Most of us met Doug and Trish in Mexico.  Two people living their dream aboard a 1980 Bayliner Buchaneer sailboat they had lovingly and painstakingly renovated themselves.  Doug, a plumber, and Trish, an electrician, were living their dream aboard this small 30ft sailboat in the Sea of Cortez.  That is until about a year later when Doug began to get sick.  It was the spring of 2008 when he was diagnosed with lymphoma, stage 4.  To complicate things the doctors found a tumor growing in his abdomen.   The tumor was and is inoperable because it is dangerously close to his spinal cord and vital organs.

These folks like so many other cruisers had no health insurance.  They returned home to explore resources in the States, but nothing was available to them.  The US economy was bad, there were a lot of sick people needing help and resources were simply tapped out.  The good news is Doug and Trish were able to find top notch care for Doug in Mexico.  They were able to draw from their retirement funds and afford Doug’s treatment.  Of course, family and friends helped out where they could, but none of us is rich, so help mostly came in the form of monthly, sometimes weekly, rides 90 miles each way to the hospital where Doug was receiving his chemotherapy.  In addition to caring for Doug, Trish did what she could to keep things afloat.  Doug pitched in between treatments as he could. After about six months of treatment Doug’s cancer was in remission.  A PET scan in the States detected no cancer cells.  Doug was cancer free.

That all sounds so easy, doesn’t it?  Many of you reading his will know just how awful chemotherapy can be.  Doug suffered.  Trish suffered watching him.  But Doug is a stoic guy, he and Trish were eternally optimistic they would beat this thing.  And they did.  Doug, Trish, their family and all of their friends rejoiced in a successful outcome.  Doug and Trish having depleted their savings and retirement funds gladly returned to normal life, paying their bills and welcoming any opportunity to replenish their cruising kitty.

Their happiness lasted about six months when the tumor returned, growing aggressively.  The good news is the doctors say aggressive tumors are easier to treat and because Doug had such a good response to the chemo the first time, they are hopeful this next round will produce good, lasting results.

The bad news is that Doug and Trish’s funds are very low, their savings and retirement money drained from the first chemo treatment.  They need money for a second round of chemotherapy, medications, and all the things associated with treatment.  They need our help and they need your help.

Doug and Trish are special people, amazing really, when you look at all they have gone through.  Through it all they have maintained their sense of humor, optimism for their future and they are always ready to lend a helping hand to others.  That’s just the kind of folks they are, down to earth, hard working, givers not takers.  They deserve an opportunity to beat this cancer down one last time, once and for all.  Won’t you help us?

 Signed

Friends of Doug and Trish

Lexi & Gil Ballatore, S/V Sunday 

Christie and John Brown, S/V Indian Summer 

Fran & JeanGuy Nadeau, S/V Gosling