50/50

The first time I saw a 50 cent piece my eyes got as big as the coin itself. I was in awe that so much money could fit in this over sized coin. A roll of 50 pennies could not compare to something so magnificent. I wanted a pocket full so I could go to the toy store, but I knew I couldn't spend it so I kept it in a special place that would one day hold many other rare and amazing coins.

Fifty cents was a lot of money when I was 10 years old but these days 50 dollars would be gone in a few minutes even at Walmart. With credit cards people don't think much about how many $50 bills they would have pulled out of there wallets, they just swipe and go.

The number 50 has been on my mind a lot lately.

What does the number 50 mean to you?

Were you born in 1950?

Do you have 50,000 miles on your car?

If you had a 50/50 chance of winning the lottery, would you play it every week?

Do you normally work 50 hours a week or 50 weeks a year?

If you drove 50 miles to work everyday, would you spend $50 in for gas when you filled up?

Are you hoping to retire at 50 and travel to all 50 states?

I like the last one on the list but there is something missing that I have just discovered.

On average 50 children will lose their lives in the fight against cancer. 

To some people that is too many, but to others it is relatively rare.

If you found out that all 50 of these children were in your state alone, would you notice?

What if 50 towns in your state lost 50 children to cancer? Would the news report on it?

If 50 is not enough to get people's attention, how many more have to die before people care?

The Truth is that an average of 50 children in ALL 50 states will lose their lives to cancer each and every year.

Now here is a staggering number. The National Cancer Institute has a budget of $5 billion dollars. The research needed to save children's lives only gets 3-4% and a 1% increase would be $50,000,000!

The word Rare is not in my dictionary anymore but kids fighting cancer are.

We have got to get back to the basics of life and pay attention with a little common "cents"

Visit the Truth 365 website @ http://thetruth365.org/

Show your support and Like the page @ http://www.facebook.com/theTruth365film

LIKE on Facebook @ http://www.facebook.com/briansphirstblog

The Fire Inside

In 1999 I moved to Oregon where I met Jenny who would soon become my wife. A whirlwind of events sparked our love for each other and in less than two years, and two months earlier than planned, we were married. It was the best year of my life up to that moment in June, but after the explosive events of 9/11 unfolded our world view became much bigger. Then in October, while we were away in Washington at my families house, we would face our very first, personal devastation when we got a phone call that our apartment caught fire.

Nothing can prepare you for that moment when the fuel is ignited into a burning blaze, but it was more than a short fuse and cheap fireworks show that would heat up my passion to fight against my son's cancer.


If you were driving down the road and you saw this, what would your first thought be?

If your first thought was not saving the lives of children, you might want to feel your cold, cold heart to make sure you aren't dead. The old saying, "women and children first" was not meant to be to watch them burn. So why are people still standing by as spectators and no one is jumping in to the rescue? I guarantee if it were your child's bus you would.

This is the way it has been with the critical funding needed to cure pediatric cancers and although awareness levels are dramatically increasing there has to come a point that we fight fire with fire.

I believe with all of my heart that the bar is being raised in 2012 for raising pediatric cancer awareness.

The new Face of pediatric cancer is being revealed this year and we all hope and pray Ellen invites Talia to her show http://www.facebook.com/angelsfortalia

It is going to take teams of volunteers that are already forming and preparing for the fire fight this September @ http://www.facebook.com/theTruth365film

If you don't know what to do Just Ask, I can help, there is still time.

I can't waste another minute until I know this season is over I will stop at nothing for the chance to strike cancer with lightning and a Thunder Clap of noise that will wake the world from its slumber @

https://www.thunderclap.it/projects/253-the-truth-365-film

Please visit and Support all of these links today and let one spark start a consuming fire in your heart again.

Thunder Clap!

I have been extremely busy all this month with work, family and promoting the Truth 365 (click on the right) and now a new job up in Portland! Lincoln continues to do well and had an appointment today which he told me he laughed when they stuck the needle in his chest. He is so tough =)
I have a meeting tonight for work and hope to have a weekend to enjoy this time.

I wanted to quickly share my latest attempt to spread the word about kids fighting cancer especially since it has been one year today that a young boy that I had never met changed my life when he died from cancer. There is also another girl known by thousands who has bad news and its time to fight harder. Here is how you can help, its so simple. Go to my Thunderclap page and click support. If you have facebook and Twitter you can double your support. With each person that supports it the number of other people that it promises to reach will increase dramatically and the more people who are aware, the sooner we will fund research for a cure. Go now to https://www.thunderclap.it/projects/253-the-truth-365-film to help, its free!

Also remember to LIKE the Truth 365 facebook page and The Red Carpet Kids, just click on the pics to the right. Thanks everyone, keep hoping, keep praying, keep believing.

Are you Thirsty? Thirsty for a Cure? http://www.facebook.com/events/347165605357968/

The Check Out Line

Every time I to go into my not-so-favorite-mega-super-duper-grocery store Walmart there is one part that I always dread. A couple of years ago I was asked to go at midnight on Black Friday for a mop that was on sale. A MOP! (I got some pajama's for my kids too.) After wandering aimlessly among countless people I headed for the door, but there was just one thing left to do before I could complete the triple threat mission. I had to Check Out.

As you can imagine, in the earliest hours of Black Friday, there was no other choice than to wait in line to buy these items that were about 20 cents cheaper than normal. The worst part was that I had a non-smart phone at the time and could not text anyone at 1am during my hour and a half wait to check out with my mop. As my mind began to turn to mashed potatoes from the lack of taking a nap after Thanksgiving dinner I finally said to myself, "I will never enter a Walmart again." Checking out can be a life threatening experience when not prepared for such a treacherous journey as this, but worse than this is not knowing that your child's life could be threatened by something like cancer.

There are only two choices that can be made when preparing all of life's plans. Am I going to be aware of unforeseen circumstances or am I just going to check out as much as possible so I don't have to deal with it because my universe is way to complicated. Just remember that there are two lines forming but the only one that is moving is the one where people are shoving and pushing to get through because checking out is no longer an option. Make a conscience choice today to daily become aware of children with cancer because their lives depend on you, not on those who have checked out from the Truth.

Revealing the Truth VERY SOON! @ http://www.facebook.com/theTruth365film
Like my Blog Page @ http://www.facebook.com/briansphirstblog/
Become Aware by Celebrating the Red Carpet Kids @ http://www.facebook.com/redcarpetkidsforthecure

Explosive Truth

Monday was just like any other ordinary day in the Salem/Keizer neighborhoods. It started off as most Monday's do, digging a lot of holes for fence posts. After setting 300 feet of fence posts we had one more stop with only one more hole to dig. It was then and there that I may have decided to dig may last hole ever, unless I wanted to dig my own grave. With a pair of dull post hole diggers I hit the ground and the next thing I remember was telling the 911 dispatcher the address of the house where I broke the gas line!

There's nothing like the thrill of ringing doorbells in the middle of the day to tell people they have to evacuate their houses because the neighborhood may blow up soon.

As most of you know I am working on a project that will soon Explode onto the scene of social media during September's Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. Instead of calling at the last minute to hear the words "911, what is your emergency," we are preparing right now to let the Truth be known about kids fighting cancer. September can be a lot like my day today, shouting out as loud as we can in a very limited time, even as breast cancer awareness takes over before its awareness month even starts. Its like fighting a wild fire for our children and we need as many volunteers to join in our efforts to make know to the world that neuroblastoma leukemia, DIPG, and rhabdomyosarcoma are not rare. The Truth is out there and we are preparing to reveal it. Take a sneak peek of the Truth @ http://thetruth365.org/ and make sure to LIKE the page @ https://www.facebook.com/theTruth365film