I just had a nice long conversation with Mark Karan and his wife, Maile Hatfield. Mark has made it clear in his postings that he is doing as well as can be expected under the circumstances, and I was very happy to hear personally how positive and upbeat his tone is.

When my wife was undergoing chemo a few years back, she spent a week in Commonweal's Cancer Help program, a week-long retreat in Bolinas specifically for people with cancer. It was tremendously helpful to her spirit and practice. We suggested to Mark and Maile that they take a look at it, and when they expressed an interest in attending, I decided to make it my mission to raise the money to send them both.

Another thing that our community did for Rita and me during her chemo was to get us a gift certificate from Jessie et Laurent, a Marin County-based company that delivers high-quality meals to the home, ready to be heated up as needed.

So what I'd like to do is raise $5000 from the people who love and admire Mark and want to assist him in his journey. This will cover the cost of sending both of them to Commonweal (spouses are encouraged to attend) and a good-sized Jessie et Laurent gift certificate.

If you would like to make a contribution of any amount, please contact me directly. I'll be receiving the funds and handling matters with both Commonweal and Jessie et Laurent.

No contribution is too small, and of course none could be too large. Insurance covers most of the medical stuff, but there are always plenty of related expenses, and additional comforts to make things easier for Mark and his family will be most welcome.

Email david@trufun.com for more information. Or you can make a contribution online via Paypal here: http://preview.tinyurl.com/2z85gl