Cycling for the Cure

Your father, mother, brother, sister, cousin, aunt, uncle, grandmother, grandfather, an inspirational teacher, a close friend...even yourself.  

Cancer does not discriminate. It affects us all in one way or another.

There will be a cure. 
 
You can help. 

One inspirational man I know, Peter Shannon (Artistic Director and Conductor of the Savannah Philharmonic), is cycling 120 miles (!!!) to raise funds in support of the ongoing research at the Curtis and Elizabeth Anderson Cancer Institute at Memorial University Medical Center, here in Savannah, GA.

He needs our support.

If you want to help, click here. For insight into the fundraiser and Peter's efforts, please read his letter below:    

Dearest Friends,

Please please do me a favor and take a few moments of your day to read this:

There is, I'm sure none of us who haven't lost either a close family member or friend to cancer.

As for me; both my grandparents on my mother's side died of cancer within 12 months of each other. My grandfather, a successful and well respected doctor in Ireland was only 69 when he died,...he looked at his own x rays and gave himself 6 months to live. Stomach cancer.

My energetic Aunt Lilian (beautiful name!) was looking forward to retiring and relaxing and finally reaping the benefits of her hard-working lifestyle (she was an eye doctor in Sligo) with her husband. Less than a few months after being diagnosed with cancer of the throat, she was dead.

I still cant believe that we haven't a cure for cancer. But I DO BELIEVE that we will. Just as polio was cured and penicillin was discovered, so too, in the future we WILL have a cure for cancer. I also believe that it will be a creative person who finds the cure.

Music helps people be creative in all aspects of life and in ALL professions. Doctors as musicians. I can help with the music, but I need help with the next missing link to this puzzle. Money.

Help me please. I'm trying to raise $5,000 for this cause by cycling 120 miles (yikes!) on the 16th of October on my bike with the doctors and friends of Memorial Hospital.

I will be riding with Dr. Steven Brower, the director of the Curtis and Elizabeth Anderson Cancer Institute at Memorial.

Please copy and paste the link below to make an online donation on my donation page:http://memorialhealth.kintera.org/faf/r.asp?t=4&i=435344&u=435344-299300970&e=3776378656

God knows every cent will make the 120 miles less and less painful!

Please be generous, and thank you.

Peter.

Peter Shannon,
Artistic Director and Conductor,
Savannah Philharmonic Orchestra and Chorus
403 East 52nd Street
Savannah, GA 31405
www.thesavphilharmonic.org  

>> MORE INFO ABOUT THIS EVENT

7 Minutes Today, Make a Difference in Your Lifetime

Estimate: I'm guessing it'll take no more than 7 minutes to read and to do everything within this post. Preface: This post is about a serious topic, and I take it seriously. (I hope that you do not necessarily equate seriousness with sadness or tedium, although I admit that you will likely experience some of that in this post.) Cancer has affected many loved ones and people to whom I am superficially connected already in my 28 years -- triumph and survival to losing loved ones. Undoubtedly, cancer has affected you, either directly or through a loved one. I'm no 'expert' when it comes to cancer, but I feel that I am educated enough in its affects on me and the impacts it can have on lives -- positive and negative. Here's to finding a cure, and to supporting these incredible efforts and the people affected by cancer.

Settle into that video-watching position in your fave, comfy spot that affords you the peace and quiet you deserve to give yourself each day. Silence all (or as many) disturbances (as you can) around you. Grab the good ear buds or turn on the good speakers. Then, watch this slightly-over-4-minutes video (then come back here):


Rachel's Birthday Video from Kristian Anderson on Vimeo. Featuring "Marry Me" by Train.  (Viewers: tissues recommended) 

Don't know about you, but I keep seeing Kristian, his face and the sign "I need you like I need a cure for cancer" in my mind. Want to do something about it? (I do.)

Okay. Let's do something together...

Mark Friday, September 10 at 8:00pm EDT (7:00pm CT) in your calendar -- Stand Up to Cancer. You get to park it in front of your TV for a good bit of time to watch great entertainment for a wonderful cause! (ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, Bio, Current TV, Discovery Health, E!, G4, HBO, HBO Latino, MLB Network, mun2, Showtime, Smithsonian Channel, The Style Network, TV One and VH1) Want to know what you can do to help? Ideas here.

Then, the best part: If you're feeling the urge to get active and/or to give more, visit this site to help change lives: American Cancer Society - The Official Sponsor of Birthdays.

I promise the lecture is over. To each his or her own, so I'll let you decide what, if anything, you'll do. Regardless of your choices, thank you for reading and for the consideration.