F CANCER

THEY HAVE ARRIVED!

You now have a chance to subversively show your support for Nick and for all cancer patients. It's a simple black silicone wristband that says what Nick has been saying for weeks now. F CANCER. You decide what the "F" stands for. If you are a little more conservative, tell people it means FIGHT, but the charity was saving money by only putting an F.

They only come in one size which is Adult. On kids they might be a little loose, but just buy a bunch to wear and be all fashionable and whatnot.

The cost is $3 each. Thanks to a generous donation, ALL proceeds go directly to our favorite two charities to the right. That's right...all of your $3 goes directly to them, not to pay for the wristbands. Shipping is just the cost of a stamp. If you live within the Phoenix Metro area, pickup or delivery is FREE.

If you are reside outside of Arizona and want to volunteer to sell them for us, email me and we will get some right out to you.

If you want more than 1 there is no additional shipping charge. If you want to place a pickup or delivery order, just email.

6 Weeks

Thick and delicious. If you're into that sort of thing. I am not, so I have to keep trimming my sweet 'stache so I don't end up eating myself. Also, a small comb has been added to the list of things I keep on me at all times. Sometimes it gets all whacked out and I have to comb it down at random times during the day. The best part is, as my visage has changed, so has my Mii on the Wii. The boys and I altered my face the other day so now I am not only ugly in real life but in the digital world as well.

Now, by my (probably flawed) calculations each of you awesome folks that has been with us since the start, have donated, should donate, or will donate...$42 to either charity. That is flippin' awesome.

In the next week or so, there will be some super-duper cool "things" arriving in the mail that all of you can purchase and/or sign up to distribute for the cause. That's all I will say about it for now, but trust me...they are awesome.

When you were little...

Nick when you where about 4 years old, you, me and your Dad would hang out together A LOT. You'd ride along with us on many, many a trip to here, there and everywhere. We took you to gun shows, to the river, to the park, to The Shed, seriously everywhere. You had great patience for our antics, but hey you were just a kid and got bored sometimes. One day we were driving around and you were about done with that whole scene. So, I made up this crazy story about how I once saw a Hotdog driving a car. Turns out Ketchup was riding shotgun and Mustard was sitting in the backseat. Relish was sitting next to Mustard and kept bugging him. Mustard made Hotdog pull over so he could drive, but Relish just kept bothering him anyway. This went on and on forever. I had you rolling. From that day on, when we went anywhere, you always asked me to tell that story. You and I would add a different spin every time, getting them in all kinds of tomfoolery.

I learned a lot about being a Dad just buy hanging out with you and making you laugh. Since I take that role so seriously now, I owe you a huge debt of gratitude. Sure I owe your Dad too, but he smells, and you laugh way harder at my jokes...

Jam 4 Nick

The Fellas

The boys finally got up to the hospital today to hang out with Nick for a while. They loved every second of it. They especially liked meeting Gabe, who showed them his Transformers game on PlayStation. Nick was feeling good and was even "wireless" since he is done with treatment for this week and going home tomorrow. We had lunch in the cafeteria and sat by the waterfall, which of course Brady couldn't stop staring at longingly. Nick was even kind enough to let the boys pose for a picture with their hero. Thanks for a great day Nick.

5 Weeks

At this point, shampoo and conditioner is NOT optional!

Paparazzi

I snuck a picture of Nick today while he was occupied with his PlayStation. He was feeling good, and mouthing off to me via text message the whole time. Tomorrow the boys get to pay him a visit and I'll try and get him to pose for a shot with his little bald buddies.

Reality

My visit with Nick today was a bit of a reality check for me. Before today, it was easy to play "let's pretend" in my mind that Nick wasn't really that sick and that it would all be smooth sailing. Don't get me wrong he is still doing great, and keeping his chin up, but today was the first day I saw him look sick. To tell you the truth it freaked me out.

Seeing my buddy finally start to really feel it was no less than heartbreaking. I can't imagine what Mark is going through. Just minutes before he started feeling the chemo, we were all laughing at the video of the Jam 4 Nick. I used some pretty creative filming techniques...you''ll see it soon. Before that, we were down in the recovery room with him as he woke up from his spinal tap. He flipped us the bird, made some off color jokes, flipped us the bird some more...regular 13 year old stuff. But then reality stepped in and made me realize where I was.

PCH is a place for kids who are sick. It's not somewhere they want to be, or dream of ending up one day. They are there to get better. To go on and lead long, happy lives and tell others of how things really aren't that bad, because they went through much worse as kids. The reality is some kids just don't get better, some never leave PCH. That is a tragedy I cannot fathom. Nick's floor is filled with happy smiles underneath tiny bald heads. Every single one of them is attached to an IV that is bringing them both life and misery. Still they smile. They find joy in being alive, where an adult would find despair. It's a horrible and magical place at the same time.

Nick, thank you for showing me what is truly important in this life. You have strength in you I have never seen in ANYONE before. You are fighting and winning kiddo. I want to scream to the world how proud I am of you.

I AM PROUD OF YOU NICK!!!

For all those who live in the Phoenix area, I encourage you take a visit to the hospital. Not that you need to visit Nick, you just need to see and feel it for yourself. Have lunch in the cafeteria. Walk the halls. Visit the giftshop. Make your next donation in-person. There is a very motivating energy there and I always leave renewed in my goal to kick the $&*^ out of this disease. Thanks again for joining me in this fight. I want that hospital to have a big VACANCY sign out front sometime before I kick off this planet.

1 Month

The hair is gone, the beard is going strong!

Three nobs

Since Nick has to go sans hair for a while, WE will go without hair for a while. They boys were all fired up to go bald for Nick, and I have to admit the natural air-conditioning counteracts the beard pretty nicely. Plus, my hair on top doesn't grow so well anymore...sigh. I'm an old man. Make your jokes.

Nick, you're not alone bro. This next week might get hard, but we're all behind you 110% even though that's not actually possible. We love you so much we'll make it possible.

To all you folks out there with full heads of luxurious (or thinning) hair...I challenge you to shave it off, take a picture and we'll post it on the site. Maybe it will encourage others to make even more donations...or maybe it will just be funny to look at. Either way, Nick wins.

Week 3

The weather is getting warmer and my beard is getting thicker. This should be an interesting summer. The good news is that I am feeling about 90% better which means Nick will be able to make fun of me in person soon. Anyway, for those keeping score at home...your $21 is due. Thanks again for all those who are donating or are planning to donate, or just saying some awesome prayers out there. Nick has so far not been sick and not had to go back to the hospital. He's lost a bit of hair, but otherwise he's doing great. He's the man.

Galldern

I have a cold. I thought it was allergies. I prayed it was allergies. But it's a cold. Great. So, I am pumping myself full of medicine and vitamins to get better. Why? Because until I am well, I can't go see Nick.

Nick, by the time you have to go back to the hospital I should be all better. Until then, you'll have to settle for some silly pictures and text messages. Sorry bro.