By 4:00pm we were already extending the goal thermometer to make way for more red marker.  When it was all said and done, the event raised $12,500 for Jason.  And on top of all that generosity, it was an incredible event and party.

Many many thanks go to the great bands that performed:

• Harley and the V-twins
• Chris Fisher and Friends
• Blue Grama
• Jahred
• Steamboat Zephyr
• Ten Timers
• Peace Officer

Also a big thanks goes to Brian of Peace Officer for sitting at the sound board all day and then performing a set.  A ton of people and businesses helped make this event possible and we couldn’t have done it without you…the incredible supporters of Jason Bush.  Let me just take a moment to recognize some of the folks who helped make this event a success:

Special Thanks To

Avogadro’s Number

Featured Donors

ZeroHero Events
Fort Collins Bike Co-Op
Trees, Water & People
Blue Valley Energy
Septacycles
Katalist Konsepts Tattoo
Starkeeper Lodge
Wolf Moon Farms
Bryan Birch
Chad Kollar
Kim Orrell
Jeannie Mobley-Tanaka
Shmid-Long Family

Event Organizers

Maureen McNamara
Meaghan Bludau
Melanie Graham
John Long
John Walthour
Andy Kumar
Kirsten Savage
Andy Kruse
Brian of Peace Officer
Ben White
Annie Maggard
Vlisha Stanerson
Erin Donnelly
Florencia Pezzutti
Aziza Bayou
Erin Parsons
Ann Magennis
Aaron Ehle
Angie Fuhrmann
Bryn Karabensh
Chris Wood
Eric Johnson
Heather Horobik
Kelly Kharthan
Krystal Langholz
Jason Chambers
Jillian Collins
Michael Conway
Rafael Ruiz
Rickey Kadlac
Robin Roberts
Todd Holdren

To help you re-live the event, or in case you missed it, check out the video slide show that crams 16 hours into just over 5 minutes.  Below that are several photos from the Benefest.  If you would like a full size copy of any image, just send me an email.

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UPDATE: Band times and silent auction items added!

The big event is just around the corner.  On November 14th, the Jason Bush Cancer Fund is hosting the Bushdoctor Benefest at Avogadro’s Number.   A silent auction will begin at 11am and music will start at 2pm.   We are suggesting a $10 donation at the door and all ages are welcome.  A big thank you to Avo’s for letting us have our event at their fine establishment.

Through the hard work of volunteers and the generosity of  local businesses we have put together a silent auction with some amazing items.  A final list of items will be posted soon, but a short list includes condos, original works of art, tattoos, gift certificates, movies, dining, and a whole lot more.  We have estimated the value of the things for sale at over $5,000, and there’s something for everyone.

Starting at 2pm we have a great lineup of bands.  The lineup includes:

• 2:30pm   TBA
• 4:00pm   Chris Fisher and Friends
• 5:30pm   Blue Grama and Friends
• 6:45pm   Jahred of Peace Office
• 8:00pm   Steamboat Zephyr
• 9:30pm   Ten Timers
• 10:30pm  Peace Officer and Friends

Once again, thank you to the bands for donating your time and talent to this event.  Everyone head over to their websites to tell them thank you, buy a cd, or just say hello.

You can also add the event to your calendar here:

Also please join and share the event on Facebook

We look forward to seeing you there this Saturday and we’ll be posting a few updates regarding the silent auction soon, so stay tuned.

The voyage continues as I begin my third 5-day cycle of treatment today. As usual, I have felt progressively better since the previous cycle, which was significantly worse than the first one. I could really feel the cumulative effects of the chemotherapy, experiencing consistent nausea, diminished appetite, and some vomiting. It also took me longer to pull out of it once I got home, I felt uncomfortable pretty regularly for almost a week, which made me a real grouch (sorry mom and dad)!.

Good news from the doc today: he said the chest x-ray from last week reveals that the lesions in my lungs have receded significantly. So it appears that these strange chemicals they’re injecting me with are helping! Doc is optimistic that the original plan for my treatment will be effective, but we really won’t know for sure until I get another PET scan in a few weeks. From there, he will know if I need more treatment.

Fund raising efforts have been very successful! The benefit brunch in Alpine, TX went off well. I wished I could have been there to see everyone, but I had just been released from the hospital when it was happening. Fortunately, I was able to have a video chat on Skype with folks at the brunch and got to talk to many friends. It’s mesmerizing to have so many wonderful people come together to help a friend out. BIG thanks to Michelle, Ashley, and the many wonderful other people who helped organize it.

Many other wonderful individuals have donated to the website or to me personally. I wish I could thank everyone individually in this update, but a big virtual “group hug” will have to do for now. I have learned that having a social network of support is immensely helpful throughout the process of dealing with cancer (or any major illness for that matter). Just having people offer their thoughts, prayers, and/or simple acts of doing is an important component of the healing process. I feel blessed to have a network of people who are motivated to help me financially as well. These times are tough for people who don’t have medical insurance or cannot get effective coverage. I think it is ironic that I am going through this adventure while a national debate on healthcare reform is going on. I hope that our politicians can put their differences aside and agree on a plan soon that is good for those who need it the most.

Up ahead is yet another fundraiser that a community of good-hearted friends and colleagues are organizing here in Fort Collins, on November, 14th at Avogadro’s. There will be live music, a silent auction, and lots of jolly beer-drinking. If you are in the neighborhood, feel free to come visit and dance with good people. There should be an advertisement for it on the website soon.

Gotta get through this dreary section of the trip so I can make it to those warm sunny days up ahead…

Much love,
Jason Bush

The waters have been relatively calm over the last two weeks and time has sped by! Being back home has been great. I was able to get back into a somewhat normal groove, going to work and writing my thesis. I was even able to get up into the mountains a few times to see the Aspen’s change, but I discovered that I am especially sensitive to the altitude.

The first few days out of the hospital, I was frequently exhausted, with bouts of mild nausea. As the week marched on, I was able to walk around town more and get out and enjoy the changing of the seasons here in town.

My body is acting differently as a result of these strange chemicals being pumped into my body. I’ll feel relatively fine throughout much of the day, but then I would get hit with waves of exhaustion and occasional nausea. Towards the end of my two-week break, I started feeling better more consistently, but then low and behold it came time for my next cycle.

Now I am currently undergoing my second 5-day cycle of chemo in the hospital and it is business as usual. I’ve been balancing visits with folks, working on my thesis and reading, and maintaining my addiction to the Food Network. And I even have time to sleep…

The website John W. designed has been quite effective at keeping people informed and an great way to receive donations. I am so grateful to everyone who has contributed! Every penny is well appreciated. It seems that a lot of people, from friends to friends of friends of friends, have been learning about my ordeal through the website. Watching this great social network unfold has been truly amazing. Hopefully, some day soon after I make it through this journey, I will be able to take what I’ve learned and give back to people who are going through the similar challenge of overcoming cancer. I think it would be especially interesting to work with an organization that helps young cancer patients at an international level, as a way to further understand how different cultures perceive and deal with cancer.

On a final note, BIG LOVE for all of the support. And, remember gentlemen, inspect yourself regularly to make sure there are no surprises lurking around! The sooner you catch any unwanted visitors the better!

Take care,
Jason Bush

For those that don’t know, Amazon is the Wal-Mart of the Internet. Everything from toasters to televisions, books to bayonets, and Makita drills to music, they have it all and personally I have found there prices and customer service to be excellent.

So, if you are planning to make any purchases from Amazon, just come here first, click the ad and then buy the item you want and Amazon will kick back some cash to Jason. The current ad takes you to the book store portion of Amazon, but you can purchase anything. Just make sure you click our banner first, going to amazon.com directly won’t work.

So go pick up a new album, a new book, an LCD TV, or whatever and feel good that you helped the Jason Bush Cancer Fund.

Oh and if anyone wants to get the webmaster something for his birthday….

Talgar McCarty has graciously offered the charming dining room and patio space at Talgar’s Restaurant to hold this fun-filled brunch that is a celebration of Jason and his tenacious spirit. The event features a scrumptious Sunday brunch prepared by Talgar, a piñata and other activities for the kids, an opportunity to mingle with friends and neighbors, and a prize raffle.

Tickets for the brunch will be sold in advance ($15.00) and at the door ($20.00), and tickets for the raffle will be sold at the event. Many generous local business people and artists are contributing prizes to the raffle! If you are in the area, please join us to participate in this fundraiser for Jason!

Attending the Brunch for Bush will get you a good meal, a festive atmosphere, prizes with the purchase of raffle tickets, and the the satisfaction of knowing you have done a good deed: namely, ALL proceeds will be used to defray as much of Jason’s medical bills as we possibly can! Please help!

You can buy tickets from Ashley Baker, Michelle Rich or John Seebach. Stay tuned for other locations to buy! For now please call Michelle Rich at 432.386.5323 for ticket sales.

There is a Facebook event “Brunch for Bush” that you can RSVP to and share with your friends. We look forward to seeing you there.

Where to go:
Talgar’s Restaurant
102 W. Murphy St.
Alpine, TX

View Larger Map

Now that things are up and running in a basic form I wanted to call attention to a few important areas of the website.

First and foremost is the Donate page, after all that’s what this is all about, helping friend in need.  Currently we are using PayPal for donations and we encourage you do visit the Donate page link above and move us toward our goal.  PayPal of course does charge us a small transaction fee so if you can the best form of donation is still cold hard cash.

That brings us to the next area of the website, the Contact Us page.  If you need questions answered, like “how do I give Jason a check or cash?”, this is the place for that question.  We want to hear from you so click the link and drop us a note.

On the Events link you will see a Google Calendar which gives details on upcoming fund-raisers and benefits.  If you are a Google user, please subscribe to the calendar by going to the Events page and clicking the +Google Calendar button on the bottom right.

Last of all, but maybe the most important is the Street Team.  We need to get the word out and can use all the help we can get.  Click the link and print out flyers to hand to businesses and individuals.  Soon we will be posting a list of businesses that have already been contacted so we don’t SPAM our local friends with flyers.  If you do hand out flyers please let us know by going to the Contact Us page so we can recognize your efforts and so we don’t also visit the same places.

We have also setup a few social networking pages to aid in community building and awareness.  Become a Fan of the Jason Bush Cancer Fund on Facebook and Follow us on Twitter.

Once again thanks for dropping by and check back often since this site will be frequently update.

-MGMT

Jason Bush, a graduate student in Anthropology at CSU, has recently been diagnosed with stage IIIa testicular cancer.  Jason was diagnosed two days before his health insurance coverage began for the fall semester.  Therefore, once his coverage began, the cancer was considered a pre-existing condition and the insurance will not cover doctor’s appointments, chemotherapy treatment, operations, or lab tests associated with the cancer.

Jason was not able to qualify for many federal and state insurance programs, however he did qualify for the Colorado Indigent Care Program (CICP) which will cover only a percentage of the cost of treatment and care while at Poudre Valley Hospital.  There are many appointments, tests, prescriptions, etc. outside of the hospital that are not eligible for coverage.

Jason is an inspirational, upbeat, and love-filled young man.  Even in these difficult times, Jason keeps an open heart and an amazingly positive attitude.  Jason grew up in West Texas, where he developed his love for the outdoors and archaeology.  In between school and life, Jason hiked the entire the Continental Divide Trail from Canada to Mexico, a 3100-mile journey.

Several years of working as an archeologist in Texas inspired Jason to pursue a M.A. in archeology, which lead to a move to Fort Collins for graduate school at CSU.  This past summer Jason completed his archeology thesis research in Lake Patzcuaro, Michoacan, Mexico.  Jason is in the process of writing his thesis and hopes to complete his graduate studies, as initially planned, by May 2010.

Jason is an enthusiastic lover of the outdoors, bikes, and music.  Whether riding on his cruiser strung with red lights or studying at a coffee shop, Jason always has a smile on his face and time for the people around him.

Within the first two months since his diagnosis, Jason’s medical bills already amount to $20,000 with only $15,000 being covered by CICP.  By the end of the initial treatment plan, Jason’s bill is estimated to be at least $120,000.  In addition to mounting medical bills, Jason also has living expenses and no steady source of income.  He is not able to work regularly at his part time job on campus and is using loans and credit cards to make ends meet.

Supporters of Jason around the country are working to raise funds to help Jason with his treatment.  The fund-raising goal of $15,000 will not cover all the medical expenses, but it will greatly help Jason avoid massive debt to pay for his cancer treatment.