Surviving?
Well, I hate to say it. But there’s a lot of people out there affected by cancer. You’re either going through it, went through it already, know someone with it or that went through it, or even worse - know someone that died from it.
I am Rick, Co-Founder of Eventilation. I am a cancer survivor.
If you asked me when I was 17yrs old what cancer was I had no idea except that it wasn’t good. And that was how I felt when the doctors told me and my parents that I had it. They were crying. I was scared and unaware.
Then you’re given doctors who you essentially have to trust your life with. Strangers at first. But then they’re in the driver’s seat. They control your life for the duration of treatments, surgeries, etc.
I was told in advance what the next year of my life was going to look like. Talk about entering a dark tunnel with no light on the other side. There’s even the news that you might not make it.
But guess what? I did. A year and a half of chemo, surgeries, and the like. Bonus days. That’s how I look at them.
I am a survivor.
I quickly found out that the hardest days were actually ahead of me. You go into the tunnel one way and come out another. Who am I now? Yet, after all that pain and suffering, I still would never reverse that course of my life. That experience has only made me see life in a perspective that very few know of. Like Shakir says, the other Co-Founder, I’m now “living plus.” And it’s true! I take it day by day, absorbing everything I can out of every second of every minute. Because I know what it’s like to maybe not have tomorrow. And that’s the whole point of this. We need to celebrate today because we don’t know what tomorrow will bring, if tomorrow even comes.
Why did I start Eventilation? As a survivor it’s easy to get involved with the abundance of cancer camps, volunteer organizations, fundraising walks, etc. I’ve been doing it for over 15yrs. But something hit me. As great as those avenues are - where’s the real cool events for cancer survivors? I live in the greatest city in the world, New York City. There are bars and clubs everywhere. Most people here are celebrating the fact that 5 o’clock came and there’s no work till the next morning or after the weekend. Some of those people in those bars are survivors - but do we know that? Are we acknowledging that? I know so many survivors and each one of us has our own “survivor date.” Like the date of our last treatment, last surgery, or the day the doc says you’re cured. So instead of that day rolling around and you wake up spending the day with a slight smile yet being the only one who knows the meaning behind it - I’m gonna bring your ass out to a venue and we are going to invite every single person you know and we are going to celebrate! We are going to let the world know you went through some shit and you are still here. Life is no walk in the park, even post cancer. For everyone it’s always going to have it’s ups and downs. And even now, we still don’t know what tomorrow brings. So let’s stop and smell the roses. Take a deep breath, realize the strength you had to get to where you are now.
You are living plus!
Let us help you celebrate those BONUS DAYS!
Why Eventilation?
Because we find brave people in the world and take a moment to honor who they are, what they've become, and what they've battled. We celebrate our time together and if tomorrow doesn't come then at least we have this night, this celebration to say I love you, I love life, and I'm proud to be here.
I am Rick, Co-Founder of Eventilation. I am a cancer survivor.
If you asked me when I was 17yrs old what cancer was I had no idea except that it wasn’t good. And that was how I felt when the doctors told me and my parents that I had it. They were crying. I was scared and unaware.
Then you’re given doctors who you essentially have to trust your life with. Strangers at first. But then they’re in the driver’s seat. They control your life for the duration of treatments, surgeries, etc.
I was told in advance what the next year of my life was going to look like. Talk about entering a dark tunnel with no light on the other side. There’s even the news that you might not make it.
But guess what? I did. A year and a half of chemo, surgeries, and the like. Bonus days. That’s how I look at them.
I am a survivor.
I quickly found out that the hardest days were actually ahead of me. You go into the tunnel one way and come out another. Who am I now? Yet, after all that pain and suffering, I still would never reverse that course of my life. That experience has only made me see life in a perspective that very few know of. Like Shakir says, the other Co-Founder, I’m now “living plus.” And it’s true! I take it day by day, absorbing everything I can out of every second of every minute. Because I know what it’s like to maybe not have tomorrow. And that’s the whole point of this. We need to celebrate today because we don’t know what tomorrow will bring, if tomorrow even comes.
Why did I start Eventilation? As a survivor it’s easy to get involved with the abundance of cancer camps, volunteer organizations, fundraising walks, etc. I’ve been doing it for over 15yrs. But something hit me. As great as those avenues are - where’s the real cool events for cancer survivors? I live in the greatest city in the world, New York City. There are bars and clubs everywhere. Most people here are celebrating the fact that 5 o’clock came and there’s no work till the next morning or after the weekend. Some of those people in those bars are survivors - but do we know that? Are we acknowledging that? I know so many survivors and each one of us has our own “survivor date.” Like the date of our last treatment, last surgery, or the day the doc says you’re cured. So instead of that day rolling around and you wake up spending the day with a slight smile yet being the only one who knows the meaning behind it - I’m gonna bring your ass out to a venue and we are going to invite every single person you know and we are going to celebrate! We are going to let the world know you went through some shit and you are still here. Life is no walk in the park, even post cancer. For everyone it’s always going to have it’s ups and downs. And even now, we still don’t know what tomorrow brings. So let’s stop and smell the roses. Take a deep breath, realize the strength you had to get to where you are now.
You are living plus!
Let us help you celebrate those BONUS DAYS!
Why Eventilation?
Because we find brave people in the world and take a moment to honor who they are, what they've become, and what they've battled. We celebrate our time together and if tomorrow doesn't come then at least we have this night, this celebration to say I love you, I love life, and I'm proud to be here.