Sportsmen Against Cancer He collected himself as he fought back the tears. "You have put my faith back into humankind and have given me a purpose to continue living." What does one say after a comment like that? This was a moment where I just needed to remain quiet and listen. Simon couldn't believe that a complete stranger would go to such lengths to collect wild game for him. A complete stranger! Little did he know that from the moment I had heard of his struggle with the "monster", that it became a mission from members and non-members alike, who would come to his rescue. I had just arrived in Indiana to visit with my dad and his girlfriend, Kathy. Jeannie, Simon's wife, had come to visit. She gave Kathy the latest report on her husband's cancer. I listened intently. She showed pictures of the sailboat that Simon had made by hand and all the wonderful places they had travelled with the boat. But now, the wind had been taken out of their sails. Jeannie is now trying to raise organic chickens in her back yard along with organic veggies. Organic foods had been suggested by Simon's doctor. I could feel her anxiety and concerns. "You do what you have to do", she said. I nodded in agreement and was determined from that very second that I needed to do what our Chapter had been doing for the past year and a half. In early 2004, our chapter had received a phone call from a chapter member in Maine. His cousin Shelley, was dealing with breast cancer. Because she was high-estrogen receptive, she had stopped eating domestic stock due to the hormones that are given to the stock. Yet, her body needed the protein to fight the effects of the chemo and cancer. Bruce Essen, now past president of our chapter, forwarded the call to me since I lived in the same town as Shelley. Ironically, destiny has a strange way of hitting us on the side of the head and saying, "See, this is what you should be doing!" Thus, the Sportsmen Against Cancer" Campaign began. From our modest beginnings, the Naples/Fort Myers Chapter of SCI provides wild game to cancer patients at no charge to them. From our very first Hog Roast fundraiser, we were able to buy a freezer and pay for the processing of the wild game that is donated to the cause. Although we can not call wild game "organic" because we don't monitor its diet, we can be relatively sure that wild game does not stand around for hormonal injections and antibiotics. I got on the phone with Bruce and explained the dilemma. Simon needed wild game NOW. If I couldn't find wild game around here, we'd ship it from Florida. But first, a few calls were made. Now, it was me who was all choked up. With three calls, responses came from the immediate Tri-State area; Michigan, Indiana and Ohio. I had called Bob Easterbrook, past president of SCI, who called his son Neal at work. Neal is Director of the Detroit Chapter of SCI. Neal put the word out on the Michigan Sportsmen.com website which brought donors to the attention of our needs. Bruce got a response from the Ohio Chapter. Within a week, Mike Daly, an acquaintance of Neal, Glenn Lange, Scott Vine who is Vice President of the local Turkey Federation, Harry and Hans van der Waard and the Ohio Chapter of SCI, provided Simon with enough wild game to get him well into fall with the promise that when he needed more, they'd have it for him. I don't know if anyone can really comprehend the magnitude of what one goes through when a serious illness decides to intervene. I can personally express the turmoil of emotions I went through when I lost my mother to breast cancer. As she tried to hold onto life, I tried to hold onto hope. I couldn't fight her battle but I now know I can be the silent participant for other patients/survivors. While the American Cancer Society is fighting fast and furious to find the cure, I know there are sportsmen and women who are going to see that today's cancer patients will have the wild game they need now to see the cure for their future. What started as a plight to the cause, has now taken the infancy steps to the pilot of what we hope will become a nationally recognized program. We hosted the Second Annual Hog Roast this past week. Mike Simpson was our Keynote Speaker and got to hear first-hand what the "Sportsmen Against Cancer" means to the cancer patients who are receiving wild game. The media attention alone has prompted calls from cancer patients who want to get on program. We are a small chapter with big hearts and believe this program can be added to the ranks of our very many humanitarian efforts. Do you want to learn more? It's easy! Do what you do! Hunt. The extra game you harvest can not only go to the Sportsmen Against Hunger. Put some game to the side. You never know when a cancer patient may be calling on you! "As we sail our many passages through life, the eminence of our souls will create the tides of our future. When we are too tired to command our "vessel", it is good to know that the commradery of someone who we weren't anticipating, will come to our rescue." Angie D. Hall |