A small but significant plea for help - Democratic Underground

WilliamPitt

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Wed Apr-06-05 11:40 AM
Original message

A small but significant plea for help

Edited on Wed Apr-06-05 12:03 PM by WilliamPitt

http://forum.truthout.org/blog/story/2005/4/5/195515/5949

I am taking some vacation time from TO to finish a book I have been working on since the November election. The tentative title is 'Four More Years: Truth, Justice and the Ethic of Total Opposition.' It will be part retrospective on the first Bush term and part blueprint for how to deal effectively with the next four years. I hope to have it done soon.

In the interim, I wanted to leave something on the blog that has great personal significance for me. A friend of mine named Kate is preparing to ride her bike some 200 miles in an event here called the Pan-Massachusetts Challenge, or PMC. The event is run by the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and has been an annual event since the late 1970s. To date, the PMC has raised more than $122 million for cancer research. The President and CEO of Dana-Farber, Dr. Edward Benz, Jr., has stated emphatically that, "When they write the history of how cancer was conquered, the PMC will be in chapter one."

Kate must raise $3,000 for the event, which is going to be difficult for her because she works three jobs. Therefore, I am asking those who read truthout to donate to her ride. Even a couple of dollars will do the trick. Kate has participated in this event in the past, and is dedicated completely to the effort, so any donations you make will not be wasted.

It may seem odd for me to be asking you to donate to a total stranger, but my reasons for this are sound. There are two of them. One reason is named Jim, a friend of mine who recently survived a bad bout with cancer that cost him one testicle and the hearing in one ear. The other reason is Andy Stephenson, the tireless activist who spent the last three years trying to bring public attention to the catastrophic problems surrounding these new electronic voting machines. Andy was recently diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, and will soon undergo a serious surgery to remove the tumor.

These are my reasons, and Kate is a worthy cause for your donations. If you can, please send her some money for her ride. The way to do this is very simple and completely secure. Go to the Pan-Massachusetts Challenge website and look in the upper left corner of the main page. You will see a link titled 'egifts.' When you click that, you will be directed to a page that asks for the rider’s code. Kate’s code is KM0171. NOTE: That is a zero, and not the letter O. Her full name is Kate Middleton if that field is needed.

That’s it. It is that simple. If you’d like more information on the history and philosophy behind the PMC, this page will tell you all you need to know.

For Kate, for Jim, for Andy, for myself, and for all the people who are helped by this worthy cause, you have my gratitude.