Giving Back Has Always Been Important…
Growing up, going to church meant that every Sunday, my Mom would write a check out for the offering plate. It wasn't ever questioned; I never asked why. We gave because we could; we gave because the organizations we cared about could do more with the money on behalf of others than we could do for them directly.
As I grew older, left home for college and attended Johnson & Wales in Providence, I eventually joined Sigma Pi Fraternity, which has an extremely strong philanthropic requirement. Up to this time in my life, giving donations to causes was all you had to do; times were changing. No less than once a month, a group of fraternity brothers and I would volunteer somewhere for at least half a Saturday. We helped out at races for causes we've never heard of before, we walked in races, we dug up trees and old grape vines, we tore up dilapidated carpet in a museum. We were often fed well, which made the jobs easier, but along with that came a sense of "giving back" that has stuck with me well beyond college.
After getting married, Danette and I became Wish Granters for the Make-A-Wish Foundation, I joined the Community Advisory Board for the Pediatric Resource Committee in Peoria and most recently, I helped to start the UPC Discovery Early Learning Center preschool. Within the family, I remain a steadfast Trustee of the JWAS Foundation and am committed to the health of the Lake Wawasee watershed through the WACF Foundation.
Two additional areas of focus that I have are on education and health.
I believe wholeheartedly in the educational ideals and teachings of the Culver Academies. My time at Woodcraft is remembered fondly. And friendships that I formed when I was 10-13 have remained strong all these years later. Additionally, the education I received while at the Center for Information and Communication Sciences at Ball State was second to none. Their "social learning program" was such out-of-the-box thinking by the program founder that it provides a benefit to the students of that program unlike any I have experienced before or since.
Naturally, healthcare is important to me. I wish that everyone had the same access to healthcare as I've had. The sisters of St. Francis in Peoria do miraculous things; they've built a living shrine to health to care for and heal the people in our community, selflessly. Yet, they've done it with a razor-sharp business acumen that is to be commended; needed for the longevity of the organization.
The Mayo Clinic, in my book, is the Gold Standard. No person or place is perfect, but I have put my life in their hands on multiple occasions and they have healed me each time. They have my faith and my trust. They do what other medical communities either can't do or won't do. They try. They care. They communicate. Happily. And, they don't quit when they can't find an answer; they keep going. Because they're the best.
It is for the reasons above that I support these organizations. Each holds a distinct and unique place in my heart.
Donate to my causes here:
Doing my part to help bring Proton Beam Therapy to citizens of Peoria, Central Illinois and Beyond.
I made a promise…
In 2017, I was diagnosed with tongue cancer. Throughout the early stages, as my doctors were determining the treatment options, my doctors from Peoria to the Mayo Clinic consistently recommended Proton Beam Therapy radiation treatment for me; it would be able to treat the tumors and cancerous growth while providing the least side effects and best chance for long-term quality of life.
A week prior to the start of my first Proton Beam Therapy treatment, my insurance company denied the coverage; they tried to “force” me to get standard IMRT radiation even though the Mayo Clinic charged the same for Proton Beam Therapy as that of the standard IMRT radiation. Side effects of IMRT in my case most likely would have included the inability to verbally communicate in the future, disfiguration, the inability to eat solid foods along with vision and teeth degradation. I was not willing to accept these potential outcomes as part of my future life, so I fought.
I reached out personally to my health insurance company multiple times over the next ten day period, through multiple channels. My doctors and the Mayo Clinic conducted every appeal they could. The process was not fair and it was anything but “patient first.” It was clear that this was a business decision on their part and not in my best interest. Eventually, I was able to speak to a Vice President within the organization and she was unwilling to help me; during that phone meeting, I was very candid; I let her know how this made me feel and that it was not right. And I made a promise to her that I would do everything in my power once I had beaten the cancer to make it so the insurance companies could not deny Proton Beam Therapy treatments to their patients again.
Through the hard work and diligence of my State Representative Mike Unes, my case was reviewed by the Illinois Insurance Commission. At 5:00am the morning of my first treatment, my doctors at the Mayo Clinic received a call that the Proton Beam Therapy had been approved.
Fast forward two years… I am now cancer free and since the end of my treatments, I have worked with Mike to craft legislation and work with the insurance lobbyists in a way allows doctors to prescribe and recommend the best radiation treatment options for their patients and protects the insurance company from run-away Proton Beam Therapy costs. The legislation was filed with the clerk of the Illinois General Assembly on February 14, 2020 and was referred to the Rule Committee on February 18, 2020. Mike is my hero!
“It is every man’s obligation to put back into the world at least the equivalent of what he takes out of it.”
Fighting With The Alliance for Proton Therapy Access
Through one of the first oncology meetings I had, I was referred to a cancer survivor that had to fight for Proton Therapy with her insurance company as well. Through this connection, I learned about the Alliance for Proton Therapy Access. This non-profit is working towards country-wide access to Proton Therapy. They did a write-up on my journey in May 2019 that you can read here.