Seminar for Families & Friends of Glioblastoma Victims 

We lost our mom to glioblastoma multiforme, commonly known by its initials, GBM, on the morning of January 6, 2010. Mom endured a nine-month struggle with a form of brain cancer that, even now, has no universal cure. For patients over the age of 60, the average life expectancy, post-diagnosis, is approximately 11 to 13 months. My mother was 2 months under that window; Senator Ted Kennedy, who died of the same brain cancer, managed to survive only 15 months (2 months over that window) despite access to all the king's horses and all the king's men. An exceedingly small percentage of GBM patients manage to survive significantly longer than the one-year mark, but the reasons for this are as unknown as the reasons why the cancer arises in the first place. It's premature to speak of cures; I think most patients, and their families, prefer to think in terms of miracles.

To honor my mother's memory, I'm planning to embark on a trans-American walk. I had attempted such a walk in 2008, before Mom's cancer appeared, and managed about 600 miles before I had to stop due to a number of factors: injury, weather, and lack of funding. It was a marvelous experience; I met many wonderful people and learned a great deal from my mistakes. That walk was about exploring religious diversity; I stayed at Zen temples, Sikh gurdwaras, and the homes of semi-practicing Hindus, atheists, and biker Christians. This new walk has a simpler purpose: to raise consciousness and money for GBM research.

Before I can even begin to walk, however, an enormous amount of planning and preparation must occur. Unlike last time, I'm trying to create a 501(c)(3) nonprofit for this upcoming walk, so that people can feel comfortable with donating. Such a nonprofit will allow people to make tax-deductible donations. Most of the proceeds will go to GBM research; some of the funds will be used to keep me walking. But before I can establish the 501(c)(3), I need to raise $800 merely to be able to complete the IRS's paperwork.

Which brings me to this eBay ad. I live about 90 minutes away from Washington, DC, and would like to give hour-long paid seminars, with 30- to 45-minute Q&A sessions at the end, devoted to families and friends of GBM victims. There's so much to talk about, especially for those people who have only recently discovered that a loved one has been diagnosed with this deadly disease. I'd like to be able to address the following topics in my lecture:

1. the family as patient advocate
2. finding the best clinical trials
3. on remaining calm and logical
4. dealing with unhelpful "friends" or relatives
5. the role of hope in coping with a loved one's GBM
6. courage and the need to avoid denial
7. what matters most: care, presence, and love

The lecture fee I'm charging is $300. I hope this is reasonable, especially for someone who's trying to supplement his current low income, raise thousands of dollars to be able to walk across the country, and raise even more money for GBM research. If I speak to an audience of 200 people, then the $300 fee comes to $1.50 per person. If the audience consists of only 50 people, the per-person cost is still only $6-- the price of a fast food meal. There's absolutely no pressure on anyone to help me out, here, but if you're part of a church or some society that might appreciate a lecture on what I and my brothers learned from our mother's battle with GBM, please consider gathering up the funds to have me come visit you. As long as you're within driving distance of DC, there shouldn't be a problem.

NB: I will have to ask that, if you do request me for a lecture, you give me at least a week's notice. I'm available only on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays because of my current work schedule. Please email me at kevinswalk@gmail.com. You can also visit my blog at Kevin's Walk, and my Twitter feed.

Thank you in advance for your kindness in helping me out.

Kevin (the guy in the dark blue shirt, standing behind his mom)

PS: eBay has placed a "Split the Cost with Friends" link on this entry. That ought to make payment easier, for those who don't have the lump sum (as many of us don't in this economy!). I'd recommend first emailing me about availability and scheduling, then gathering the funds for my seminar, then paying for the lecture through eBay and prepping the lecture space (digital projector and screen may be necessary, since much will be done via PowerPoint). I'd also recommend having some donation stations at the lecture space; that money can be used to defray the cost for the use of the facility, and perhaps to make back some or all of the cost of the $300 lecture.