The War on Cancer

After many years of moving around like a band of gypsies, Camp Good Days and Special Times cut the ribbon on our very own Recreational Facility, on the shores of Keuka Lake, in Branchport, New York, in 1989. During the Ribbon Cutting Ceremony, one of the attendees asked me what I wanted to do next…I replied that I wanted to close Camp Good Days, as I truly believed that at some point, during my lifetime, the answers that had been alluding us in the battle against cancer would be found. I believed that parents would no longer have to go against the laws of nature, as my family and I had to do, and bury their children. Since starting Camp Good Days 29 years ago, I have been to more funerals than most people, with the exception of clergy members.

Yet, 29 years later, we still do not have the answers. Unfortunately, my wish, to see those questions answered during my lifetime, is not likely to come true. The advances that have come about can not be credited to new, more effective drugs or compounds to be used in our battle against cancer, but rather on lifestyle changes, the most beneficial being eliminating smoking.

It is time that this country woke up and took a hard look at the way that money is spent, under the umbrella of cancer research. We need, as Dr. Sidney Farber wanted many years ago, a highly coordinated, concentrated effort. Not one that is parochial and sporadic.

Donald S. Coffey, who served as President of the American Association for Cancer Research once said, “If we really want to defend against the terrorism of cancer; we need to attack it with a real war effort.” Cancer is terrorism…brought against our mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, and too often, our children.

The war our country is fighting overseas, the war on terror, is one in which we can’t identify our opponent, we don’t know who or where they are, yet this effort has been given a blank check and millions and millions of our dollars are going towards this fight. We can increase our security measures, but we can’t make a targeted attack on terror.

This in no way translates into disrespect or lack of support for the brave men and women who put their life on the line everyday, serving our country. In fact, Camp Good Days has been an ardent supporter of those in military service and their families, providing a special program, Operation Blue Skies, for those children who have a parent serving with the US Military in conflicts overseas.

Unlike the war on terror, cancer is an enemy that the majority of us will face personally, whether it is our own diagnosis or that of a family member, friend, or colleague.






Cancer as the enemy…

If you are 85 or younger, cancer is the leading cause of death in this country.

One out of every two men and one out of every three women will face a cancer diagnosis at some point in their life.

Everyday, 1500 Americans are dying from this disease, which not only takes your life prematurely, but oftentimes seems to have to humiliate you in the process.

Deaths from cancer are as if one of the twin towers is falling every single day, 365 days a year.

If you factor in inflation, the amount of money going to the National Cancer Institute to fight this disease has been reduced two years in a row.

Only one out of every 10 cancer grant applications is funded.

The number of post-doctorate fellows doing cancer research has been reduced and the budget for clinical trials has been reduced anywhere from 5-8%.

If you are between the ages of 30 and 70 and you find a lump or you see your doctor because you are not feeling well and they send you for additional tests, if you are honest with yourself, when you close your eyes that night, you are far more afraid of being diagnosed with cancer than you are of being a victim of a terrorist attack.

Cancer is an enemy that touches all of us, whether directly or indirectly and an enemy that this year will kill 600,000 of our mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters and in far too many cases, such as my own, our children.

Help Camp Good Days This Holiday Season!

All of us here at Camp Good Days are gearing up for the Holiday Season and finalizing the plans for the Annual Kazoo Fest. The Kazoo Fest was started 62 years ago by Joe Benet outside the Toy Department of the Sibley’s store on Main Street in Downtown Rochester, and has become one of the major and most successful fundraising events to benefit the many programs and services provided by Camp Good Days. Following Joe Benet’s death from cancer, his son, former Monroe County Legislator, Bill Benet, contacted me, to see if the Kazoo Fest tradition could be continued, staffed by volunteers, with proceeds benefiting the programs and services at Camp Good Days. Since 1984, Camp Good Days has continued the Kazoo Fest at various locations.

Last year, Camp Good Days held the Kazoo Fest through partnerships and support from Tom Wahl’s, Bill Gray’s, Hegedorn’s, and Lord & Taylor, and finished the Kazoo Fest season with the attempt to break the Guinness World Record for Largest Kazoo Ensemble at the City of Rochester’s New Year’s Eve Celebration.

Over 2600 community members participated in the record attempt, which lead to successfully breaking the existing record, making Camp Good Days and the City of Rochester the Official Guinness World Record Holders for the Largest Kazoo Ensemble!

This Holiday Season, Camp Good Days will have a number of Kazoo Fest locations including: Lord & Taylor at Eastview Mall; JCPenney at Eastview Mall; JCPenney at Marketplace Mall; JCPenney at Greece-Ridge Center; Walden-Galleria Mall in Buffalo; Best Buy in Carousel Mall in Syracuse; and Best Buy in Elmira.

I encourage you to stop by one of our Kazoo Fest locations this Holiday Season. You will have the chance to learn more about the many programs and services we provide, as well as the many volunteer opportunities available. In addition, you will you have the opportunity to pick up some great stocking stuffers, and at the same time know that you are helping us to continue providing some good days and special times for the very special children and families we serve.

We also need many volunteers to help us staff our Kazoo Fest locations, so if you would like to help us out, please contact Betsy Nagel, here at Camp Good Days, 585-624-5555 or bnagel@campgooddays.org. You can pick the location, date and time that is most convenient for you.

Wishing all of you a Holiday Season filled with good health, peace, happiness, and much love!

Courage Bowl...More Than Just A Game!

For one night, thanks to the coaches at the University of Rochester, and my fellow coaches at St. John Fisher College, six children battling cancer will have the chance to truly be a part of a college football team, during Courage Bowl III.

Courage Bowl III, the annual football game between the St. John Fisher College Cardinals and the University of Rochester Yellowjackets, dedicated to the children of Camp Good Days and Special Times, will be played on Saturday, September 15, 2007 at 7:00 PM at Growney Stadium on the St. John Fisher College campus.

Most of us take our good health for granted and have the chance to follow through on many of our dreams, such as playing football, yet, this population of children battling cancer does not have the luxury of dreams like that. Children with cancer are generally not able to participate in organized football, due to their illness and as a result of their treatments, so for them to have the opportunity to be a real part of a college football team is so extraordinary and truly an once-in-a-lifetime experience that they will remember for all of their life.

These six Honorary Coaches, three with each team, will attend a practice session with their team; will meet their team for the pre-game meal; will be in the locker room with their team; will lead their teams onto the field; will be at midfield for the coin toss; and will “coach” from the sidelines with their fellow coaches. Following the game, the names of all six Honorary Coaches will be inscribed on the Teddi Trophy, named for my daughter, Teddi.

In addition this year, two girls battling cancer will have the opportunity to be Honorary Cheerleaders with each team’s Cheerleading Squads. The girls will also attend a practice with their squad; meet their squad pre-game to get ready; and spend the game on the sidelines with their fellow cheerleaders.

Because the sidelines of a college football game can be a bit dangerous, we are only able to select six Honorary Coaches, however, for the other campers from Camp Good Days dealing with cancer there will be a special Camp Good Days’ Courage Bowl Tailgate Party, sponsored and hosted by Tompkins Insurance Agencies, AM&M Financial Services, and the Bank of Castile. The Courage Bowl Tailgate Party will take place at the Alumni Terrace at St. John Fisher College and includes dinner, games and activities, and special seating for the game.

The Inaugural Courage Bowl was played in September 2005 at Growney Stadium in front of a record-breaking crowd and Courage Bowl II was played in September 2006 at Fauver Stadium on the University of Rochester campus in front of a sell-out crowd. This year we anticipate no different as thousands are expected to come out not only to support their team, but to support the children and families of Camp Good Days. We are also thrilled that the game will be televised live on WROC TV-8, with a re-broadcast on FOX Rochester and will also be carried on WYSL News 1040AM and Hot Talk 1280 AM.

All of us at Camp Good Days hope to see you at the game! Courage Bowl…More Than Just A Game!

The Real War on Terror...The War on Cancer

After the recent loss of my mother-in-law, who was only 66 years old, to uterine cancer, I have been watching the talking heads on television with the whole periphery of men and women who want to become our President and the leader of the free world, yet, no one is talking about the real war on terror, which is cancer.

Not only does cancer, in many instances, prematurely take your life, but it almost seems as if it has to humiliate you while it is doing so. I think that most people, either themselves or someone in their family, circle of friends, neighborhood, church, synagogue or mosque, knows of someone dealing with the pain of cancer. I am sure that most people believe or want to believe, as American citizens living in the greatest country on earth, that everything that could possibly be done to help prevent and find a cure for cancer is being done. I am sorry to say that if one looks at our “war on cancer” they would agree that it makes the war in Iraq look good. The war on cancer is the most dysfunctional war this country has ever been involved with.

Stop and think about our enemy, cancer. If you are 85 years old or younger in this country today, it is more likely you will die from cancer than any other cause. For those 30-55 years old, more will die from cancer than the next three causes combined. One out of every two men and one out of every three women will deal with cancer at some point in their lifetime. Childhood cancer remains one of the leading causes of death for children in our country. Over the next 14 months, more people in America will die from cancer than lost their lives in every military conflict of the 20th century. Cancer is as if one of the Twin Towers is collapsing every single day, 365 days a year.

What are we doing about it?

For the first time in many years, with factoring in for inflation, the National Institute of Health is receiving less funding for cancer research. The number of post-doctoral professionals working on this research has decreased this year, from 11,700 to 10,000. Funding for clinical trials, where most of the progress results from is being cut of 5-8%.

This seems to be the answer to what we are doing about the war on cancer. None of the talking heads are putting this war on the forefront and asking the candidates what their commitment to the war on cancer is going to be, as it will kill some 560,000 Americans this year. And those who lose their battle do not live in a vacuum, they are somebody’s mom, dad, brother, sister, husband, wife and unfortunately, somebody’s child.

The money that the government doles out every year for everything imaginable under the stars, is not their money! IT IS OUR MONEY, EVERY AMERICAN’S MONEY!

We need to say, ENOUGH IS ENOUGH and that we want more of our money spent to find some of these answers. The only way that can happen is to have a Chief Executive call to order a major conference like we did with the Manhattan Project, which created the Atomic Bomb. We need to have our best resources come together and give them a blank check once and for all to find the answers.

If we are in that age bracket of 35-60, and we find a lump that needs to be biopsied or the doctor recommends additional testing, if we are truly honest with ourselves, we are more afraid of being told that we have cancer than we are of being the victim of a terrorist attack.

We need to start putting our priorities in the order they belong – making our people and our loved ones the top priority so that maybe, at some point in our lifetimes, we will find that elusive cure.

What greater gift could we leave to our children and the people around the world?

The Good Guys in Sports

Oftentimes, the professional athletes who are truly positive life models for our youth, are overshadowed by the negative actions and decisions of their colleagues (steroid use; excessive drinking; drug use; etc), however, there have been a number of professional athletes who not only are positive life models, but who over the years, have gone above and beyond to help provide some good days and special times for the children and families served by Camp Good Days and Special Times.

Steve Christie, Scott Norwood, Danny Briere, John Calipari, and Jim Boeheim, just to name a few, are all not only exceptional players or outstanding coaches in their respective sports, but all of them are people whom we at Camp Good Days are proud to call our friends.

Each of those noted above has given not only their financial contributions, which help Camp Good Days to provide all of our programs and services, which are offered free of charge for the participants, but each of them has given of their personal time to be a part of Camp Good Days’ special fundraising events, such as the Tournament of Love Celebrity Golf Scramble; the Finger Lakes International Wine Competition, Auction & Dinner; and the Buffalo Creative Black Tie Gala. In addition, some of them have taken the time to visit Camp Good Days’ Recreational Facility, spending time with the campers and seeing firsthand what they have helped to make possible. They have also contributed their services and expertise with game tickets; artwork; and special activities for our campers.

Steve Christie, Scott Norwood, Danny Briere, John Calipari, Jim Boeheim, and others who have given of their time and love to the children of Camp Good Days are some of the few professional athletes who understand that many people, especially children, are watching their every move and they take that very seriously. They are professionals, making the right choices, doing the right thing, and providing a positive role model for our youth.

Pearls of Wisdom

Recently, my wife, Wendy, and I lost someone very special to us, Wendy’s Mom, Sandy, who was just shy of a three year battle with uterine cancer. During the final stages of her battle, as we spent time with her, I thought about some pearls of wisdom I have picked up over the past 28 years with Camp Good Days and Special Times and I thought I would share them with you.

The first is that the two most important times in our life…the exact moment when we take our first breath and enter this world, and the exact moment when we take our last breath and leave the world as we know it…are the two moments that we have no control over.

Secondly, I remember reading a study that had been conducted with terminally ill cancer patients, asking them what they were most afraid of. I, like most others I think, thought their biggest fear would be dying. The physical act of dying was a distant third. The first was the fear of being in excruciating pain at the time of death and the second was being alone at the time of death. When dealing with a loved one facing a terminal illness, it is important that we do everything humanly possible to alleviate these fears; keep them from experiencing excruciating pain; and assuring them that they will not be alone at the time of their death.

Finally, the greatest gift that we have with those we love is our memories, as those are what is left behind and remain unchanged forever. The memories are what we carry in our hearts and minds and it is so important that we try and build some memories that we can keep with us always.

I truly believe that Sandy is in a better place and free from all of the pain and ravishing effects of this horrible disease, and I take comfort in knowing that our family kept her free from excruciating pain and that she was not alone at the time of her death. We will always carry our special memories of Sandy in our hearts.

The War on Cancer!

Are you as fed up as I am? Cancer will kill some 560,000 of our fellow Americans this year…that is as if one of the twin towers were to fall every single day, seven days a week, all year long! It is estimated that 3500 people in our country are told that they have cancer every day; that is the equivalent to seven new cancer diagnoses every minute!

Cancer remains one of the leading causes of death for children, ages 0-14, following accidents and it is hard to believe that in 2007 the only thing we have to offer those diagnosed with this horrific disease is chemotherapy (poison); radiation; or radical surgery; and I know that future generations will look back at how we treated our fellow citizens battling this disease, as nothing short of barbaric.

We are in the midst of longer presidential campaigns, yet the biggest sin committed during these campaigns, is that not one of the candidates, nor those who interview them, ever talk about what their commitment is going to be to trying to find the answers that have been alluding us regarding cancer.

It seems that everywhere I turn and everywhere I go, I run into someone who has been diagnosed with cancer themselves, or has a family member or friend who is dealing with cancer. We can not wait any longer; the time for action is NOW!

The place to start is electing the next President of the United States who is committed to bringing together the best researchers (i.e. The Manhattan Project that developed the Atomic Bomb); and seeing that the proper and adequate funding is provided so that once and for all we can find some of the answers we are so desperately seeking.

It is time to put an end to children having to grow up without their Mom or Dad and parents having to defy the laws of nature by burying their children.