Our Goal:
To raise $1,000,000 for
research and public education
about prostate cancer.
research and public education
about prostate cancer.
| Our Goal: To raise $1,000,000 for research and public education about prostate cancer. | |
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You are Visitor # John Loesing, Project Director Dr. Terry Weyman, Founder | PROSTATE CANCER CLIMB Why I Want To Do the Climb
I have a very personal reason why I’m participating in the climb in an effort to bring awareness and much needed attention to our battle. I was turning 25 and life looked good for my parents and me. My father, a retiring pilot from the Air Force was 55 at the time. He intended for my mom and him to travel the world. Instead, he went in for his exit physical and discovered he had colon cancer. After a short but extremely ruff battle struggling with the cancer and the difficult decisions concerning treatments that would affect his quality of life, cancer ended his life and won his battle. It created a major change in my life’s path. My dad was the first person close to me to pass away and I struggled to find him the information needed to make critical life decisions concerning treatment. Not being able to find a source of information to help my father, family and me through this battle with colon cancer created a major undercurrent in my life later inspiring the direction my life would take. I remember asking my dad questions such as; how it felt to be dying and if he felt he had done everything in life he wanted. He really wasn’t able to open up to me enough to discuss the first question and I knew the answer to the second question. This put me on my life’s spiritual path for several reasons, one of a them being an attempt to understand how and why men relate to life and illness the way they do. What is it that makes the difference in a man’s life when he looks back and feels his life had meaning? Several years after my dad’s passing I was still looking for a path in life that would make a difference in my life and others, one that would help serve my soul’s purpose. My mom had a major stoke and was paralyzed on her left side and couldn’t speak. Again, I turned to find support and information necessary to deal with her struggle with life and possible recovery. I wasn’t able to find a source of information or group that could give me the much needed information and support for my new role as patient advocate. I found myself in a confusing health care environment. I struggled alone fighting the system every step of the way. I made the decision to quit work and become the primary care taker for mom. After three and a half months of caring for her at home, she passed away peacefully in her bed. This had been her final wish from the beginning. I went through hell to accomplish her final wish and still recall today how much easier my role as the final caretaker could have been if only I could have found a source of information or organization to help. During the time of my role as a caretaker, I was working on my Master’s Degree in Spiritual Psychology at the University of Santa Monica graduating shortly after my role ended. Upon graduation and looking for the opportunity to follow my life’s goal, a friend of mine recommended that I speak to an organization called the Prostate Cancer Research Institute. They were gearing up for their first national conference and were looking for someone to oversee the operational logistics. I interviewed with the organization and recall being deeply impressed with their mission and programs in place to accomplish their mission. Most impressive to me was their help line, a source of information and a group of individuals dedicated to providing assistance to men diagnosed with prostate cancer as well as their families. The PCRI program is providing the pertinent information needed so that they can make informed and intelligent decisions concerning their health and life. This was the kind of help that I was looking for when my parents got ill. As a Director at PCRI, I am now working in an environment that makes a difference in men’s lives and has been so obviously needed for a long time as seen from my own personal experience. I feel the Prostate Cancer Climb is the vehicle for a group of courageous men too not only bring awareness to prostate cancer, but to deal with how men relate to each other and their own emotions. The climb is an avenue to push through our physical and emotional limitations. Each of us has an important role to play in accomplishing our goal. For my part, I promise to take full advantage on this climb of every opportunity to deal on all levels, physical and emotional, to grow and mature as an integrated male to the best of my ability. I encourage all of you to help by supporting the other climbers and me in our effort to bring much needed awareness to Prostate Cancer and making life for those battling the cancer better. By sponsoring me in the climb or supporting the Hap Weyman Memorial Prostate Cancer Fund would be greatly appreciated. I can assure you that every step I take on this journey you will be with me in my heart. You too, can stand up and be counted in the effort to bring awareness, to support education and to fund research in Prostate Cancer. Sincerely, Proceeds of the Prostate Cancer Climb will go exclusively to funding education and research. No portion of the proceeds will be designated for operating or administrative expenses. Distribution of the Hap Weyman Memorial Prostate Cancer Project Fund will be determined by the Independent Educational Research Funding Committee (IERFC). |
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I feel it is time that men take an active role by being responsible for their health and emotional well being. We must band together in support and be heard in our battle against Prostate Cancer bringing awareness; much needed funding and understanding to men’s health issues. It is important that we reach inside ourselves to tap that inner resource of strength and knowledge and unite our efforts to become whole-integrated beings that can act with our minds and hearts as one. Bringing awareness and taking on Prostate Cancer, a disease that affects every man’s life sooner or later is each man’s responsibility and I want to do my part.
