My Personal 3rd Memorial Project

As most of my friends already know, my stepbrother passed away three years ago from Prostate Cancer. He was 36, and first met him when he wasn't yet three years old as my Mom and his Dad (now my Father, for all intents and purposes) were dating.

As his barely older stepbrother, I watched and witnessed much of his life half-lived, if ever fully and with a special connexion to the Earth, and how that ended with the tragedy of profound illness.

A genuine humanitarian, he was more often than not something of a defiant optimist, or at least pleasant pessimist. He was always learning and growing as his comprehension and measure of the world expanded. And all, to whom I have talked to since his passing, who may have only merely even met him, remember the strong impression he left – most would say he was a purposeful and friendly person.

As tragic as the whole saga was, there is still a lot we can do for people here and now.

In a blog before the elections, I began training for a 10K and started to raise funds for a Memorial Race in honor of my stepbrother.

But that was postponed until somewhere into Spring of 2011, and last I heard they may turn it into some other type of event (like rock climbing)?

So, as part of my goal setting exercises for 2011, I found a solution that allows me to continue the physical training I need to work on for my short, mid, and long-term goals, and continues to raise funds and awareness for ZERO and all the good work they are doing to combat Prostate Cancer.

Here it is:

I have, as I write this, on the third anniversary of my stepbrother’s passing, the goal of raising another $240 by year's end, and that would make an even $500 for this year; then I would like to try and raise another $2000 through to April 2nd, 2011, when I plan on running (either a 10K or half-marathon) trail race; and finally my tentative goal is to be fit enough to run a trail marathon for mid-September – and complete this fund-raising project for ZERO by raising a final $2500 – a Total of $5000 in one year!

I know with your help I can do it, but for me the important thing was to find an activity (trail running) that I am enjoying and make goals that met those needs, too.

I then have the privilege to know my getting healthy has not only purpose, but that everyone who has already chipped (and who will chip) in is part of my Team!

Thank you very much for your support, and Happy Holidays!!


-DONATE NOW-

Help Fight Prostate Cancer

A cause and event very near and dear to my heart is finding a cure for the disease that took away my step-brother-- Prostate Cancer.



He had an extremely rare and aggressive variety, but that only exposed for me how little we actually know about combatting Cancer in general.



I have literally said, "I would not wish what I witnessed my brother go through onto my worst enemy!"



We must discover a better solution, but it will take lots of money, specialists, doctors, and scientists-- so what can you do?



I ask myself that often, and as many of you know I have found that "fun-runs," or raising money by running, is one way I can help.



So, I invite you all to my third and final fundraiser of the year (my fourth in eleven months):

http://www.active.com/donate/gpccabq10/kilv

I am setting the fundraising goal bar low so as to avoid donor fatigue. However, I would love if you could help me demolish this target, so we can raise another $2050 like we did for LLS, or $750 for Gilda's Club! I couldn't have done that without you all, and if you didn't get a chance to donate to those worthy causes-- now is the time to act.



What makes this event extra special is that it is being organized by my step-brother's mother, who joined the Board of ZERO, and has created this 10K in honor of my brother's memory-- I am honored to participate, and thank you in advance for your donations.

My next cause: Gilda's Club Nashville

As many who know me, and follow what I post on the web, already know, my sister is combatting breast cancer. I am happy to report that she has gotten through the first of three "events" in the Triathalon of Cancer Treatment.



She has completed the chemotherapy and for now the stage three tumors in her breast have been reduced to almost undetectable. That said she still has to face (possible double) mastectomy and then radiation therapy-- the other two "events" in successfully overcoming her cancer.



I am somewhat powerless in my current situation, here in the Bay Area, and my sister and her family over in Nashville, TN. Literally thousands of people have demonstrated an outpouring of support for them, and done everything from household chores to contributing money to just being there during some particularly tough times. I THANK EVERYONE WHO HAS THUSFAR VOLUNTEERED EVEN AN IOTA OF SUPPORT (EVEN SIMPLE PRAYERS)!



There is still quite a tough row to hoe, but I want to share what my latest fundraising project is. About three or four months ago my niece's, her daughters, petitioned some of us to buy bracelet kits so they could then assemble the bracelets for sale-- the profits would go to a non-profit where they would frequently get to go for activities, support, and fun with other children whose families are facing the disaster of cancer directly.



I learned that this was one of the several support vehicles my sister's family was taking full advantage of, and learned a little more about what resources they provide-- not just in Nashville!



Google Gilda's Club for yourself, but this was founded in honor of Gilda Radner of SNL fame who was taken too soon from us by cancer. This support mechanism is unique, and I had already planned on going to Nashville for my sister's birthday, and to run the (NCM) Country Music Half Marathon.



I reached out to Deb over at Nashville Gilda's Club to offer my run as a vehicle to raise funds and awareness-- thinking it was my idea. She sent me the forms to join the other hundred plus people who are participating in the NCM and raising funds for Gilda's Gang.



Please when you have a moment, a bit of time, and a little money sponsor me for less than $2 per mile to be run:


http://www.firstgiving.com/joshkilvington



With Gratitude,
Josh Kilvington

The New Plague

Ahh... 1346. It was not really the best of times, but probably could be in many ways the worst of times. Europe was attempting to shudder off the dark Ages, but that would come in another 200 years or so!


In the meantime, the process of mass animal domestication and production techniques had brought a bevy of diseases into the fore to attack the immune systems in the rural areas, and if that didn't travel past city walls, inside most cities the streets in these population centers served as open sewers!


Once sick, people would pray for you, doctors would make potions to calm your humours, and in extreme desperation you could get a barber to let some blood if the mercury tincture the doctors prescribed didn't work... What backwards times!


Unfortunately, in the intervening 663 years or so, we humans haven't seemed to learn our lessons very well!


(A) the process of mass animal domestication and production techniques had brought a bevy of diseases into the fore to attack the immune systems NOW: H1N1, H5N1, et. al.


(B) most population centers served as open sewers! If we consider that we know that toxic chemicals are analogous to "waste" back in the 14th Century; Then why have we out-moded labelling of toxic chemicals used daily, allow these and industrial chemical to be released in our water, air, and lands, and literally have a garbage island floating in our oceans killing food resources we rely upon?


(C) people would pray for you, NOTHING WRONG WITH THAT... I guess-- other than not too much has changed.


(D) doctors would make potions to calm your humours, NOTHING WRONG WITH THAT... I guess-- other than not too much has changed.


(E) in extreme desperation you could get a barber to let some blood
NOW: Except it is the Doctors who actually cut you up.


(F) if the mercury tincture the doctors prescribed didn't work NOW: Instead of various quicksilver and herbal tinctures we have chemical therapy, and other methods to poison the patient back into health.


Lets be clear, I am stating that (I) we are spewing poisons into our environment that (II) directly or indirectly lead to the creation of Cancer and other diseases, and (III) our medicine is confounded searching for remedy and cures (obviously the last 600+ years has seen dramatic improvement in medicine [which is a very good thing that we are doing our best to mitigate the situation] however for the point made here we are still attempting to cure symptoms as opposed to causes of illness). Yet if we confront the source of our problems (equivalent to underground sewage, sewage treatment, regular washing and bathing, and certain sanitary practices helped solve the Black Death), maybe we would have fewer, less virulent, and less aggressive strains of the modern version of disease we have been carrying through our human history?


Barring my Meta-behaviouralists social modification approach, we need to raise funds to assist our researchers, doctors, and practicianers to discover cures for these diseases.


So, as you can see in the upper left-hand corner of my Blog, there is a place for you to donate to the LLS. I am a member of Team In Training. Please act now to donate what you can: I am running the half marathon, so a $25 donation today works out to less than $2 per mile! THANK YOU.


My friend survived non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma when I was a pre-teen; My brother died at age 36 from an aggressive metastasisized prostate Cancer that used as one of its tactics treatment developed by LLS; and now I learn that my childhood hero Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has a rare form of blood borne Cancer.


To complete the puzzle of my adamance and disgust with the very existence of this disease called Cancer (which is really a wide array of diseases that have similar attack strategies against the healthy human body), I learned the day of my last blog that my sister has stage three breast cancer-- she is only 38!


In a prior post, I suggest we declare war on Cancer, and now I am no longer waiting for the politicians, or anyone else for that matter to do so... to quote the Bard, "Out Damn Spot!"