I'm Ten Years Cancer Free!!!

( Me and my team in 2011 kicking some cancer ass! )

In the last week or so plenty of people have asked me what it felt like to turn 40. Well, it really didn't matter to me in the stereotypical way people think of it. Let me illustrate.

Then: I was diagnosed/treated for cancer and turned 30 in the midst of it. Yuck!

Now: I turned 40 on Monday and was given the good word just today that I am free of cancer for 10 years running. Hot damn!

Which one would you choose? See why turning 40 is so awesome for me? I'm better now than when I was 30 and so happy to be here to say that!

This is cause for celebration, and trust me I'll be doing plenty of that; so should you if only because celebrating a great story even when it isn't your own makes us human. But there is more to this than hoots, hollers and cheering.

The war on cancer has not been won. We've barely advanced our pieces on the board. My cause for celebration is a reminder of the battle we wage and why all of us need to get involved. It's a fight for life, and none of us are safe.

Fight back for Hannah, Bill, Pete, Rhonda and Noah who carry on their own personal battles. Celebrate all the survivors who remind us that hope is not lost. Fight back for your children, spouse, mother, father, siblings, aunts, uncles, cousins, friends, neighbors, co-workers and yourself. Remember those we've lost and whose presence at our side as we fight propels us forward to victory. Get involved for any reason you want, but get involved.

Click below to make a donation to the American Cancer Society Relay For Life.

http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR/RelayForLife/RFLCY13NE?px=1344507&pg=personal&fr_id=52043

Thank you!

Jason

Thank You

( Thank you from Margot and I for all the support. We didn't do this, WE all did! )

I owe a lot of people thanks after my Relay For Life this weekend. And those of you who are receiving them, you know who you are, you are just going to have to sit back and take what is coming to you. I am nowhere near as awesome as the honors I have recently accepted might suggest, and I am certainly not even notable without acknowledging all the people who have helped me achieve them. This was always a team effort anyway.

The most urgent thanks go to my team members. Margot, Donna, Missi, Melissa, Jen, Derek, Shirley, Scott, Linda and Kathy, you guys rock. Past team members Bob, Tim, Abby, Alice, Celeste, Amy, Betsy, Ashley, Emillie, Geoff, Kevin, Caryn, Sam, Cyndi and Terri, this is for you as well. Family members of all of my teammates, thank you so much for allowing your loved ones to spend this time; it is worth more than you know. We all did this and we should be so proud of what our efforts have amounted to.

( Team Survivors Rule! with the planning committee post-closing. )

Team Survivors Rule! finished with its best year ever in terms of fundraising AND with an overall sense of joy with what we had done and the apparent example we have set.

The big milestone looming in 2012 was when we would reach the $100,000 mark. We started this mission in 2003 and with less than ten years behind us, we’ve done it. We knew we did it on Friday afternoon. There were happy dances and high fives all around. We are going to get a banner that says “The Next $100,000 Will Be Easier” to symbolize the sweat that went into putting that mark on the world.

Taking the field (of battle if you will) we then had eyes on the $13,000 yearly goal we had set back in February. Could we hit that? Yes, yes we could. With final campaigning to people at Relay and beyond we eclipsed that mark in the early AM hours Saturday. Wow, the team-work and drive right to end was overwhelming!

I finished with a personal best, and my first year above $3000. To all my individual donors past and present, thank you so much for placing you hard earned dollars with me and the American Cancer Society. Those dollars are a direct pipeline to programs, services and research that is an “all-in” bet on hope. You are my hero and we are all heroes to so many people who will be helped by our efforts.

( Rituals like team sock and shoe changes at 1AM really bring people together! )

The weather at Relay was reasonable, we did have a T-Storm around 9pm, and the team put many miles in on the way to our 10am finish. Several of us eclipsed marathon distance (26.2) miles again, personally having done this (and then some) eight years running.  Five of us banded together to run a final lap as a more potent example that we are here and fighting. Man was I tired! A few small blisters and a gentle reminder to drop a few pounds were the only lasting scars.

( A few crazy team members before running a final lap! )

( Which Jen brought home with lots of track in front the rest of us! )

At the closing we clocked in at second place in both the team and the individual fundraising competitions. We’ve had firsts in both in the past, but this year there was another team that was hungry for the top spots and did the work needed to make it happen. Team Golden Brook and captain BJ Martin (in the pic on the right), you guys showed us all how it’s done!

At this point I was very much looking forward to heading home, showering and hitting the rack for a bit. I took a two our nap during Relay after realizing I was stumbling a bit on the track, but even so I was confident that nothing was going to feel as good as bed right about then. Or so I thought.

Special awards are also announced during the closing. I don’t generally consider my team in the running for these, the time commitment to be at all the meetings and network with so many fellow participants is challenging on my and my teammates’ schedules. Well maybe that’s not the whole story. Team Survivors Rule! was honored with the BJ Allgaier Spirit Award for 2012. This award is given to a team that exemplifies the spirit of Relay by setting a positive example, helping others and being an active part of the Relay community. 

I was asked to speak on behalf of the team and I could barely get the words out. I spoke about how coming to the Derry/Londonderry Relay was an accident, we changed locations due to a family wedding in year two, and that we never left because the community we found was so supportive of doing incredible things. I also said that we are an example of what is possible and that everyone should feel like they could be us, and better yet we would help! I thanked everyone assembled for what they had helped us do.

The award is profound for me. BJ Allgaier was a mentor to me early in my Relay volunteer experience. She helped me, challenged me and asked me what I was prepared to do for my world. Cancer took her from us before she had finished her work. I am so much better off for having known her. To win an award named for her and her spirit is a unique joy.

So thank you to everyone who has donated, walked, hosted events, helped setup and/or cheered us on since 2003. We set out to make a difference and by all accounts we have succeeded in defining a role for ourselves in that. No one of us on the team does even our own little part alone. We all have support. Thank you all so much.

Cheers!

Jason


Stories of Relay Wrap-up Link List

Second Chances and How You Can Give Back
History of Team Survivors Rule!
What is Relay For Life?
When Giving Back Feels So Good
How Your Support Makes a Difference
Fighting Cancer with Wine
Melissa's Reasons to Relay
Margot's Reasons to Relay
Missi's Reason to Relay
Donna's Reason to Relay
Why I Relay

Why I Relay

( Cancer survivors taking the first lap in the Relay tradition. )

Today is Relay day. This will be the 15^th Relay I have participated in. I can’t tell you how many miles I have personally walked in all of those events, but if I had to guess I’d say it has been at least 300. For fundraising I have continued to increase my personal footprint each year, and will likely eclipse $3000 for the first time this year. As a team we’ve seen considerable fundraising success and each member is crossing their fingers that our efforts right up until we hit that track later today will have pushed us across the line for a $100,000 team lifetime total. (We were only $523 away at the time this was posted.) I joked to my wife yesterday morning that I want to get a banner that says “The next $100,000 is going to be easier!”

( This old pedometer has been retired. I have about 25-30 miles in me each year now. That's OK, right? )

So after nine years and all that has come with it, how in the world do I try to explain why I Relay? Hmmmm… The American Cancer Society has a slogan for the Relay For Life of: Celebrate. Remember. Fight Back. I think that will do nicely to frame my reasons to Relay.

Celebrate

Relay is a celebration, and what each of us celebrates is different. First and foremost I celebrate being here. I celebrate being able to spend time with my family and friends doing things we enjoy. I celebrate being able to tell you my story first hand. It’s hard to imagine a wounded widow or family trying to explain the value of their lost family member. It happens, but thankfully not to me; and that is worth celebrating.

( Being able to have fun making a difference is a blessing. Manchester Relay 2005. )

I celebrate the work that my teammates and I do and by extension every other person who has jumped in on this fight. Did you know that 1 in 10 Americans participate in the Relay For Life? That is a lot of accomplishments to celebrate, but I try my best!

( Relay For Life 2011. )

I celebrate new team members, new fighters and new Relay friends. Choosing to set aside a day and night, and all the lead up effort, to make a difference is an act worthy of friendship and celebration.

I celebrate the advances that researchers and medical professionals are making in the battle against cancer. It may not look like we are winning, but we ain’t losing either; and for that we should all celebrate!

Remember

This is where it gets tough. I have plenty of people to remember. I have my own vivid cancer memories to recall and be reinvigorated by. Writing this section will have me retracing many of those memories AND the emotions that come with them.

At Relay we walk around a track all night which means you have a lot of time to meet your fellow participants. I’ve been involved with this same Relay since 2005 and the core of the repeat participants have become my Relay friends; some of them I see only at Relay despite not living far apart.

For some of us, and cancer survivors specifically, who only see each other annually at Relay there is considerable anxiety about whether we will see each other again; and it doesn’t get easier as each year passes. Sometimes you find each other at the survivor celebration and sometimes randomly while walking the track. Sometimes you don’t find the person you are looking for, no matter how hard you search.

( BJ Allgaier was the most passionate cancer fight you will ever meet. Cancer decided she

couldn't stay and for that I will never rest. She believed in me and challenged me to be 

more than I thought I could be in this fight. I'm sad not to have been able to thank her. )

I’ve had friends walk off that track never to walk another lap at Relay. I wish I could tell you that that was because they had moved or were involved in the fight in other ways. No, they are gone and all I have are the memories.

The loss of a loved one or friend is traumatic for everyone. Please don’t take my following statements to mean that I am creating a hierarchy of loss, no, I am merely sharing a particular context for when loss has added dimension.

Losing a Relay friend to the very disease you are working to fight is unfortunately familiar ground for people who participate in Relay. Cancer is our business. We want to save lives and extend the lives of those who live with cancer. We work to ensure those living with cancer live with dignity every day they get to enjoy. Too often we witness a lost fight. The loss initially hurts so much and then you get to thinking that somehow all your time and energy isn’t making enough difference; and you feel even worse. That last part isn’t true, but during your grief it is an unwanted and compounding element that is hard to shake. As you meet more and more people involved with Relay the frequency of this unfortunate experience only goes up. You get the point.

( Gerry, you always old me that my energy was inspiration and strength for you. That was a

two-way street. You battled for yourself and so many others. Walking the Relay as your friend

was a great honor and your friendship will never be lost. )

The only way to live through and beyond this challenge is to remember those who you have lost. Remember them from the best scenes of your time together. Remember them laughing and having fun, remember them pitching to make a difference alongside you. Imagine them giving you altitude as you cruise to new heights in your efforts to make their struggle and loss meaningful for others.

Fight Back

I Relay because I can. I do a lot of things since I was told I had cancer just because I can. Think about that for a minute. How purposefully do you live?

Thoreau said in Walden, “I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.” I’ve loved Walden as a treatise on living with purpose since I first read it over 20 years ago. I’ve always been a cerebral person so quotes like that, and the ideas behind them, have always captured my imagination.

I got involved with the Relay For Life and the American Cancer Society because I wished to live with purpose, to learn more about the world I lived in, and not, when I came to die, discover I had squandered the second chance I had been given. So I fight back!

( After hours of walking and no sleep I still have the stones to run a few laps in defiance. )

I raise money, tell my story, walk around a track all night, advocate for legislative changes, share the facts and figures about cancer and its impact, tell people to do self-examinations and ask others to get involved as well. I also balance a healthy and active life with the craziness and convenience of the modern age, and advocate for others to try to do the same. We must try to live better, with more purpose, but we must also have fun!

I also Relay for HOPE. The hope that someday our civilization will have beat back cancer and nobody will ever have to be told they have cancer again. Can’t you just imagine how cool it will be to read the story of how and when humans cured cancer in the history books and think about how many people and resources it took to accomplish? Yeah the pyramids are pretty neat, but curing cancer will beat that hands down!

That is how I FIGHT BACK and why I Relay

If you would like to support me in the fight against cancer please click this link to visit my Relay page where you can make a donation. 

Cheers!

Jason

Donna’s Reasons to Relay

( Our first Relay in 2004. )

We are in the final days before the 2012 Relay For Life of Greater Derry and Londonderry. All Spring I have been using my blog to share information about the fight against cancer, the team of advocates I helped form and our efforts to raise funds and awareness in the fight against cancer. This week and last I have been sharing stories of team members and why they Relay. Today my mother shares her Reasons to Relay:

I started to Relay the year after my son Jason was diagnosed with cancer. I felt helpless and needed to do something to try to make sense of the fact that my child (my baby!) had been treated for cancer. Jason reminded me recently, that fund raising for cancer research was my idea.

When Jason was first diagnosed, I remember thinking that nothing good could come out of this. This is one time that I am glad I was wrong. There have been so many blessings. I would never have thought we could raise so much money (almost $100,000) and have so many supporters. Relay isn't just about the people on our team but about all the people that have so generously donated to Relay, opened their homes to our fund raisers and businesses that have chosen to be our corporate sponsors.

( The team after the finish of our 2010 Relay. We've accomplished so much... )

We all have stories of the friends and family that have had cancer. Some have lost their battle (we miss you Gerry), some are in remission and some battle cancer every day. My prayer is that someday, no one will hear the doctor say you have cancer. And someday, no mother will hear that her child has cancer.

Lace up your shoes and support Relay for Life!       

Thanks Mom! It was your idea and that just proves that kids do sometimes listen to their parents!

If you would like to support Donna in the fight against cancer please click this link to visit her Relay page where you can make a donation. 

Cheers!

Jason

What Is The Relay For Life?

( Yes we must believe and we must have hope. Friends of ours from our event. )

The Relay For Life is the flagship fundraising event for the American Cancer Society and the largest community driven fundraiser in the world. The Relay For Life is a celebration, a remembrance and a promise for the future. In the first two parts of this series about my cancer journey and how I’m fighting back (Part 1, Part 2) I shared the beginning of the story and the history of the team I helped form to volunteer and fundraise in our local communities. Through the Relay For Life I’ve learned so much and met so many great people that I couldn’t think of giving this experience back.That's why I'm sharing it with you!

The Relay For Life is a place where all of us who share in the cancer story can go to give support, get support, fight back and make a difference. Teams raise money for months leading up to the event, hosting fundraisers and soliciting family, friends and co-workers. I’ll get to where the money goes in a future post, but just to keep it simple, your money goes to fund programs and research that make you and a whole shitload of other people heroes to people with cancer. I’ve been, there and it sucks, and having caring, well trained people there to help makes a huge difference.  Be that hero.

( I was asked to be the survivor speaker at the kickoff in 2011. 

Shaved my head for it. Just because I could.)

Our local event is held at the track of Pinkerton Academy in Derry, NH. We kick off the event with a survivor lap which is one of the most emotional events I’ve ever been party to. It’s hard to write about the survivor lap now because several people I loved and who also shared the pleasure of this most cruel of best things ever, are no longer here to walk it with me. So when I tell you this all sucks, don’t underestimate what I mean. But it is the people who you get in with at this event that make you realize its power. Caregivers join survivors for a second lap, and then all the team and event participants get into it from there. Survivors and caregivers are invited to a celebratory reception following the kickoff and initial laps. After that I always look forward to walking a few laps with my whole team making noise and letting people know we are there and fighting back.

The walking in circles will go on now for 17 more hours. Teams are obliged to have one member on the track at all times until the event loses at noon the next day.

In 2010 after being astonished at what our scrappy little team had accomplished I fashioned up the following slideshow/video as a tribute to what we had done. Here we are two years later with me thinking about needing a bigger sign to fit We raised $100,000.00!!!!! on.

Throughout the night there are games, activities, fundraisers, music, dancing and lots of laughing. We do turn off the lights at 9PM and use the glow from luminaria bags to walk in silence for an hour remembering those who can no longer be with us and honoring those on the front lines in this fight.

Then there is more walking, a bit more walking; what is it with all the walking? Man, I have never walked so much and not physically gotten anywhere like I do at Relay. Each lap has a theme, with the turning of each debuting new costumes, music and activities. A warm cup of coffee is a welcome friend at 2 AM when there are only 100 people on the track.

When morning finally comes we are all usually pretty happy, and more or less so based on the overnight weather. You aren’t technically camping, more like bivouacking or manning a field outpost. We’ve had thunderstorms come right across the field, pouring rain, steady but constant rain, fog, cold and wind. We’ve heard reports of other events seeing snow. You will want to be a bit hardcore to deal with it. And walk 30+ miles in any or all of it. Morning snacks are brought in by team relief that heads back to our house overnight. Boxes of donuts are made scarce in short order.

Cancer affects all of us sooner or later. Don’t believe me? The latest statistic from the American Cancer Society is that 1 in 2 people will be affected by cancer in our lifetime. None of us live alone forever, so it affects all of us sooner or later. I tell people that I feel that everyone should support a cause they can get behind, but truly support it. And for many people that means putting their support with someone else who is making just the difference they can be part of. I can’t thank you, my family, my friends and all the people who have continued to support me in this fight enough. We are ALL making a difference.

To be someone’s hero donate to the Relay For Life using the online form at http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR/RelayForLife/RFLFY12NE?px=1344507&pg=personal&fr_id=39884

Be an even bigger hero and send this post to your friends. Facebook it, Tweet it, send and email, make a call, write a letter, send a carrier pigeon with a blank money order, what ever it takes. We need to more fighters and more ammo in this fight!

Cheers!

Jason

The History of Team Survivors Rule!

( Survivors Rule! 2004 )

This is the second part in a series about what my experience with cancer has helped me find in my own life, and how it has given me an opportunity to fight back. You can read part 1 and the beginning of the story in Second Chances, Giving Back and How You Can Help.

In 2003 I took my first walk as a cancer survivor participating in the Boston Prostate Cancer walk. As my wife and I researched this and other events we noticed that many likeminded people formed teams with catchy names. Most of the teams raised money all year and participated in charity walks or runs in their local communities. Lets do that! We started team “Survivors Rule!”. I was a newly minted cancer survivor and to me this name had power, positivity and a no-nonsense appeal.

( Boston Prostate Cancer Walk 2003)

And we got right to work. Team Survivors Rule! finished 2003 with a homemade apple pie drive to benefit the Lance Armstrong Foundation. Margot and I also participated in the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer events in both Boston, MA and Manchester, NH.  We were off to a roaring start.

( Pies for Cancer 2003 )

At the Making Strides event in Manchester, NH I met the volunteer chairperson (Nicole Spaur) for the 2004 Manchester Relay For Life. I had heard of this event before, but never participated in one. During the long week of recovery from my initial surgery my mother had mentioned this event (thanks Mom!) and we talked about finding one to get involved in. With recovery ahead of me still, we decided 2004 would be a good year to organize a team and Relay for the first time. As I talked to Nicole about Relay I was energized. She asked if I was interested in joining the committee. Blinded by my desire to make my experience mean something more I said yes. I went home and proudly told Margot that she was talking to the new chairperson of the Survivorship Committee of the Manchester Relay For Life. Her initial reaction took the wind of out my fight-back sails, but she was right; I had likely gotten ahead of myself. As we headed into 2004 I tried my best to balance my time between work, home, chairperson duties and getting our team organized for the Relay. In the end it all came together, and despite all the hard work I felt good. As I said in part 1, my cancer diagnosis changed my life. When I walked in that first Relay For Life, my life changed again. I walked all night with my father, Margot, friends and all the new people I met walking around in those circles. To top that all off Survivors Rule! had raised just shy of $5000 in our first Relay. This was just the beginning.

( Making Strides Against Breast Cancer, Boston. 2003. Rain & our walks seem to go hand in hand... )

Later in 2004 the team made apple pies again, and Margot and I helped with day-of logistics and walked in the Making Strides event in Manchester. After two years the team was able to proudly proclaim that we had helped raised just over $8000 in the fight against cancer. We were building and growing, getting stronger and arming ourselves. Cancer was in the bullseye.

In 2005 the team needed to make a change. Due to a family wedding we needed to participate in a different Relay, and the change brought us closer to home, to the Relay For Life of Great Derry & Londonderry. As 2005 wound up the team made chocolate treats to sell, and pounded the pavement for donations. We rocked our new Relay all night raised over $7,000 more in the fight against cancer. The team again came out for a pie drive in the fall and the annual participation in Making Strides, which is still strong as it ever was.

In the years of 2006 through 2009 the team put up remarkable efforts and raised over $10,000 in each of 3 out of 4 of those years. Our highest annual total was $12,500. Our success has always been bittersweet because we were fighting a disease that was taking our family and friends, but it is success and we enjoy it! My advocacy worked blossomed. I testified to the finance committee of the NH legislature on the importance of supporting cancer programs with tax dollars, helped with the event organization and marketing, and participated in several other advocacy events as a speaker. The team never made pies again after 2005, but continued to flirt with chocolate baskets, parties (on the right) and other treats. Spa days at a local spa were arranged with proceeds benefitting the Relay For Life. We also began using our homemade beverages to host socials to share the fight with others and solicit their support. Our team continued to grow and change. Unfortunately this was most often due to new cancer stories in our circle, but I’m always happy to go to war with these people, knowing them makes the effort worth it.

One of the other things I should just get out of the way is that I walk at Relay, and I walk a lot. My average mileage since 2004 is over 25 miles per event, and generally more if I help with day-of setup of both the greater event and for my own team. 

( And I track it. 37.85 miles from 6PM Friday to 6PM Saturday. 2005 or 2006)

During the first few years after my treatment I learned a lot about the emotional side to cancer's effects on people and families. So many stories were shared with me. I was the “cancer guy” for friends, co-workers and strangers. I had chosen to educate myself on what we were up against and use that knowledge to fight back. It was hard to hear so many heart breaking stories, especially early on. A large measure of mental toughness had to be developed. That toughness came with heightened emotions all around, especially to the particular issue of cancer. Most people don’t know that cancer kills 1500 American’s every day. No one other disease does that. How many families is that? How many friends? How many jobs in our economy? How many voters, volunteers and fundraisers is that? You’d get torn up over this like I do if you thought about it too long.

( I met a lot of fellow cancer survivors who I became friends with. Thank you for being my friend Gerry!)

To many people knowing the “cancer guy” was just the relationship they needed to have because they were dealing with cancer in their own circle. The most powerful thing I learned was that it isn’t understanding that we should seek, although between survivors and caregivers there is plenty of potential for that, it is celebrating the shared moment. It’s me being able to tell you my story in my own words. As the American Cancer Society so beautifully puts it, it’s about more birthdays. It’s about being seen and seeing others again. It’s about living with dignity and hope.  I can’t necessarily understand what someone else has been through, but anyone can understand the need to cherish what you have. Like any medical condition, cancer is nasty physically, emotionally and can take a huge toll on everyone involved. Fighting back in the way we do ensures people affected by cancer are given hope and the chance to live with dignity. With our collective support more people are living longer and suffering less.  I cherish my second chance and through my advocacy work with the American Cancer Society I have now become a shepherd for others who want to fight back.

In 2010 and 2011 the team again posted incredible fundraising numbers with an inception to date fundraising total of just over $87,000 in just 8 years! I can see $100,000 from here.

Wine tastings have become our flagship fundraising event and we are honored to have family and friends who volunteer top open their homes to host these events. Sharing my homemade wines, wine travel stories and wine enjoyment tips for an afternoon is a very enjoyable backdrop for some advocacy and fundraising work. And our guests love the tastings!

We two tastings planned this spring and one of them will be splitting its donations between two different Relay For Life events! The work of team Survivors Rule! has been infectious and led to family and friends participating in and working as organizers of Relay events in their own communities. That is making a difference! If you are interested in either event send email to jasonphelps (at) yahoo (dot) com for more information. I will be posting about fighting cancer with wine this year’s events in May after I have pictures to share from each.

( AM at Relay in 2008. Weary, cold and tired, but still fighting back! )

In the last couple of year’s team members have used a variety of methods to reach out into the circle of influence and solicit support. Personal stories are the best way to share the reality of the fight with others. The programs and services of the American Cancer Society are an excellent way to make a personal story stick, we tell people where their money goes. Look for details on the mission of the American Cancer Society and how Relay is part of that mission in an upcoming post.  Our goal now is to continue to grow our success and reach for that $100,000 mark. Funds of that size are comparable to the size of recent grants given to researchers at Dartmouth and other facilities in NH. Think about that, you can then understand the magnitude of how that money, your money, in the right hands could lead to big steps in this fight. We are all making a difference and we know it

I’ve personally taken to challenging donors with a matching donation. It’s no surprise that I put my money where my mouth is (actually, it is a surprise to some people) and donate several thousand dollars to Relay and Strides annually. Early in the fundraising year, which is right now, I offer to match all or a portion of donations in an attempt to further raise awareness and multiply the impact of people’s dollars.

Here’s the new challenge. I will match half of every $50 donation made between today (4/6/2012) and one week from now. The link to donate is below. You must leave a comment here letting me know you have taken my challenge and made your donation. That ensures I count it and allows me to recognize and thank everyone for sharing in my story and standing with me to fight back. A donation of $50 might be large for some, but there is a trick, ask your family and friends to pool donations. Get everyone involved. Maybe you get enough for two $50 donations which means I have to match it with $50! Your support will ensure programs and services are there for people who need them. You will be offering hope and dignity to others in a time of need. You will be someone’s hero.

Here is the link to make the donation online. Will you be someone’s hero today? The site is secure and run by the American Cancer Society who will issue each donor a receipt. Don’t forget the matching challenge and coming back here to tell me to open up my wallet and match your move!

http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR/RelayForLife/RFLFY12NE?px=1344507&pg=personal&fr_id=39884

Cheers!

Jason

Second Chances, Giving Back and How You Can Help

( May 2003, only weeks out of treatment. That's me in the top center. )

This is the first in a multi-part series about what my experience with cancer has helped me find in my own life and how it has given me an opportunity to fight back.

In 2003 I was diagnosed with testicular cancer and the experience changed my life. My cancer wasn’t urgently life threatening, but it could have been. I stand as a textbook example of early detection. I also add that my case demonstrates the value having a good relationship with a health care provider, someone who you aren’t afraid to call when something doesn’t feel right. That choice saved my life. Don’t overlook the lesson here.

The details of my cancer aside, ask me sometime and I’ll gladly share, I got a second chance. Life in the bonus round as I have become fond of saying. Letting that sink in was life changing. How had I been living my life? Well, I worked a lot. As a consultant I got paid for all the hours I worked and putting in long hours meant big returns. But, money doesn’t buy you happiness. My wife (Margot) and I had had recurring relationship issues and my long hours and bullheadedness in not attending to those issues kept them alive. Cancer changed all of that. Cancer showed me that I could change my life and focus on what was important, whatever that might be. The prospect of taking stock of everything and knowing I could rediscover and value interests differently than I had before was energizing. Family, friends, getting away for the weekend, walks with dog, music and reading all had newfound value to me. This was a damn good thing, with damn good timing! Thank you cancer. You still suck though.

Sidenote: The picture above is bittersweet for me, my wife and all of her family who are pictured there. Despite my returning health at the time the picture was taken, a storm was brewing. Margot's uncle Gerry, in front of the right-hand banister, was diagnosed with cancer a year or so later. He fought for over 6 years but ultimately lost his battle in 2011. After his diagnosis he and I walked the survivor lap in our Relay For Life together. It was a special bond with a man whose friendship will never be forgotten. When I walk the survivor lap in this year's Relay he will not be there, making the loss real for me in a way others in the family will not be able to relate to. Cancer, you suck, a lot!

My food & beverage adventures, and this blog, are a direct offshoot from my cancer experience. At Margot’s urging, we are happier than ever by the way, I took on a hobby; making my own beer at home. One thing led to another and I started making more beer, then wine, cider and mead; and then I began entering competitions and travelling to find new sips to experience. The joy I have been able to experience from all of this makes my cancer experience bittersweet. I wouldn’t trade it in for all the good it has done me. But, make no mistake, I despise cancer, am at war with it and with all the bravado I’ve got, am going to kick the living shit out of this disease if it is the very last thing I ever do.

Shortly after my treatment was completed I began searching for ways to get involved in the fight and give back so that others who follow me, and sadly too many people will follow my path, will have the resources to reduce their suffering and save their life that were available to me.

(That's me on the right clowning around with another cancer survivor. It's the coolest club you will never WANT to be a member of.)

This year is the tenth year that I along with a group of family and friends have rallied to raise money and awareness in the fight against cancer. We participate in several events annually and our flagship event is the Relay For Life of Greater Derry & Londonderry. In an upcoming post in this series I will share more about Relay as a nationwide event (it's worldwide, but I’m not as knowledgeable there as I would like to be), what it is, how it works and how you can get involved in a Relay in your own community.

In closing I will make one point crystal clear, I can’t fight cancer alone. I need your help. My Relay For Life is coming up in June and I need as many people to support the event as possible. The fight against cancer needs resources, my resources, your resources and the resources of your friends and family. Will you help me?  Your tax-deductible donation directly to the American Cancer Society can be made from the link below. Thank you so much for your support.

( Team Survivors Rule! having finished the 2010 Relay. By 2010 we had raised over $60,000 in the fight.)

Please help me fight cancer with a donation to the Relay For Life using the online donation format at http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR/RelayForLife/RFLFY12NE?px=1344507&pg=personal&fr_id=39884

We are fighting, we will win, we MUST HAVE HOPE!

Cheers!

Jason

Happy National Cancer Survivor Day!

Before I had cancer the first Sunday in June was just that, the first Sunday in June. Since I joined the club of cancer survivors in 2003 it has become something more. The cancer survivor club is the best club nobody every wants to become a member of, but it isn’t choice. On the upside we have a day in our honor and special events like the Relay For Life that bring us together as a symbol that cancer isn’t always the end.

This year I had the great honor of being assigned this day for my Frosting For The Cause entry. I made Lavender Sugar Cookies with Pink Icing this week and while not being a decorative baker, I think I did all right. Where I’ll get you is the story. Please click on over to Frosting For The Cause to find out more about the event and see my recipe and story.

( My cookies attracted a lot of attention and were the first dessert to get finished! )

One of the aspects of participating in Frosting For The Cause is that your treats are donated to a local organization dedicated to cancer. I had the great fortune to being invited to a Relay For Life in Suffield, CT where I could donate my cookies to be served at the survivor reception that is a key part of that event. The Relay For Life is a nearly 30 year old event that occurs in over 4500 communities in the United State each year, and in many countries around the world as well. Relay participants sign up as individuals or teams, raise money and converge on their event site in their local community to do three things. We Relay to celebrate those battling and surviving cancer, remember those we have lost and finally to FIGHT BACK!

( Walking the Survivor Lap at Relay is always a lot of fun. Hope will be our weapon for winning! )

My family and friends have been participating the Relay For Life since 2003 and have raised nearly $80,000 for it and other events like it. Our team tends to be a bit crazy with folks camping out all night (sleeping very little or not at all) and walking endless miles while we are there. Some years I have personally walked more than 40 miles in a little over 24 hours before, during and after the event. Cancer sucks a lot and I believe these actions stand as proof that cancer may be strong, but it is not strong enough and it isn’t going to win!

Relay is a joyous time but it is also strewn with sad stories. Our team and our community’s event has more than our share. Yesterday I learned that my middle school French teacher, Jane, passed away from cancer in 2004 after a very short battle. Her battle was short and severe and it rocked the school, its faculty and the students down to the foundation. Jane’s Team is one of the most successful teams in the history of the Relay I attended yesterday, and after talking to the team captains (teachers I immediately recognized after 25 years!) it is clear that Jane’s memory is the driving force behind the passion of her team. In some years this team has raised $20,000 for their Relay. That is serious business and I can think of no better way to remember someone.

My team’s Relay is coming up in two weeks and we are still pounding the pavement for donations. If you would like to support us you can use this link (updated for 2012) to make an online donation. 100% of the donation goes to the American Cancer Society.

I will be wearing a smile for the rest of the day as I continue to enjoy my survivorship (and a day just for me!) and also because I know that my actions are making a difference. Cancer picked the wrong guy and I am bringing my friends. We’re coming for you cancer…

Jason

Thank You for Supporting the Relay For Life

( Margot, 2nd from right, and some of the ladies who supported us. Patty trying to coax Jeanette's daughter into the picture. )

In early Feburary with Foodies Giving Back I shared the story of my cancer fighting team of volunteers and fundraisers. We don’t rest on our laurels. No matter how successful we might have been we are always back in a new year with a new mission and goals at least as big.

We are underway with our fundraising and one this that is different this year from last, is that I will be using my blog an Twitter to solicit support from beyond my local area. The fight against cancer is important to everyone because cancer has or will affect everyone’s life directly or indirectly. That is a sad reality to grasp, but we are here, we are fighting, and we will win! We must have HOPE!

If you would like to support the fight against cancer with a 100% direct and tax-deductible donation please use the link below.

http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR/RelayForLife/RFLFY12NE?px=1344507&pg=personal&fr_id=39884 (2012 link, updated just in case people wander through. Please donate!)

We (Margot and I) held a wine tasting at our home last weekend to raise funds and thank many of our long time donors for their continued support. It is a causal affair, wine, snacks, some drawings for prizes and good conversation. We raised $800 through invitations and attendance at the event. If you attended and/or donated we thank you so much. If you haven’t donated yet, we hope you will consider it. As I told the assembled guests, we know where the money goes. We have met people who have benefited from the programs and services of the American Cancer Society right here where we live. We can see how the money we (you, us and everyone involved) raise reduces suffering and saves lives.

This year we were lucky enough to stumble on prizes that we wouldn’t have easily secured on our own. The folks from Our Cook Quest arranged to the have prizes from their recipe contest that didn’t draw enough participation to complete. We added a bottle of our Strawberry wine into the mix and we were off!

I find myself at a low point with the availability of homemade red wine so it was also a stroke of luck that Dave & Robyn, new winemaking friends of ours, are primarily red drinkers and had 3 styles to share with us. I was so excited to showcase someone else’s wine at our event as well. And from the feedback and my own tastings the Shiraz and Dolcetto were excellent examples of their styles and very pleasing to drink. Thanks Dave & Robin!

We opened bottles of our Strawberry, Unoaked Chardonnay, Viognier, Dandelion, Jalapeno, Riesling Ice Wine and Pinot Grigio. We also had a bottle of our Amarone (red) to put out.

For snacks we went with primarily heat-and-serve, but I did make the Cheese Straws again. Grafton Village Cheese picked up the tweets and the recipe is making the rounds through their fans as we speak. We also put out veggies and cheese & crackers. Our friend Amy tackled the sweet angle with thumbprint Russian Teacakes with raspberry jam in the middle. They were so good!!

Drawing Winners

Fine Cooking Grill It! & Pasta Fresca – Missy G

Ancient Fire Strawberry Wine – Amy & Brian W

Fine Cooking Breakfast & Cuccina Rustica - @eatingwmeaning

Amanda Hesser NY Times Cookbook - Amy & Brian W

In The Kitchen With A Good Appetite – Cyndi M

Fine Cooking Soups and Sandwiches, Cuccina Fresca & 15 Minute Meals – Robyn D

Much thanks to Our Cook Quest and the supporting sponsors for the prizes. They definitely attracted some attention and were a nice spin for this year’s event.

Will the Survivors Rule! team eclipse $10,000 again this year? I don't know. I never do, and then something happens and we seemed to get there. I do know that to reach that goal takes support from lots of people, including you. Thank you for supporting us.

Sadly 1 in 2 people will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime. I would like to say that the work we all do today will radically change that, but I can’t stop long enough to figure that out. This battle rages on and we need your help.

Cheers!

Jason

Four Star Cheese Straws

I made the cheese straws again. This time I used Grafton Village Cheese Four Star Cheddar which I bought as bulk ends at the factory store in Brattelboro. There is nothing like getting a great product at a fantastic price. It didn’t need to look pretty because I was going to cook with it!

I made both a rosemary and a red pepper version this time.

Four Star Cheese Straws

12 ounces chopped Grafton Village Four Star Cheddar
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
½ cup wheat flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon crushed rosemary (batch 1)
or
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (batch 2)
2-4 tablespoons heavy cream

Set the oven to 350°F.

Place everything but the cream in food processor. Pulse until coarse crumbs appear. Add the cream by the tablespoon and process until the dough forms a ball.

Flour a rolling surface and a rolling pin. Separate the dough into two pieces and form each into a ball. Roll the first dough ball into a rectangle that is about 1/8-inch thick. Use a pizza cutter to cut 1/3 in strips along the short edge of the rectangle, making as many as can be. Carefully transfer the strips to a parchment lined cookie sheet, leaving at least 1/4-inch between them. Repeat with the second dough ball.

Bake the straws on the middle oven rack for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the ends are golden brown. Remove them from the oven and allow to cool on a rack.

We served these at our Relay For Life charity wine tasting and of course they were a huge hit again. I tried them with a couple different wines. The rosemary version was quite nice with my homemade un-oaked chardonnay. The red pepper version found a good partner with the Shiraz that our new winemaking friends Dave & Robin brought to share.

Cheers!

Jason

Foodies Giving Back

( Our first Relay For Life team, June 2004. )

In February 2003 I was diagnosed with testicular cancer. Through swift action on my part (calling the doctor) and a great team of doctors and nurses I underwent surgery, radiation therapy and got well in about 5 months. This event started two things that continue to do this day that I am immensely proud of. The first was a renewed commitment to fundraising and volunteer work, and the second was making my own beer and wine.

If you have poked around my blog for a bit you've gotten a sense of my adventures with home brewing and home winemaking. Margot asked me if picking up a hobby would be better than working all the time now that I was well and desirous of appreciating my second chance at life. I agreed, and the rest is history.

I have roots in community service, volunteering and fundraising. I am an Eagle Scout and was an active volunteer and fundraiser with the Boy Scouts, my hometown church and local organizations for many years before I went to college. In college I joined a fraternity that had a commitment to community service, something that resonated with me based on my background. After college my volunteering waned in favor of my career, but I donated to charities as much as I could during that time. After having cancer I found that my roots in giving back were re-invigorated. I wanted, no, I needed to give back. I needed to be an example for others of the hope we all must have to fight cancer.

In June of 2003, only two months out of treatment, my wife and I participated in a walk for prostate cancer on Father’s Day. Later that year we linked up with the Lance Armstrong Peleton Project and made 100 apple pies by hand (see me hard at work to the left) to raise money to fight cancer. Margot and I also attended our first Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk, and event sponsored by the American Cancer Society. That event was in Boston and five minutes after I got home from it I went looking for a similar event in New Hampshire. I found the local Strides event in Manchester,NH would be held the very next weekend and promptly volunteered to help setup and cleanup. At that event I was introduced to the event chairperson for the Manchester Relay For Life, an event I had heard of through my mother’s research during my treatment. Without thinking about it, and getting in trouble for it when I got home, I volunteered to be the survivorship committee chairperson for the Relay that would be held in June of 2004. For that event my wife and I also formed a team of fundraisers and walkers, Survivors Rule! The team is composed of family and friends who all look forward to our annual events.

Food related events have been key to our fundraising. We have hosted a chocolate party, made chocolate baskets, held wine tastings and made pies several additional times, all to fight cancer. Wine tastings have become a flagship event for us, something that as a winemaker I can wholly embrace.

While our involvement with the Lance Armstrong Foundation didn’t continue as their events program has evolved, we have developed a strong relationship with the local American Cancer Society office participating in both Relay and Strides in every year since 2004. I have had the honor of being a speaker at many events, have participated in advocacy work with local politicians and made so many friends through involvement in these activites. I often look back and wonder how in the world this all happened.

( My brother, on the right, and his friend Geoff at one of our wine tastings. )

( Strides - we walk rain, snow or shine! )

( Tired & sore having completed another Relay For Life! )

( Me and Margot's uncle Gerry, also a cancer survivor. )

One of the most astonishing things that has come from all of this is how much money we have raised. Since 2003 the Survivors Rule! team has raised over $72,000!!! I always tell people who ask about this that if you had told me 8 years ago that I would be saying that now I would have likely fallen out of a chair laughing at your insane blabber. Our team has been the top fundraising team at our local Relay in 4 of the last 5 years and is the most successful (in $$ raised) in the event’s history. I get choked up just thinking about how much our support has helped and how many people we have reduce suffering for.

In late 2010 Sarah from the OC 2 Seattle blog put out a call for food bloggers who use their blog to support local charities. I responded with made the caveat that I hadn’t really used my blog to promote my events, but had used my culinary and winemaking skills to raise money and give back. It did occur to me that since changing my blog format in April of 2010 that I may have missed an opportunity. You can see what Sarah ultimately wrote about my team’s exploits in her blog.
Sarah shared her surprise as to how a relatively small group of people had accomplished so much and in such a short time. She could tell I was quite proud of the accomplishments and had an eye to a new year for fundraising and giving back in 2011. She suggested that I consider harnessing Social Media (Twitter in particular) to add virtual attendance to wine tasting events and broaden my call for support. I have to thank her for pointing this out to me, for some reason I hadn’t yet made the link.

In March and April, the dates are not yet set, we will be doing just that, hosting wine tastings and connecting with folks around the world to help us in our fight. As we get closer I will be sharing lots of additional information about the American Cancer Society, it’s events, mission and how you can get involved.

( Last year's Relay team right before closing. Proud aren't we!! )

Our team is back for Relay again this year and our online fundraising site is up and running. If you would like to donate to get us going for another fantastic year you can use the link below. The donations go directly to the American Cancer Society as we raise funds in advance of our event in June. Thank you so much for you support.

DONATION LINK - http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR/RelayForLife/RFLFY11NE?px=1344507&pg=personal&fr_id=31248

A few years into our activities I coined a battle cry for my team. I use it all the time to remind people just what it is that we are doing. I’ll close with that today.

“We are here, we are fighting, and we will win! WE MUST HAVE HOPE.”

Jason