It is not often I would ever use my blog to solicit donations for any cause. But this is different, and I respectfully ask you to please read the following.
As I've mentioned recently, I have a very dear high school friend named Dwight, who about five weeks ago was suddenly diagnosed -- seemingly out of the blue, after only two weeks of "abdominal discomfort" -- with Stage 4 cancer (neuroendocrine, which is one of the more rare forms). He is only 50 or 51 years old, and has a wonderful wife (college sweetheart) and five children ranging in age from 19 to only 5. He is fighting for his life and for his family, and has a very difficult road ahead (and he was just transferred to a hospital in Philadelphia, which is two hours from his home, and because his wife also has the children and farm to care for, she will only be able to visit him a couple of times a week now - but the new hospital has a specialty in the type of care he needs).
Dwight is a highly respected dentist in my old hometown community and has developed a thriving solo practice. Before I moved to Paris, he was MY dentist as well as my friend, and a kinder and more gentle man (and dentist) you could never find. (I used to joke with him, while seated in his exam chair, that back in high school when we sat around moaning about our respective sad love lives or laughing with friends in the band room at school, we could never have imagined that one day I'd be paying him to stick his fingers in my mouth!) He is a deeply religious man, a man of character and strong integrity, yet he loves his Pink Floyd and has retained the same great sense of humor he had when we were teenagers just hanging out together. When I was back in New Jersey on a visit, during the time when Georges and I were a new couple, I remember telling Dwight (during my usual routine office visit) that I'd finally met the man I would marry, and the sincere joy on his face at my news showed how genuinely delighted he was. We invited Dwight and his wife to our very small wedding, because I wanted to be surrounded by that kind of positive energy and light that Dwight brings into any situation. If I had been blessed with a brother, I would have wanted that brother to be someone like Dwight.
Because he has such a fight ahead of him, he obviously is and will be (for some long time) unable to work. This, plus the extreme medical expenses involved in a situation like this (no matter how much health insurance you've got, it won't cover everything) puts a severe financial strain on his family. One of our fellow classmates, also a dentist in our hometown and a very trustworthy man, has had the wonderful idea to start a financial trust in Dwight's name, so that we can do something of a more concrete nature to help him and his family through the tough road that is ahead of them.
So this is where I'm asking all of YOU, my loyal and caring Bold Soul readers, with no embarrassment or hesitation whatsoever: Will you please consider donating to the Dwight Errickson Trust? I know the economy is tight and there are so many worthy causes out there, but I wouldn't be at peace with myself if I didn't make an effort to help their family, not only via my own donation, but by leveraging my blog to try and raise more funds to support them during this critical time. Even a $10 donation would be so much appreciated!
There is a Facebook page set up for the trust here:
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100003750761019
with a mailing address for those who would prefer to send a check. And they have also set up a link between the trust's bank account and PayPal to make it even easier to donate. Just go to www.PayPal.com, click the "SEND MONEY" tab, and use the email address of [email protected] to make your donation (even if you don't have a PayPal account, you can still donate through PayPal - just follow the instructions to choose your form of payment). If you have questions about the trust before donating, you can address them to that same email address.
I personally can vouch for the authenticity of this trust and the friend - Dr. Drew Griffith - who is administering it. This is the real deal and an act of love, every dollar WILL go to the family, and if you knew Dwight you'd know that there was never a more worthy person to receive this outpouring of love and support. He's the kind of guy against whom you can just NEVER say a single bad word. His wife Carla has been a tower of strength, but I know it's got to be hard on her, and it's especially hard on their 4 daughters and their little boy who is only 5 and misses his Daddy. Because of the chemo and lowered resistance, as well as complications (and now the added distance from the new hospital) the kids have only seen their dad a couple of times since he went into the hospital in March for a simple scan -- and got the worst news possible.
Dwight and his family need our prayers... but a little extra money would sure come in handy for them right now. Please search your hearts and consider donating whatever you can. Thank you for taking the time to read this and to seriously consider my request for a donation.
And from MY heart to those who are able to donate (no need to tell us who you are), on Dwight and his family's behalf: Merci mille fois.
