I work for a nonprofit that helps homeless women get back on their feet. We have a woman who was badly injured by her husband and she spent weeks in the hospital and has no insurance. We’re trying to get her on Medicaid but getting nowhere because she lost custody to the state because her husband is in jail and she was in the hospital. So unfair!

Now medical bills are rolling in. Does anyone have experience in getting medical bills waived? Can I negotiate on her behalf?

Any suggestions are appreciated!

I booked a house and paid the initial deposit. Now the balance is due and the owner is asking me to pay through their portal and not through VRBO. I have never been asked to do this, and I have rented numerous times through VRBO.

Is this normal?

My family is white, and my brother adopted a black boy (T) when he was about 4. He was sent to them as a foster child and then they just couldn’t let him go. My brother also has a biological son and an adopted daughter who is white. T was a neat kid and now he’s grown up and he is a wonderful young man. He is getting married next week. His fiancée is white.

I was out with a group of friends, and one of the group, really a friend of a friend, found out I have a black nephew and was horrified. He said that white people shouldn’t adopt black children, even ones like T, who at 4 years old wasn’t likely to be adopted by anyone, let alone by a black family.

Several others agreed. I obviously don’t. I think T was lucky to be adopted into a loving, christian family. They also said that T was robbed of his culture but couldn’t say exactly what that culture is.

What do you think?