About two weeks before my birthday, Facebook started prompting me to setup a fundraiser to celebrate it on September 3rd. I have created several before with modest success (approximately $250 for Save the Animals Foundation last year) and have donated to friends’ fundraisers too.

I thought about it for a few days and suddenly came to the realization that I should do something to raise money on behalf of cancer research, especially my specific mutation if possible. Up until this point, I had not been a vocal advocate for cancer research or fundraising. I had been content to life my relatively normal life, but now it was time to play catchup for the last 3 years!

Right after Christmas 2016, I was diagnosed with a rare form of lung cancer called ALK+ (worst Christmas present ever!), even though I never smoked. There is a patient-led advocacy group called ALK Positive that is currently trying to raise $1 million for ALK+ specific research. After doing a little research, it seemed like a great project and I decided to create a fundraiser through their online platform a week before my birthday.

My initial goal was to raise $500. I also felt like I should put some “skin in the game” so I decided to match each donation towards my $500 goal. I hoped this would encourage people to donate because their gift would effectively be doubled. I also felt like I owed it to myself and tens of thousands of people living with ALK+. I keenly felt like I was living on borrowed time again, because there is no cure for ALK+. There are treatments, but new research is continuously needed because the cancer usually becomes resistant.

Although I did not plan ahead, I came up with a few more incentives to offer. Since I love CrossFit, I offered to perform burpees (a common CrossFit movement) in exchange for a donation on a 1:1 ratio. Thankfully, only a few people demanded that I honor that pledge. A friend from the gym even offered to share the burpees with me! I was somewhat disappointed that nobody requested any of the other incentives I offered, such as teaching a history class over Zoom or hosting a role-playing game over Zoom!

I assumed it would take all week to raise $500 if I even could come close to that amount. However, about a dozen donations poured in during the first 24 hours, which quickly blew away my initial $500 goal! I received an email notification every time someone donated, so each little buzz from my phone sparked excitement and anticipation within me. I quickly became enthralled with my success. Very few things had ignited my enthusiasm recently like this fundraiser did!

Once I had $500, I wanted more! It’s literally a matter of life or death, so I felt like I was really making a difference. The money would fund research that could save my life and the lives of many other people afflicted by ALK+. To keep the momentum going, I decided to match another $500 for a total of $1,000. I reflected on how fortunate I was to have that much disposable money available, especially when nearly 60% of Americans recently said they couldn’t handle a $500 emergency expense. I am very glad I gave up on a career in journalism or teaching! Writing sales proposals is not nearly as interesting as either of my previous careers, but it certainly pays much better.

Despite my initial success, $1,000 seemed like an overly optimistic goal. To avoid flaming out too early, I shared the link to my fundraiser and a summary of my cancer diagnosis on several groups on Facebook. However, those posts only led to a few donations. Next time, I might have to branch out to other social media since I relied entirely on Facebook this year. I also posted regular status updates on Facebook and urged friends to share my fundraiser link. I was surprised by the generosity of strangers who donated about $200. I donate to my friends’ fundraisers, but I am generally reticent to donate to strangers or unfamiliar organizations. I will try to keep an open mind in the future, but there are many deserving causes. Unfortunately, I’m not swimming through piles of money like Scrooge McDuck.

About 30 friends also made comments on Facebook wishing me well on my birthday too. I sent each of them a message back asking them to donate and/or share the link to my fundraiser. I though a personal appeal might be more effective, and it was. That brought in a few more donations, and by the end of the day the total was nearly $1,500! With my promise to match the first $1,000, I had exceeded my most optimistic goals! It was a small drop in the bucket for the overall goal of $1 million but every dollar will go a long way towards finding new and better treatments. I was also undaunted by the fact that other fundraisers had brought more than $20,000, but that’s something I can aspire to achieve next year!

After the euphoria wore off, I fulfilled my pledge to donate $1,000. It only took a few clicks and was a disappointingly mundane process. I was also a little anxious too because I have only made a few transactions in my life for $1,000 or more, such as buying a car or paying for a trip to France. It was an easy choice though, because the money could literally save my life or someone else’s. $1,000 is a small price to pay for that! Even if the research doesn’t create a breakthrough, it will narrow down the field of possibilities which still counts as progress. In the end, it is the best, and most expensive by an order of magnitude, gift I ever gave anyone, including myself!

I was surprised and humbled by the generosity, especially of strangers. I felt like I was really making a difference which was something that I’ve been missing since the COVID pandemic erupted. I really enjoy performing community service, and my cancer diagnosis has meant that I haven’t been able to volunteer like did in the “before times” since it puts me at very high risk for complications with COVID. It was also heartwarming to see that so many people were willing to donate. In all, about 30 people each gave about $43 on average.

The success of my fundraising campaign was also uplifting because it demonstrated how social media, Facebook in particular, can have a positive impact. I get a lot of news now from Facebook, and it serves as a good way to keep in touch with people. However, there are a lot of downsides to it as well, especially with the buildup to the November election. I have never tried to use social media/Facebook as a force for good before, and I was stunned by how effective it can be. With all the negativity in the media at the moment, the success of my fundraiser has also partially restored my optimism and faith in my fellow humans.