Document text
CLOUDY Temp: 46 °F Wind: CLM at 0 mph Friday, April 18, 2003 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA HomeLife Magazine W3 Magazine Jobs @ Mail Tribune Tempo A & E Oregon CarZone Wellness Connection Real Estate Newspaper in Education Prime Times Outdoor Journal Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find Everything E SOUTHERN OREGON Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar ABOUT US FAQ What's New Advertise Home Delivery Classified Ad Contact Us Media Kit Email Story to a Friend March 31, 2003 Tom Rucklos pioneered Southern Oregon Internet real estate listings in 1990, changing the local market. Now Rucklos, 49, needs a liver transplant and the real estate community is stepping up to help. Mail Tribune / Andrew Mariman Businessman Tom Rucklos hopes the community comes through for him by raising funds for a liver transplant By JONEL ALECCIA Mail Tribune More than a dozen years ago, Tom Rucklos helped the Southern Oregon real estate community reach out to the world. Now, members are returning the favor. Rucklos, 49, is the co-founder of www.move2oregon.com , a pioneering Web site that was among the first to post local real estate listings on the Internet. He’s also a very sick man. Diagnosed two years ago with chronic liver disease, Rucklos, who has no insurance, needs an organ transplant. The price tag? At least $250,000. Cynthia Rucklos, Tom’s wife, figures there’s a window of weeks, maybe a couple months, max, to raise the money. "We have a very short time," she says. In response, real estate professionals from throughout the region have launched a multi-faceted fund drive that has raised a few thousand dollars so far. They’ve set up a trust fund at PremierWest Bank. They’ve passed the hat at office coffee breaks and gatherings. One broker, Randy Unger of Sierra West Real Estate in Medford, took out an ad in a trade publication, challenging others to help. "There’s about 800 Realtors in the valley," said Unger, 46. "If they each gave $312.50, we’d have the money instantly." Why the outpouring of generosity from an industry focused on sales? Call it kindness repaid, says Claudette Moore of Coldwell Banker. "They’re just wonderful people who have built their little business up," she says. "Cynthia and Tom both have taken me into the electronic age." That’s echoed by Liz Forster, a Realtor who started as a client and became a friend. "They’ve been in the business for years and they work hard; they work very hard," she says. Back when few real estate workers knew how — or why — they should market their properties online, the Ruckloses guided them to the fledgling Web. Now, more than 8 million hits have been recorded on the site, Cynthia Rucklos figures. Tom Rucklos has donated Web design, extended credit and forgiven debts when people have needed it. Now, Moore says, folks remember. "This community comes through for its people," Moore says. And the Ruckloses need people to come through. Cynthia Rucklos, 46, said an economic downturn a few years ago forced the pair to cancel their private insurance to save the cost of $500 in monthly premiums. Two months later, Tom Rucklos was diagnosed with cirrhosis, possibly a complication of previously undetected Hepatitis. Medical bills piled up. By the time the Ruckloses spent their savings and reduced their assets enough to qualify for the Oregon Health Plan, the state was in a budget spiral. Cuts in state spending mean Tom Rucklos will lose state prescription drug and other benefits by June. The issue is complicated by a psychologists’ report that indicated Tom Rucklos might not be a good candidate for transplant in Oregon. That is being contested by his doctor, Cynthia Rucklos says. "Tom told him he would cherish a new liver because he knew someone else would have to give their life for it," she says. There’s a chance the operation could be covered by federal veteran’s benefits; Tom Rucklos served in the Navy. But the Veteran’s Administration doctors can’t even evaluate Tom Rucklos until mid-April. His wife fears that all of these delays might be too late. Lying in a bed at Rogue Valley Medical Center, Tom Rucklos appears thin and weak, but his mind seems keen and his eyes are bright with fight. He shrugs off the notion that his past generosities were anything other than typical business practices. "It helped everybody all around," he says. So Cynthia, who calls visitors "honey" and "sweetie" and wears appliqued angels on her shirt, has been exploring every avenue for help for her husband of 15 years. "We have a miracle that could happen," she says, her face growing hopeful. "If we have a month, it could happen. We could have a miracle." For more information, visit www.move2oregon.com/Save Tom on the Web. Reach reporter JoNel Aleccia at 776-4465, or e-mail [email protected] Printer Friendly Version Email Story to a Friend Subscribe Archive: Click to Search Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2003 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback A D V E R T I S E R S