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[cool][#0000ff]As some of the BFT members know, there is a program for men with cancer known as the Reel Recovery program. It has been hosted each of the past few years by Brett Prettyman, outdoor writer for the Salt Lake Tribune. I just received the following email from him, with the attached poster.[/#0000ff]
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Hi there,
I'll be hosting the 4th annual [url "http://reelrecovery.org/"]Reel Recovery[/url] fund-raiser on March 26 at Cafe Trio. To you who have come before thanks and I hope to see you again. For those who haven't made it, please try. The entry price alone helps us send men with cancer on 3-day fly-fishing and group therapy trips for free. It is an amazing organization and the only non-profit I lend my efforts to.
If you have questions or would like to make a donation for the auction or buy a scholarship to send one participant on a retreat let me know.
Brett
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[cool][#0000ff]BUMP. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Just a reminder. The Reel Recovery Program is today. Got a note from Brett:[/#0000ff]
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The event is Thursday.
Couple of auction items of interest:
There will be a guided bass fishing trip with bass pro Wayne Crowder.
There will be a guided fly-fishing trip for pike or tiger musky from George Sommer or Dustin Carlson.
There will be a live auction on a Big Amazon Fish trip to fish with Ben Nolte on the Amazon for peacock bass and whatever else might hit your lure.
There is also a wide variety of fishing equipment, including a toon, and camping equipment that will be available in the auctions.
Thanks
Brett
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This is a really cool thing they have going on. I have been able to be a part of the fly fishing trips, as these guys chef. I personally hope they can come out again. These guys really enjoyed it last year, and I had tons of good laughs and good people that I am pleased to be able to help. I would be there but am working out at the lodge right now. I am looking forward to being a part of this again this year. And future years to com.
Thanks to all who contribute!!!
Scott
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[cool]Thanks. Some of us who spend time on the Float Tubing board got the news this past week that one of our longtime tuber members, Zonker, died from the spread of Kidney cancer to his brain. He had gone in to have a brain tumor removed and was seemingly doing fine and then suddenly he was gone. It affected us all.
[url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?post=485500;forum_view=forum_view_collapsed;page=unread#unread"][#63626b]Home from the Hospital[/#63626b][/url]
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You know it's strange because I never knew the guy, but the fact that he was a fisherman and a forum member has me reflecting on the finer things in life. I wonder how many times he sat alone with his thoughts while wetting a line, and how many times I've done the same thing. Above all else I think fishing gives a man the opportunity to kick back and just enjoy life and nature. A life spent fishing is a life well lived. It helps provide the clarity and focus needed to apply to other areas of life in my opinion. Its strange to think that decades from now I could be looking back over the years as well.
This reel recovery program sounds like a great thing. Now that I know more about it I'll keep my eyes open for possible opportunities to pitch in.
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[cool][#0000ff]You make some good points...about fishing being a contemplative sport. I have always referred to it as my "brain broom". A doctor fishing buddy, who lived under a lot of stress, used to say "You can fish...or you can worry. But, you can't fish AND worry."[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Zonker and I became close "cyber buddies" as well as forum friends. We sent a lot of emails and PMs that were often outside the lines of float tubing and fishing. I got to know him pretty well and respected him greatly.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Not many on the forum knew that he was a minister in his church, or that he was a prolific writer. He confided that going fishing by himself was the closest thing on earth he could find to direct communication with the Diety. He often used fishing as a means to relieve stress and to get inspiration...for sermons or for writing.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]He was a beloved father and grandfather, and in his later years got more enjoyment from taking his grandkids fishing than going alone...almost. Whenever he bought a new float tube it was already earmarked for a grandchild...after he broke it in.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Zonker was a skilled fly tyer and fly fisherman. Over the few years he contributed to the float tubing forum he posted many pictorial reports of his successes in flinging flies for different species...trout, bass and even carp. He loved 'em.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]During my long life I have known a lot of people who professed to be spiritual, but have never known anyone who lived his beliefs more consistently and unwaveringly. Some of his final words on the float tubing forum were that he was completely at peace with whatever was in store for him. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I wonder how I will handle my "death sentence" when my doctor lets me know that my days are numbered. I guess none of us can really know until we are faced with the certainty of our own mortality. I can only hope that my passing will be as gracious as Zonker's was. I think he has been a great inspiration to many...and many who did not even know him.[/#0000ff]
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Nice tribute Pat.
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dens me, because he seemed to me after reading his blogs the other day like a great guy and I wish I could have gotten more time to get to know him and all his fishing techniques. I have been "woken up" from this misfortune. I have realized that life can be gone at a snap of a finger, and to go out and do all that I love in the world, taking it one day at a time and slowing down a little to get every bit I can out of life. I have had a lot of alone fishing time recently and in the last week have been fishing everyday. Maybe in my mind I am putting in some fishing time for Zonker. I do have one personal goal that he will have an influence on and it is flyfishing for carp. In my life I hope I can help make others out there with health problems feel a little better by tossing out a line and forgetting all the day to day rituals they have to deal with. I will always try to make a difference if I can however possible.