Cancer doesn't discriminate, but that doesn't make it good.

Cancer is terrible. So when I read a very well-written email from a mere acquaintance, asking for help with an event to benefit a friend of his and his family, I couldn't see a reason not to participate. While I can't divulge the entire contents of the email, I can say that there are people who love Bruce Siart, he has cancer but not a very good prognosis, and he and his family are going to need money to pay for expenses.

From what I can gather, Bruce loves music, he has a wife, and he takes pictures. If I knew him, I know we'd have at least two things in common.

That said, the benefit will take place at Ralph's Diner in Worcester on April 10th.

This being my own blog, I'd also like to add that it took me a few days to decide whether or not I wanted to donate my time and/or money to a family I don't know. Three things fueled my decision.

1. I've lost loved ones to cancer, and I've known survivors of cancer. I have health insurance, and I'm lucky enough that my employer offers cancer insurance. But I know insurance, and I know it's never enough. Between deductibles, lapses in employment, loss of wages due to appointments and shorter term absences - and the lack of physical stamina during treatment to do even the most menial tasks yourself - it's a huge expense. People sometimes need help due to circumstances beyond their control.

2. I've received recently a barrage of requests for donations. The internet makes it easy. For victims of the Haiti earthquakes, for homeless families, for drug and alcohol intervention programs, for bands trying to put together enough money to record their next album (fostering creativity would not be an ignoble cause in my book), for rape victims...the list is endless. And I wasn't feeling good about ignoring ALL of them. Problem number one, I don't have a lot of money these days. Like most people, my budget has finally been stretched as thin as I'm comfortable with. Thinner, perhaps. I chose this cause because I can both participate and donate, so I won't feel so terrible when I donate less, but participate more.

3. It's been a long winter, and I haven't been doing very much in the evenings or on the weekends. Given my budgetary woes, what's been a short bout of contentment (growing longer by the hour), and the realization that too much contentment leads to apathy, I decided that the best thing to do is say, "I'm in!" and ride it out 'til I've followed through.

I don't think there's anything wrong with any of these reasons. To quote Nick Hornby, "Human beings are millions of things in one day."

If a couple few of them are good, it's better than none.