CAN YOU HELP ??? CANCER SURGERY AHEAD - LOOKING TO DEFRAY COSTS THROUGH GRACIOUS GIFTING... I have multiple surgeries ahead over the next three months. Each surgery will require my wife and I to be away for multiple weeks at a time. Costs associated with the treatment and travel are expected to be cumbersome and almost prohibitive. If you would like to help with defraying the costs of my treatment, I would be grateful for any assistance. Gifts can be made directly by using PayPal and selecting Send Money option to my PayPal account at jmm1021@comcast.net ; all gifts will be acknowledged privately and we will keep you in our prayers. Thank you for your consideration of our need and we hope for a miracle to help with our fiscal need.
//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
MY BUCKET LIST --- While my bucket list may be important to my psyche, it is not important to my family in this time of crisis as I prepare for surgery. My wish now is to find the funding to provide for my treatment away from home and sustain a somewhat normal life over the next three months for my family while I undergo surgical treatments.
///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
Hockey, hockey and more hockey, and poker when off the ice. --- As a credentialed ice hockey and inline hockey referee, I spend a lot of time on the ice officiating almost every day during the hockey season. In 2006, there were only two weeks when there was not a game in my schedule. Game 1,000 - 10/15/2006; Game 1,375 - 2/28/2008
//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
Tink, my wife, is the biggest influence in my life and she has been my friend for most of three decades. She is, among other things, a web designer, administrator and statistician for numerous hockey teams and one hockey association. We do find time, occasionally, to rub noses outside of the arctic chill of an ice rink. Oh to be in Montego Bay.
//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
A son who is a defenseman for the Philadelphia Little Flyers; a daughter who is a goalie in NCAA Div III Women's Ice Hockey and recent MTV star in a show on hockey; a daughter who is a goalie/defenseman for a Womens' Ice Hockey Team in Pittsburgh.
//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
Texas Hold Em tournaments in Atlantic City capture my interest, as do some of the events in Las Vegas. Spending my free time in AC or LV has become this poker player's dream and a move to capture the dream could bring a new vocation if successful.
//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
Tournament Bowling (National Championships this July), Golf, Downhill Skiing.
Music
Broadcast media --- SIRIUS SATELLITE RADIO... is there any other?
/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
Instrumental: I have played the trumpet since age 7 and love any of the major trumpet players. Maynard Ferguson was a favorite since attending his clinics in junior high; so glad that all of my kids met him before he passed. Chris Botti is probably the most emotive trumpet player today.
/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
Recordings: When not listening to trumpet or jazz, The Eagles still rock, but I listen to literally hundreds of artists from the 60's through today and enjoy a broad range of music.
Movies
World Trade Center;
The Departed;
The Godfather;
The Godfather II;
Saving Private Ryan;
The Dirty Dozen (original);
Stalag 17;
A Few Good Men;
21;
Vantage Point
Television
Poker After Dark;
Poker Events;
Sopranos;
Law & Order (Original, SVU and CI);
CSI;
House;
Deal or No Deal;
Jeopardy;
Family Guy (I'm hooked);
and YES I ADMIT IT, I watch WWE Events
Books
Cancer on $5 a Day (Chemo not included) - Bob Schimmel;
Deliver Us from Evil - Sean Hannity;
Between the Lines - Ray Scapinello/Rob Simpson
-----
John's Cancer Journey - Juliet Moritz (www.johnscancerjourney.com)
Heroes
John F. Kennedy; Ronald Reagan; Albert Einstein; Bill Gates; Henry Ford; Muhammad Ali; J G A Creighton; Kerry Fraser; FDNY Ladder 11 and all those brave men and women who entered to save others at their own peril (9/11/2001)
Riverchasers Poker Tour (RPT) - giving local poker players a chance to hone their skills to advance to regional and national poker events. Local tours in MA, PA and NY. Partnered with Full Tilt Poker for some events. http://www.riverchasers.com
John M.'s Companies
Northwood Plastics Inc. Sheboygan, WI US FR Product Manager NWP FR Division
Current
John M. John is preparing for the longest journey to face us all. view more
About me: Diagnosed with Stage 4 Rectal Cancer on Valentine's Day 2008, here is some of the latest news along with hopes and dreams. You can read a full blog at www.johnscancerjourney.com.
==========================================================
UPDATE NOV 13, 2008: Home from the hospital for the first day in a week. Severe Deep Vein Thromboses have taken root in my left groin, thigh and calf. For now, I have to manage the pain while I administer anti-coagulants to break up the clots. Liver surgery is still to be scheduled, but there has been some progress; with the clotting issues, this will lead to additional slight delay. Several friends have been added here over the past month and many have sent a gift of assistance for my wife and I to use to fund logistical expenses related to the surgery. To those who have sent gifts, I can never say thank you enough; please know that you are all in my prayers as we work through my surgical schedule with a focus on new life next year.
==========================================================
UPDATE OCT 21, 2008: CLEARED FOR SURGERY AND HOPEFUL FOR NEW LIFE!!! On this, my 46th birthday, my doctors have cleared me for the life-saving surgery I need to beat cancer. Next year will mark the first year where I celebrate a new birthday as I look to be reborn with the surgeries that lie ahead. My wife and I would like to thank those of you who have responded with gifts to help us with the high costs associated with the pending surgeries. We hope for some additional support from our friends or anonymous sources who would like to help with humanitarian gifts to help us in my fight against cancer. (See post below for info on Gracious Gifting)
==========================================================
UPDATE OCT 6, 2008 [GRACIOUS GIFTING SOUGHT]: The preliminary procedures of PVE and IVC-filtering have been completed and the timer is ticking down to my surgery (date to be determined, but expectation is for later this month for surgery). The surgery will be performed in Florida which means I will be away from home for two weeks for each of the two surgeries. The expenses related to my care away from home are expected to be cumbersome. Not being bashful, if you can or want to help defray the costs for a cancer patient facing multiple airfares, hotel costs, and other costs associated with living away from home for multiple weeks at a time, gifts can be made by using PayPal and selecting to send money to my PayPal account at jmm1021@comcast.net . We are thankful for any help we can receive and we will contact all gift givers directly with updates. Our prayers go out to all who can help.
==========================================================
UPDATE SEPT 2008: Well, I made a big decision regarding my fight with cancer and I WILL NOT STRIKE OUT WITH MY LAST AT BAT WITHOUT TAKING A FEW BIG CUTS FOR THE FENCE! Next week, I will undergo a portal vein embolization in an attempt to choke the prominent tumors on the right lobe of my liver while making the left lobe grow. If successful, next month I will have a lobectomy to remove the right lobe. When the right lobe grows back (4 weeks or so), I will have a lobectomy to remove the left lobe. If all goes as planned, my liver will have completely regenerated without cancer and I will be disease free before Christmas. The risk is high, but the reward in priceless... what value can possibly be assigned to a fresh chance at life, if even but for a few years? Thanks to all who have wished me well and prayed for me. the power of your hope is giving me the strength to fight longer and harder than ever could have been expected. Thanks to Robert Schimmel for taking the time after his show in New Brunswick to talk with me and help me cope with the emotion and stress of our mutual battle against cancer; your insights not only changed my outlook going into surgery, it has change my outlook beyond surgery as Julie and I look forward to life after cancer.
==========================================================
===========================================================
IF I CAN BEAT CANCER, I HAVE A BUCKET LIST WISH FOR 2009!!! SEEKING SPONSORS FOR ENTRIES IN 2009 POKER EVENTS INCLUDING THE WSOP -- SPONSORSHIPS ACCEPTED IN ANY AMOUNT ON PayPal account jmm1021@comcast.net -- CONTACT BY EMAIL jmm1021@comcast.net if interested in this dynamic opportunity. What a press opportunity with a story of defeating Stage IV Rectal Cancer only to face the prospect of winning life changing money at the WSOP!!! Help make my dream a reality... I have the will to fight through my cancer, but I need a friend or two to help with entry fees, etc. My first surgery is in October 2008 and the second to be in December. 2009 can be my year to regain ground on my dream for a trip to the WSOP in Las Vegas if I can get some help with my wish.
===========================================================
I am a chemical engineer and an advocate for product and public safety. Recognized as an expert in flame retardant plastics & developing more than 3,000 compounds, I have authored many articles on issues related to plastics, markets, the environment and regulatory processes. I serve on technical committees as an advocate of the consensus process; advocacy for plastics or chemical issues that enhance public safety & improve our lives without harmful interference to our population is my biggest career contribution.
===========================================================
I officiate ice hockey and inline hockey. On ice, I am a USA Hockey Level 3 Referee with 1,376 games officiated through the 2008 season and for inline, I hold credentials for the Professional Inline Hockey Association. In 2009, I look forward to adding the AAU crest to my ice credentials as the AAU Nationals will be held in my backyard and I have been cleared to work games once I have been cleared medically. Off ice, I am involved with the ASTM F08 Standards Committee and the Hockey Equipment Certification Council. My sincere thanks to Jim McCrossin of the Philadelphia Flyers for referring me to two of the best surgeons in the Philadelphia area for my injuries in 2007.
===========================================================
Since 1987, I have bowled with the National Amateur Bowlers Inc. (NABI) and compete regularly for national and regional titles across the country. I have had 5 TV appearances and I owe my competitive spirit to Earl Anthony, Dennis Jacques, & Wayne Webb for believing in my skill back in the 80's. In 2006, my NABI team took 3rd in the National Team Championships.
===========================================================
Since 1994, I have played competitive blackjack. In 2006, I undertook competitive poker and have competed in WSOP and WPT qualifying events all over the US, including Atlantic City (Borgata, Harrah's & Showboat). I am a frequent visitor to Las Vegas (Venetian, Rio, Harrah's & Caesar's).
===========================================================
Inquiries are encouraged and welcomed.
POKER SPONSORSHIPS ACCEPTED THROUGH PayPal:
jmm1021@comcast.net on www.PayPal.com
==========================================================
SEPTEMBER 11, 2001 - Let us never forget the men and women who went in to save others while everyone was running out. May we always hold our passion for freedom and may we always remember those that fight for that freedom while we enjoy the fruits of their battles.
Widget
Who I'd like to meet: Bob Schimmel (met Sept. 2008, a wonderful man with a spirit for life beyond anyone I have met before) === Steve Carlton (met Oct. 2008 - Game #1 World Series) === Still looking to meet: Kerry Fraser, Doyle Brunson, Daniel Negreanu
John, Our thoughts and prayers continue to go out to you and your family. May God give you peace, grace and mercy during these difficult times. Pastor Mitch
Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen. (Jude 1:24,25)
Thanks for your friendship John. Please know that I'm praying for you & your family. Peace to you, Dee aka/"Remember"
Wishing you a weekend filled With all things dear to your heart! Peace & Joy, Deborah You remain in my prayers, donation sent today. I'll keep reposting the bulletin periodically as well. Holding you in my heart!
