Jan Cline Holds Yard Sales To Pay Medical Bills; City Shuts Them Down

By the Huffington Post –

According to KATU-TV in Salem, Ore., Jan Cline, a woman with terminal bone marrow cancer, has been holding yard sales to raise money to pay off her bills.

But Cline recently received an unfortunate notice from the city of Salem: She is breaking the law, and the city is shutting her yard-sale operation down.

Why ever would they do this? Because Salem has a law that says a person can only have three yard sales in one year. Cline, on the other hand, has held yard sales for the last few weekends, and she thought there wouldn’t be a problem as long as she kept out of people’s way, KATU-TV in Salem reported.

“We make such an effort of making it back here (backyard) so that it’s not goobering up the neighborhood, so it’s not like a garage sale all laid out day after day after day,” Cline told KATU-TV.

But still, her neighbor complained about the multiple yard sales and the city intervened, KATU-TV reported.

Cline’s bone marrow cancer, which causes holes in her bones and puts her at high risk for fracture, has caused her to lose her ability to work and earn money, so she turned to yard sales for income, she told KATU-TV.

Last year, Jennifer Cline of Monroe, Mich., announced that she was selling a handwritten letter from President Obama for $7,000 to help pay for medical bills. Cline, who had been diagnosed with skin cancer, had initially written a letter to Obama explaining how she was struggling without health insurance, AOL News reported.

Obama wrote back, saying, “Thanks for the very kind and inspiring letter. I know times are tough, but knowing there are folks out there like you and your husband gives me confidence that things will keep getting better!,” AOL News reported.

Even more extreme, back in June James Verone robbed a bank in North Carolina for $1 in order to receive free health care in jail.

For more on Jan Cline, read the story and watch the KATU-TV video here.

Want to help? Visit the “Jan Cline’s Fight Against Cancer” website or the “Help Jan Cline Fight Cancer” page on Facebook for more information on donating.