A Letter from a Fan

The newsletter is powering back up after the heartbreaking loss of Marshall Allen; His legacy lives on and the message remains strong: Be the change you want to see in the world.

Dear Marshall,

I never had the chance to meet you, but I know we would have hit it off.

A year or two ago I read, Never Pay the First Bill - it completely changed how I think about the patient experience and the financial workings of our healthcare system.

Last year, I submitted a couple of Victory Stories on your website, and we exchanged a few emails in hopes of connecting but unfortunately, our paths never directly crossed.

My name is

Andrew Gordon

, and I’m a Licensed Social Worker in New Jersey.

Like you, I was raised by faith and care deeply for people. I believe deep down to my core that it’s my purpose to serve others, and I aim to advocate for anyone who has ever been marginalized in a world that has become incredibly divided.

I wanted to tell you how big of a fan I am of your newsletter, book, chatbot, and everything that you stand for.

I was hoping to share with you all the healthcare transparency research I’ve been doing. After all, this was what served as the catalyst for my discovery of your book, newsletter, and vibrant community.

Whenever your newsletter would hit my inbox, I’d give it a read and think to myself how inspiring it is to see the “little guy” come out on top for once.

Healthcare in America continues to operate in a fashion that often makes patients feel like they’re at the bottom of the totem pole and caught between a rock and a hard place when it comes to billing.

I’m an unwavering advocate of the underdog. I am often the person cheering on and putting all my energy behind the underdogs in sporting events and movies.

The crowd you hung out with is the crowd I aspire to be a part of …

A group of challengers, innovators, dreamers, and believers. A group who isn’t afraid to challenge the status quo and one that promotes a healthcare system that puts patients first while running on reasonable returns.

A part of me has always loved writing. I used humor in a lot of my college papers to separate myself from others while also reminding myself of how much fun this form of expression can be.

I can’t pretend I have what it takes to fill a fraction of the shoes you have left but I can try my best.

One of my favorite books is The Road to Character, written by popular NYT columnist David Brooks. He opens the book by saying, “I’m not sure if I can follow the road to character, but I wanted at least to know what the road looks like and how others have trodden it.”

Like David Brooks, you have laid the foundation and have given us the road to walk down. It’s one of integrity. Accountability. Love. Positivity. Trust. Truth. Transparency. Advocacy and empowerment.

In the Fall, I had the pleasure of meeting your wife, Sonja, at RosettaFest in Washington DC. We had a great discussion in the lobby of the Marriott where I expressed to her my passion for your work and interest in helping to keep things moving.

It was so cool to see everyone at the conference get a copy of your book, and Sonja made a beautiful presentation in your memory.

Alongside Sonja, and others, I plan to continue your legacy in every way possible.

Acting with integrity.

Connecting with patients.

Empowering them with knowledge.

Advocating on their behalf.

Capturing their story.

Elevating their voice.

Making a difference.

The world will always need more people to echo, empathize, and elevate the patient's perspective and voice.

The torch you carried moves forward with great momentum and optimism as we begin this next chapter.

Thank you for being an inspiration to me and so many others.

And now your newsletter officially continues.

With great pleasure,

Andrew

P.S. I’m not letting your son, Cody, off the hook for helping to make the Memes that often accompanied your story releases. The comic relief will also be continuing :)