Lifelong BCCNS/Gorlin Syndrom & New Prostate Cancer Patient Inspirational Story

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Richard Webster, of Thomaston, Maine has lived, worked, been successful, traveled the world and loved in spite of dealing with a very rare genetic form of cancer (BCCNS/Gorlin Syndrome) for over 40-years now. He has endured over 1,000 surgeries to keep that cancer in check. And now, just recently, he was diagnosed with a Prostate cancer - and is now fighting both of them.

 

His surgeons often tell him, "You are the only patient that I have that jokes with me AS I am working on them - and that helps." That is Richard's mindset. When he totals the hours spent in doctors' offices; hospitals; under the knife; and in a month-long coma unrelated to his cancer, in 2008 - all of which he remembers verbatim with a chuckle; and recovering from all that, it totals less than 5% of his life - that is why he refers to it as his "Nuisancxe Routine". The other 95% has been quite amazing. He was on the U.S. Olympic (470) Sailing Team in high school. He graduated from college, and immediately volunteered for the Navy - where he scored the highest score ever recorded on the Navy Pilots' Entrance Exam. He was then diagnosed with BCCNS/Gorlin Syndrome, which brought his plans for the Navy to a halt immediately - and was operated on 100 times over the next two years to get things back under control - and he has been operated on twice monthly on average, since, to keep it in check. He studied Gemology and became one of the leading experts in the world in Colored Stones, Jades and "Period" Jewels - other experts in the field often calling on him for assistance. He traveled the world nearly non-stop from 1988 to 1995 going to Jewelry Exhibitions and Auctions around the world - traveling for two weeks, back for surgery, and then off again a few days later, over and over again. And as he says, "I have had the wonderful misfortune of loving and being loved by some of the most amazing, brilliant, successful and beautiful women in the world, as many tell me."

 

His doctors, friends, and strangers that have heard his life story have urged him for decades to get it into print - and hopefully film. His old friend, Marcia Gay Harden, would love to play his Coma ICU Nurse if that should ever happen. He has finished the first draft, and sent it to a renowned book Editor and Book Proposal Writer, Elizabeth Judd, PhD of Brunswick, ME. Here is the note that she sent him this morning after reading the first draft, and his list of people important people that want this project completed. "This is good news. I'm sure we'll fine-tune some of the details, but I think all this will work out quite well. You have great material in your book, so I'm sure it will find an appreciative audience... ...These are excellent suggestions. You have no idea how hard it can be to drag this kind of information out of some authors, so you're obviously more attuned to what agents and publishers are looking for. If you can make a list of things like this when they occur to you, it will make the writing of the proposal go much faster. These kinds of connections are a big part of an author's "platform" and can make a difference between acceptance and rejection."

 

But now, in the midst of fighting two battles with cancer, he has to watch his expenses very closely. So he set-up a GoFundMe - https://gofund.me/f3b84eb3 -campaign to help with the pre-publication costs of Editing, Book Proposal Writing - and all of the research needed to go along with that, which Dr. Judd estimates will total approximately $12,000. Richard has set aside $500 to go toward that - and will try to do more once he has a better handle on what this new cancer fight might cost. And contributions to the GoFundMe campaign have begun to come in already. Richard is setting these monies aside from his living and medical expenses, so if the $12,000 Goal is not reached, contributors may ask for a refund of their contribution - so there is no risk to making a contribution. But, the hope is, with your help, that this book can be ready for Literary Agents and Publishers very soon. It should inspire and reassure patients, and their friends and loved ones that they can, and should, live, work, play and enjoy life as much as possible around whatever the fight might be.

 

Thanks In Advance!

 

Richard Webster