Helm's Deep

I have always loved film. It’s been the single art form that has given me the most joy throughout my life.  Some of my most vivid childhood memories are of going with my Dad and brother to see Star Wars when it first came out. And I remember the day that, after seeing Raiders of the Lost Ark, turning to my parents and telling them, “That’s what I want to do when I grow up.”  “Be an archaeologist?”  “No. Tell stories with a camera like that.”

I used to watch Siskel & Ebert leading up to the weekends in high school and college, with their opinion and commentary holding a great deal of weight as to which films I’d be seeing that weekend.  Mind you, I didn’t always agree with them, but I always appreciated what they had to say.  I could tell they were kindred spirits: lovers of the cinema.

I always enjoyed the fact that they would not only review the films everyone wanted to see, but smaller ones as well that, had they not mentioned them, this SW Ohio boy would have never been exposed to.  So much of what I learned about filmmaking can be attributed to not only their analysis, but to seeking out and seeing films I would have never seen without them mentioning it on their show or in their columns.

Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert will never be replaced.  They are to film critics what Johnny Carson was to late night television.

Thank you, Mr. Ebert, for your passion and enthusiasm for the art of film. Thank you for your courage as you publicly fought cancer, raising awareness and providing encouragement to survivors and fellow cancer fighters with humor and bravery.

I imagine right now that Siskel & Ebert, finally reunited after 14 years, are currently preparing their reviews of the afterlife.  Oh, to be able to see that episode.

Rest in peace.

Thanks to sotheresthat for sharing this. I just had to share it too. Well, after removing all the dust from my eyes.

daxtumbler:

 My father, Dave Robert Shepard Sr., died on either December 30th or December 31st, depending on what time zone you were in. I received the call on the 30th at 11:30PM in Los Angeles, but the caller, positioned in Detroit, was two hours deep into the 31st. He was dead at 62 years old. Small cell carcinoma was to blame. It originated in the lungs and then travelled with great speed to all corners of his body.

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helms-deep:

I need silly pictures and gifs.

I need funny stories.

I need messages and phone calls and emails and whatnot.

I need good bourbon.

I need to live in a world where little kids don’t get things like leukemia, cancer, epiglottitis.

I need to live in a world where things like this are as easy to cure or overcome as a cold.

I need to be doing what I can to be part of the solution.

I need you.

I need your help.

I need creative types to partner with and come up with a great idea for a video, one that doesn’t just “raise awareness” but acts as a catalyst, a call to action.  One that honors the memory of a beautiful little girl, and countless other little girls and boys who have been taken from us far too soon.  One that honors the children who are still fighting with everything in them to beat this thing that has taken over their bodies.  One that honors their parents, who have to take them back and forth to the hospital, back and forth to specialists, back and forth for lab tests and MRIs and CT scans, that sit vigil over their children while they receive treatment.  One that honors the caregivers who use everything in their arsenal, everything that technology and research and money can do, to try and heal these little fighters.

I’m not letting this one go.  This is personal.  If you want to help, and think you might have a little time this week to chat and brainstorm, let me know.  Feel free to email me at rhelm3 (at) gmail (dot) com.

If you want to chat today via voice or text, even if it’s just to say hello and cheer me up, here’s my number:  937.470.2342

I’m angry.  I’m sad.  I probably shouldn’t be letting the girls watch UP! right now, considering the first 10 minutes of that movie always makes my face leak like Niagara Falls.  But today, they get to do what they want.  I’m spoiling the crap out of them.  I’m hugging them tight, letting them eat cookies, and cherishing them and every moment with them.

Get ready, cancer.  We’re coming for you.

Reblogging for the morning/afternoon crowd.  Already got some responses but wanted as much good feedback as possible.  Also, I’m working on this TODAY, so if you can help, please ping me via email or phone and let me know your thoughts.

Thank you all again so much!

I need silly pictures and gifs.

I need funny stories.

I need messages and phone calls and emails and whatnot.

I need good bourbon.

I need to live in a world where little kids don’t get things like leukemia, cancer, epiglottitis.

I need to live in a world where things like this are as easy to cure or overcome as a cold.

I need to be doing what I can to be part of the solution.

I need you.

I need your help.

I need creative types to partner with and come up with a great idea for a video, one that doesn’t just “raise awareness” but acts as a catalyst, a call to action.  One that honors the memory of a beautiful little girl, and countless other little girls and boys who have been taken from us far too soon.  One that honors the children who are still fighting with everything in them to beat this thing that has taken over their bodies.  One that honors their parents, who have to take them back and forth to the hospital, back and forth to specialists, back and forth for lab tests and MRIs and CT scans, that sit vigil over their children while they receive treatment.  One that honors the caregivers who use everything in their arsenal, everything that technology and research and money can do, to try and heal these little fighters.

I’m not letting this one go.  This is personal.  If you want to help, and think you might have a little time this week to chat and brainstorm, let me know.  Feel free to email me at rhelm3 (at) gmail (dot) com.

If you want to chat today via voice or text, even if it’s just to say hello and cheer me up, here’s my number:  937.470.2342

I’m angry.  I’m sad.  I probably shouldn’t be letting the girls watch UP! right now, considering the first 10 minutes of that movie always makes my face leak like Niagara Falls.  But today, they get to do what they want.  I’m spoiling the crap out of them.  I’m hugging them tight, letting them eat cookies, and cherishing them and every moment with them.

Get ready, cancer.  We’re coming for you.

helms-deep:

Hey All -

As I mentioned before, I am actively looking for ways to pay it forward after everything this community did for our family this month.  Well…I’ve got one for us to get behind.

Meet Elena:

Elena is the daughter of a fellow Tumblrer on here that has, at this time, asked to maintain privacy, as this is a very, very difficult time for them.

Elena was diagnosed with Infant-type Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) last year and is fighting for her life with a bravery and spirit that is astounding.

Her family has a support page on the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society page for the Light the Night Walk.

Here’s what I want to do: blow the flipping doors off of their overall team goal.  They’ve already met their personal goal, but I know we can do this.

I hate cancer.  Cancer completely sucks, and has taken far too many people from me.  Let’s do this for Elena. Let’s do this for her family, fellow Tumblrers just like us.  Let’s inject a little hope, and show them what this community is about.

Also, again, please respect the privacy of this family right now.  I know they will greatly appreciate it.  But feel free to share the heck out of my post AND her support page.

Thanks!

Here’s the link to her support page in case the embed link doesn’t work for some reason:  http://pages.lightthenight.org/epa/Phi12/mschonevel

Elena is no longer in pain.  Elena is finally at rest and at peace.  She passed away last night in her daddy’s arms.  She was 17 months old.

Devastating.

But I believe something with all my heart: Cancer didn’t win, Elena did.  Her life and her memory, her fight, her attitude, her smile…everything about her amazing spirit…cancer couldn’t take that away.

So now, we fight back.  We fight for her, and for the thousands of parents who had to go through what Elena’s parents did last night, something NO parent should ever have to go through.  We fight for every patient in every hospital, every survivor who lives with the fear that their cancer might come back.  We fight back.

If you haven’t already, I ask that you please donate to her page.  If you want to, you can also continue donating to Drew’s page on Alex’s Lemonade stand here: http://www.alexslemonade.org/mypage/91268

Piss off, cancer.  You lose today.

I have a lot of feelings about the stuff that’s been going on over the past few months.  I’d like to write them down and share them, but I have to be up in less than 5 hours.  Maybe tomorrow.

I’ll say this for now: I’ve seen so, so, so much good from that organization and the person who founded it.  There are fewer things I despise more than cancer.  It took my dad’s dad when he was only 13.  It took my mom’s dad when I was 5.  In fact, that was the first funeral I ever attended.  It’s taken the lives of and impacted the lives of far too many people close to me.  I even watched my mom fight and beat breast cancer the year Stacie and I got married.

It also scares me.  It scares me that one day it might happen to me, or Stacie, or my kids, or that my mom’s cancer might come back, or my dad might get it.

LIVESTRONG is all about fighting together, side by side, providing support for those with cancer, those who have lost someone to cancer, and those who have beaten cancer, forever changed by what it has done to them physically and emotionally.

That’s all I’m going to say right now.

Well, one more thing.  I will never stop supporting LIVESTRONG.  I will proudly wear a yellow wristband.  I will proudly wear yellow every year on LIVESTRONG Day.  I will continue to run/walk Team LIVESTRONG 5Ks, and may get my butt in shape enough one day to ride in one as well.

One thing those who are fighting cancer, have beaten cancer, or have lost someone to cancer need more than anything is support.  Just knowing that there are people there fighting with them, grieving with them, celebrating with them…that means so much.  And I have never seen an organization do a better job at this than LIVESTRONG.  It’s in their DNA.

That’s all for now.  More when the hour isn’t so late.

Happy Thursday morning.

Hey All -

As I mentioned before, I am actively looking for ways to pay it forward after everything this community did for our family this month.  Well…I’ve got one for us to get behind.

Meet Elena:

Elena is the daughter of a fellow Tumblrer on here that has, at this time, asked to maintain privacy, as this is a very, very difficult time for them.

Elena was diagnosed with Infant-type Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) last year and is fighting for her life with a bravery and spirit that is astounding.

Her family has a support page on the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society page for the Light the Night Walk.

Here’s what I want to do: blow the flipping doors off of their overall team goal.  They’ve already met their personal goal, but I know we can do this.

I hate cancer.  Cancer completely sucks, and has taken far too many people from me.  Let’s do this for Elena. Let’s do this for her family, fellow Tumblrers just like us.  Let’s inject a little hope, and show them what this community is about.

Also, again, please respect the privacy of this family right now.  I know they will greatly appreciate it.  But feel free to share the heck out of my post AND her support page.

Thanks!

Here’s the link to her support page in case the embed link doesn’t work for some reason:  http://pages.lightthenight.org/epa/Phi12/mschonevel