What a day. I spent a couple of hours this morning wondering if I was going to fly home and come back later this week, stay the night and leave tomorrow, or leave out today. Turns out I have the motorcycle back and I am leaving tomorrow morning...rain or not. Specific mileage is 300 miles...so the closer I get, the easier it is to get home. Within 150 miles, I can have a friend pick me and the bike up if a problem arises. Sheesh, how weird is all of this...just a few days ago, my trip was uneventful. Shows how we don't control much...just need to live correctly, in the moment, and enjoy the things we like.
One funny story was the motorcycle shop I used to fix the bike. It was called the European Motorcycles of Pittsburgh (www.bmwpgh.com). Lee, the service advisor was joking with a delivery man about being a motorcycle mechanic. The guy said, "Gee, I would love to be a motorcycle mechanic." Lee turned to him and said "Sure...if you want to be poor your whole life." However, as soon as I said Bob's BMW was the bike shop where I took my bike in Maryland, his eyes widened and he asked "They have like 7 or 8 bays, don't they? It is a bike shop, huh?" I said yep, and he wanted to go there immediately. Motorcycles...it gets in the blood, and like anything, you climb the tree to find the right limb to hand out on.
I spent the afternoon fundraising. I am just a few days from the goal (25 September) and want to reach my goal of $25,000. I have received, or have committed, a total of around $17,000, so I am close...but no brass ring yet. If you are reading this and haven't had a chance to contribute, please go to:
(http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/greg-balestrero/2011-BaltimoreWashington-Ride-for-Kids). Check it out carefully and give as much as your heart will allow.
It is hard for me to believe that 80,000 children can have brain tumors, rapidly growing, threatening their very lives, and there isn't massive amounts of research being done to cure them, or find a way to fight and survive them. I understand the issue of facing other forms of cancer (i.e., lung, breast, colarectal, and others) with very large demographics. There are other childhood diseases too such as diabetes that pulls attention. the result is no funding for the brain tumor victims.
I met a great doctor in San Francisco, Dr. Nalin Gupta, that spoke on my behalf at the PMI Chapter meeting. He was the Director of the Pediatric Neurosurical Unit at University of San Francisco. He spoke of the work that the USF Medical Center was doing, and how they were desperately trying to find immediately transferable cures.
But he was a practical guy. He said that an admin to track test results and fill out reports cost any clinical trial upwards of $50,000...he said the minimum amount of money for an adequate research project was $500,000 to $1,000,000. That is why they have their own foundation, and he was also a Research Center for the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation. It took combining resources and working hard at sharing results.
Funny, I have seen many towns with Populations of 50, 75, 100, 250, 3000...throughout the country. 80,000 children and their afflicted families make up a very sizable community...one that would fill a good size city. Yet being scattered about they disappear in the crowds.
It is our job to raise the visibility. Kind of like seizing a moment of clarity whenever it arises, and doing what we can to fix those that don't have the resources to fix themselves. Moments of clarity...very important to be vigilant and to act on them.
Ah, philosophising too much...time to rest.
More later.
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