They Call Me Galvez

This fall was extremely packed! I got to hangout with so many cool people, but at the same time I have lost A LOT of close friends to cancer. For me, it gets harder and harder to deal with these losses because I tend to get very close to people!  I’ve talked to other leaders in cancer advocacy about this.  It supposedly gets easier to recover from the loss.  Every time we lose somebody it still hits me pretty hard!  It hasn’t gotten any easier for me.  I recently closed my personal Facebook account because Facebook is where I interact the most with people.  I think I need a break from advocacy for a little while because the loss of my friends is emotionally draining.  It’s crazy… before I got involved in advocacy, I hardly knew anyone that was sick.  Now it seems like almost everyone I meet has been affected by a tumor or cancer.  It seems like most of the stories I hear… don’t have a happy ending.  The loss of the last three friends hit me pretty hard because I had so much in common with them.   I think I just need some time away from the oncology/cancer world for a little bit to recharge and organize my thoughts/ideas…

It’s funny. I thought things would be slowing down this month since I’m not traveling, but things are actually getting busier!  I’m already starting to set stuff up for next year.  There are plans to do more traveling internationally, but we need a more consistent source of revenue to take more post-treatment “thrivers” on these trips.  The purpose of these trip is to promote a proactive life after a tumor/cancer diagnosis and dispel the international stigma that a tumor/cancer diagnosis is a death sentence.  Right now, your donations are supporting MKF activities.  In order for MKF to grow, there needs to be a more formal staff to manage everything.  I’m realizing that the type of assistance MKF needs requires hiring someone!  The direction MKF is heading is WAY out of my professional expertise!  Early on my vision for MKF needed to be established and I took on much of the work/responsibility myself.  I think this is typically called “Founder’s Syndrome“.  The problem now is finding reliable people who want to make the organization grow.  Finding people with the same passion is not difficult because people generally don’t like tumors/cancer.  But when personal responsibilities start to arise, it is hard for people to make time for the organization.  Herein lies the problem, at this point in the organization’s life span, we need to hire formal staff.  The staff at this level require a salary, but funds/donations still come in inconsistently.  Getting MKF this far, took a lot of blood, sweat, and tears. I’m realizing now that I may not be the right person to lead MKF into the next stage of organizational growth.  We’ve been stuck in the “Adolescent/Growing phase” for quite some time.  I think I might be too “emotionally invested” in MKF.  I just want to make sure MKF is left in the right hands.  I’m getting ready to add more teammates because I’m realizing that one person alone can’t handle everything!  I’m starting to think partnerships with the right organizations will be key for MKF in the future.  Please contact me through mAssKickers.org if you are interested in formally helping with MKF.  Be prepared to share a resume/references.

10 years ago today, I left the intensive care unit after major brain surgery with a new attitude. I was a pretty happy-go-lucky guy before the surgery, but I came out the ICU more focused than ever before!  I was still recovering, but I made the decision that I wasn’t going to be defeated by a brain tumor.  I just needed to find a way to fight back!  I lost my career working as a physical therapist, the majority of my hobbies, and very briefly my confidence.  Over the past 10 years I’ve built myself back up and:

November is facial hair growing month AKA “Movember” or “NoShaveNovember”!  It always makes me laugh because it a very unique way for people to get  involved in cancer advocacy… Want to support a cause?  Grow a mustache or don’t shave for a month… very easy for people to do… brilliant!  It made me smile the second I heard about this unique form of awareness because it is outrageous enough to garner attention, yet easy to do.   Check out our team, the “Island of Misfit Mos“.  We are a unique group of people participating in “Movember” and “NoShaveNovember”.  We all gave our facial hair a nickname…  hee hee hee… If you have facial hair.. JOIN US!  Give it a name!