a magazine, or come up with yourself, so I can take orders. A link to it (I called it Nuku Hiva Designs after the French Polynesian island I dream to visit one day...) will be posted here as soon as it is available. I had set up a PayPal account I have yet to use but links to it will be added too.
2 - YOU CAN BUY A $5,400 FUR COAT GIVEN TO MIKE BY HIS LATE MOTHER FOR $550 OR BEST OFFER:
Mike ran around town last week-end and NO ONE in Las Vegas buys or pawns furs. He only found 1 place willing to take it on consignment, which we don't have the time to do... He listed it on Craigslist and all the responses were Nigerian or other internet scams. It was his mother's, her name is engraved on a tag on the inside lining and he has her old passports to prove his relation to her. It is a long - 90cm = 1 yard - BLACK MINK and is very very beautiful! His father bought it for her in Pittsburgh in the late 70s and it was worn 5-10 times. It has been stored properly all along, and never "sat on", which damages furs. It is an emotional item worth letting go to save a Human and many feline lives, as he sees it. He has photos if you'd like, and a PayPal account.
3 - SOPHIE WAS IN NEGOTIATIONS TO HAVE A JAPANESE ANIME SERIES SHE WROTE IN 1998 PRODUCED IN JAPAN. THEY'LL BE RESUMED IF THE SITUATION IMPROVES. YOU MAY PURCHASE A 5% STAKE OF HER ENTIRE INCOME FROM IT - INCLUDING ADVANCE, ROYALTIES, AND MERCHANDISING - FOR $550:
No need to say more. We'll give you a contract to set it in stone and can take PayPal.
4 - CO-MODERATOR STATUS & 10% OF BOTH ADSENSE & DIRECT AD SALES TO MY SCI-FI/HORROR BLOG:
Richard accepted for me to do a Sci-Fi Blog on the BSG website a while back but because it is so difficult for him to find people to work on the site, I recently told him that I was going to do it on my own and simply link it to the BSG site. My health complications have delayed the launch but if I can salvage things here, I intend to start the blog next week. I can only offer this to 1 person. You must love and be knowledgeable in Sci-Fi films, series, novels, graphic novels, etc..., or some of these and be willing to learn the rest. It should take about 5-10h per week of your time, more if you'd like. I will give this and a contract to make it binding to the 1st person who requests it, for $200 as I feel it isn't fair to ask for more.
5 - YOU CAN DONATE $5 TO HELP. GOD WILLING, IT'LL ADD UP TO WHAT WE NEED.
Again, PayPal OK. If you chose to do that, please include your phone # so I can thank you when/if I am better.
PLEASE NOTE:
The PayPal account I recently set up is not attached to a bank account, but we will find a way to transfer it to someone and collect it...
TRANSPARENT RECORDS:
EVERYTHING COMING IN AND ALL RECEIPTS FROM RESULTING SPENDINGS WILL BE POSTED SO AS TO BE AS OPEN AND HONEST AS POSSIBLE. I DON'T WANT ANYONE TO THINK I AM TRYING TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF ANYONE. I NEED $550 AND ANYTHING ABOVE THAT WILL BE RETURNED AT ONCE.
IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO AND ARE ABLE TO HELP, PLEASE WRITE TO:
sophielaporte1010@gmail.com
The email account will remain open all night and tomorrow and I made Mike promise to check it very often as I am not able to be up and out of bed.
WRITE DOWN WHAT YOU'D LIKE TO DO AND I WILL SEND YOU A PAYPAL LINK AND A CONTRACT IF APPLICABLE.
(I have many saved from my years writing them and can alter one to fit fairly quickly.)
I am so frustrated because if my health hadn't interfered, these projects and others (such as an independent film I wrote which some very talented actors have agreed to star in), would have been started months ago and would now actually help the situation... If somehow, the situation is resolved and my health stabilized, I no longer intend to wait for other people to get their act together and will be launching the blog, the GalactiCats site, and another couple of projects (including a "black projects & UFO" Forum, and a blog with advice and resources about writing short stories, novels, articles, and screenplays). Some of these, I've been wating to do for months - some for years, even - and I'd love to be able to launch in the next few days. If/when something happens to me, I would like to have people I've met at conventions and know, or people I take the time to know now, take ownership and take over for me, so write me if you are interested in any of these projects, except the Sci-Fi Blog (see why above).
I am now running out of time, I am posting what I am hoping will not be my last communication. I have attempted to contact my family, to no avail. They never really forgave me for chosing the U.S. as my home country and are still resentful. It hurts that they don't seem to care much about what happens to me, which is why forging friendships is more important to me than the meaning of blood.
Again, I am sorry for having to ask for help. And for doing it in such a lengthy manner. Giving the pertinent details, I feel, is the least I can do for not just explaining the situation, but also to answer to the people who have asked Richard about me at conventions, as well as to be honest with all of you. I am honored to be in your thoughts after all these years. I met some of the best people there, and so has Richard: people with whom we have more in common than we do with our own families who are not into Sci-Fi or Sciences and just don't "get it". He and I are both self-professed nerds and proud of it! Even if you cannot help, please let the kitties be in your prayers. And write me a note, whether you met me before or not. I am so very sorry to make my return to the Sci-Fi world in this way and hope to have your forgiveness. Thank you for your valuable time spent reading this. I miss the conventions so very much and this letter, although very emotional for me to write - or rather, dictate - has been a kind of rekindling. Thank you for the fun times I had from 1996-2001. It is you all that made them the fondest memories I have in my life.
Love to you all and hopefully not goodbye...
Sophie LaPorte.
