The Karmic Hot Dog

 

This is the most expensive hot dog in the world at $1,501 - and they actually sold four of them in Little Rock, Arkansas, earlier this year. Why $1,501, well it appears the vendor kept $1 and the remaining $1,500 went to charity. If you want to know more have a look here.

I mention this as I used it as a "higher/lower" question at the fundraising quiz night we ran on Friday. If you read my earlier post "Between a rock and hard place"  you will have found me conflicted when my wife decided to raise money to help a man who had been my daughter's headmaster and is now suffering stage 4 (there is no stage 5!) breast cancer. He learnt he had breast cancer six years ago and seemed to beat it, but it returned and now the doctors in the UK say they have no further treatment for him.

His wife researched other treatments and found one in Mexico, but the family would need to raise £40,000 to fund the course of treatment that was prescribed. I did my research on this facility and confess I was inconvinced. The verdicts on the internet spanned everything between effusive praise to total condemnation. To me it has all the signs of a classic scam with a plausible back story including more than a hint of conspiracy and some (pseudo?) science about cyanide in peach pips that targets and kills the cancer cells when added to the "oxygenation" of his body. There seem to be no verified studies, but plenty of excuses (see back to conspiracy) about why not and how one has to believe!

The long and the short was I decided to support the effort, in part to support my wife and sister who were committed to the cause and in part that were our positions reversed I would hope others would help me. I know at least one other man was uncertain and he talked with oncologists. They added the perspective that these efforts and the use of alternative treatments is at least in part treating the family as well as the patient. They give focus and hope - and a positive spirit must be a good thing - and mean that should the treatment not be successful no one can look back say, "...if only..."

So after a pretty frantic few weeks the night came. Something like 140 people crammed into the school hall, crushed on long tables, but all in extremely good humour. It was a reunion for many, but also there was - and I know this is a cliche - a lot of love in the room for this man. This was probably a great piece of supporting evidence for karma. He had touched our kids and lives and we were there to give a little (or a lot back).

My part was putting together the quiz and all the supporting materials and on the night co-hosted the event from the front. This was a little impromptu, but worked well.

We, the organisers, had not planned on David, that is his name, being there. We thought it might be too much and a little embarassing as he never asked for these fund raisers. His wife decided that he was coming as he would get a lift off the energy. In the end he and his wife arrived after the first hour and stayed to the end, through the fish supper, most of the quiz, the auction and the raffle. There was lots of hugging and laughter and no tears, at least not that I saw.

At the end David took the microphone and spoke movingly. He thanked those there, not asking for pity or sorrow, but rather thanks that he had had a good life and was not giving up on it yet. He added that his time at the school had been one he treasured and his decision to leave was one that he now regretted.

As everyone departed around 11:30, many laden with raffle prizes or acution items and full of smiles and bonhomie, the small team set about clearing everything up and were out of there around 12:30. David and his wife left around midnight.

Remembering this was a small school, albeit a private one with parents who could afford to pay for education, every auction item was bought and bought well.

As we planned the night we thought we might raise circa £2,000, but when my wife and I did the accounts the next day, we were amazed to find that we had actually raised £5,600 on the night, plus another £160 from the sale of Christmas cards. Additionally one of the parents is tapping her company's charitable fund and has promised £750 of "matched" funding. This raises the total to over £6,500.

When added to the money already raised and a couple of imminent events this has probably made £40,000 and Mexico in early 2013 a reality.

It was hard work, but just shows what you can do if you set your mind to it. Barring some horrific feedback from the PA system, the quiz went well with the three tops scores being 108,111 and 112 out of a maximum possible of 134. We even got some praise for the quiz being fun so ... happy days.

My slight concern is that David has not blogged since Friday - he usually does so daily. I wonder if after the high of the evening he has felt a subsequent crash - I do hope not - or that maybe the generosity in the room and the fact that the sum raised makes his trip a reality has created feeling of obligation or pressure to succeed? Again I hope not.

The time, effort, prizes, money and general goodwill were all given for the absolutely best of reasons and all for one man and his family. It reunited a community built around a school and was a beacon in difficult times.

Fingers crossed for the days, weeks, months and, hopefully, years ahead.