August Update: Less than two months away from the ride of my life!

Greetings!

After a long hiatus, I am back. First off, I'm pleased to announce that my pain is now mostly under control. I'm able to sleep at night, and I have some level of productivity during the day for the first time in more than a year. Because of this lengthy time between "Booty Updates", this letter is a little lengthy. I promise that it is an easy read though and packed with important information. For those of you who are too busy to read the entire letter right now, please read the first few sections at least.

Progress: I am proud to announce that I am more than halfway to my goal of $3000 and that I'm currently in 6th place for total donations received. Thank you, thank you, thank you, from the bottom of my heart to those who have already donated. To those who are waiting to donate, the deadline for donations that will count towards my total goal is September 11th. Should I be in the top 3 when the deadline has passed, I will be awarded a Trek bike with an MSRP of at least $900. If I do win one, I will auction it off on eBay with 100% of the winning bid going to the Lance Armstrong Foundation!

Corporate Matching: If you have donated or are intending to do so, don't forget to inquire about your company's corporate matching program. The 24 Hours of Booty is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit charity. If needed, the 24 Hours of Booty’s tax ID or EIN number is 20-3768277
Happy Birthday to Me! Yes friends, I turned 35 on Aug 2nd. As one friend put it, I'm now closer to 40 than I am 30. Uh, thanks, I think. I like how my Mom put it instead. She reminded me that I have now had 2 birthdays since my initial diagnosis. Now for those of you who I've made feel guilty for missing my birthday, I humbly request that in lieu of cards and gifts, you make a donation to my ride.

What do your donations support? The 24 Hours of Booty supports the Lance Armstrong Foundation and the Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults, nationally and The Johns Hopkins Hospital, locally.

First off, I can personally attest to the great things that the Lance Armstrong Foundation (http://www.livestrong.org/) does. Back in 2008, shortly after I was first diagnosed with cancer, I contacted the Lance Armstrong Foundation seeking out information on possible research studies and more information in general about my cancer. They immediately provided me with numerous possible studies and they also put me in touch with the Sarcoma Alliance. When I joined Twitter earlier this year, they noticed I was tweeting about cancer and they started following me. Then, last month when I tweeted about how my chemotherapy would be $10,000/month (remember that number) if my insurance didn't cover it, they sent me a message asking me to call them. I did, but they were busy and I left a message. They called me back only an hour or so later and talked to me for a full 20 minutes telling me about all of the resources that were available to me. They included travel vouchers from airlines and hotels if I have to go to Indianapolis for treatment, pharmaceutical companies that provide hardship assistance and even legal help should I need it. They talked to me like an old friend and showed genuine concern for me.

In addition to the critical help that the Lance Armstrong Foundation provides to cancer patients and their famlies, they also promote cancer research. In 2004, they helped to found the Education Network to Advance Cancer Clinical Trials or ENACCT (http://www.enacct.org/). ENACCT is the only national organization devoted solely to identifying, implementing and evaluating innovative community-centered approaches to cancer clinical trials education. The Lance Armstrong Foundation even provided my talented doctor with her first research grant.

Second is the Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults (http://www.ulmanfund.org/). Started by Doug Ulman, the CEO of the Lance Armstrong Foundation, the Ulman Cancer Fund provides young adults and their families with a unique and comprehensive system of support. Its mission is to provide support programs, education and resources, free of charge, to benefit young adults, their families and friends, who are affected by cancer, and to promote awareness and prevention of cancer. And, since The Ulman Cancer Fund is located just a short drive away from where I live, I intend to start volunteering for them in October, once I have completed my ride.

Finally, The Johns Hopkins Hospital, the 24 Hours of Booty's local benefactor, and where I receive all of my treatment. The money raised by the 24 Hours of Booty participants not only promotes cutting-edge research and state-of-the-art medical treatments, it also enables Johns Hopkins to provide critical financial assistance to patients including in some cases, completely waiving any medical bills not covered by insurance. As I am still unemployed, I am fortunate to benefit from this assistance while I'm trying to find a job.

$10,000/month Chemotherapy: A couple paragraphs back, I asked you to remember that number. Understanding that I have friends and supporters all across the political spectrum, I am not going to take a side or advocate one particular plan. However, I ask you to think about that number. Do those 300 pills that make up a month's prescription really cost more than $30 a piece? Or, do the people at my insurance company really know more than my doctor who has treated me for the last 3 years and is world-renowned in her field ? These are questions that must be answered. The answers to these questions are the cornerstone of the healthcare system that this country desperately needs. A system that makes it unacceptable for anyone; young or old, healthy or chronically ill, married or single; to be denied the care that they need.

Some YouTube videos for you: Below are links to a some videos, between 1 and 5 minutes that will give you more insight into the charities I'm asking you to support, and the people behind them.
The 24 Hours of Booty:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=70_DCjlAdKs&NR=1
Lance Armstrong Foundation Manifesto:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GNLs-zMvnlc
The Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dIgnst3BwU8
Lance Armstrong on why he's returning:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8G0C26o4O2U
Lance Armstrong on WHO he's riding for:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7q8Y0uL-4oA

Twitter: As I stated before, I am now on Twitter and I keep a live feed on my desktop. For any fellow tweeters out there, I encourage you to follow me and chat with me at anytime. My username is jpmeyer74.

200 miles!?!? You read it right. I have rethought my ride and what I feel like I'm capable of, and I now believe I'll be able to do 200 miles. I realized this in July when I did the ride for Sarcoma research. Over a 1 hour ride with rolling hills, I averaged 13 MPH. The "Booty Course" is relatively flat and I'm feeling stronger every day. So take my intended time on the bike of 16 hours, multiply by 13 MPH and you get 208 miles. That's 96 miles longer than any other ride I've done.

Cancer and Firefighters: For those of you unaware, the incidence of cancer among firefighters is higher than the incidence for nearly every other field, and MUCH higher than those for the public as a whole. FirefighterCloseCalls.com, a.k.a. The Secret List has just posted an article detailing the incidence of cancer among not only the firefighters who responded to the World Trade Center disaster, but police officers and EMS workers as well. To see the article... http://firefighterclosecalls.com/fullstory.php?91080

Finally, I will close with a link to a video by the band Wideawake. They are from Austin and have dedicated their song, "Maybe Tonight, Maybe Tomorrow" to the Livestrong movement. The song is available on iTunes and the proceeds support the Lance Armstrong Foundation. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XoPb_KS39u8

So now, in the words of those wine cooler hawking porch dwellers from the late 80's, "Thank you for your support".