Mueller Testimony, Fake Go Fund Me Accounts and more.

Last week, I watched the entire Robert Mueller testimony on CNN. (If you haven’t read the Mueller report, please at the very least, watch the testimony yourself, I’m begging you.) One indisputable and key take-a-way from the hearing is that our Country is under attack from foreign powers seeking to influence and shape our Country for numerous nefarious reasons. I believe this emergency warrants our attention right now. Why? Because recently, I personally may potentially have fallen victim to supporting a handful of fake social media posts. Ugh! I’m still upset with myself about it. This is also one of the reasons, I depend on well-respected professionals and sites to share information with you on my website.

In my case, I realized there were conflicting posts on Facebook which then lead me to question the authenticity of the posts I was seeing. This made me realize that I should address this topic with all of you regarding Simplyrheumatoid.com and my Go Fund Me account.

First off, I want to reiterate, you should always do your due diligence. What does that mean? Basically, it means you need to investigate and do your homework to make certain that the entity that is requesting funds is legitimate.

What are the steps you can take to protect yourself and why should you believe in my business and Go Fund Me Page?

Start by trusting your gut. Our bodies are remarkable and have built-in warning systems that trigger a sense of confidence or caution. Listen to your body, it is speaking to you.

A second step you can take is to check a business’s status with the Better Business Bureau. * Please Note: The BBB doesn’t always have info on every business, especially new businesses. Furthermore, everything should be taken with a grain of salt and factored into your entire research. (Let’s face it, the BBB is not a court and some people file baseless complaints, Ugh!)

Third, you can ask questions. You can ask to see a company’s financials before you give them your hard-earned money. They have the right to say, “no” and you have the right not to donate or support their business. With respect to my site, I decided to open an online store in order to allow you to support my site with the purchase of a product from my support products line. I concluded that this was the best way to enable me to give you the confidence that your purchase will go towards keeping www.simplyrheumatoid.com up and running for you and your fellow Rheumatoid fighters. Additionally, your funds will go towards the over-all goals I outlined in the About This Blog section of my site. The donate button will stay on my site for the time being because I am still looking to raise funds to make my website wishlist come true. Email me if you have questions or would like references prior to donating. As noted on my site, you can also donate in a non-monetary way by contributing tips, stories, product suggestions, your time or web expertise.

*Please note the following regarding the acceptance of funds on my site for payments and donations: I am choosing to utilize PayPal only currently to accept funds due to the economic benefits, security benefits and ease of use that PayPal offers. Also, as noted on my Go Fund Me Rheumatoid Page, my site is NOT a charity. You will not receive a tax benefit from donating to my site or from the purchase of a product on my site.

Why did I decide to be “for-profit” and not a charity? Answer: Because, I want to select the people, products and services that I feel are of value without being “influenced” by any donation.

Lastly, I want to state, this site is intended to be a resource for you and your families. Its purpose is to enable you to decide what course of action is best for you and your particular situation. Everyone’s situation is different. I built this site to offer you helpful resources. I used my personal funds to build this site for you and without your support, I may fail.

While failing sucks, I am okay with it because I learned so much in the course of this endeavor.

My goal was and is to try and help people any way I can. If that means, I just get one of you to give up or reduce your sugar intake, try water aerobics or give Tofurky a try, then that is a win for me. I’m good with that.

With Heartfelt Sincerity and Appreciation for Your Support,

Lidia Page

Simplyrheumatoid.com

P.s. Please let me know if you see a post regarding simplyrheumatoid.com that may seem questionable. I would like to know about it so I can address it, report it to the appropriate site(s) for investigation and any financial institutions that may be involved. Together we can protect and defend ourselves from the deplorable actions of a few bad actors.

If you have further questions, feel free to email me @ simplyrheumatoid@gmail.com.