Help! - Mark Smith needs us.

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Hello fellow RC glider enthusiasts. Usually I am here posting replies to questions, and more often than not trying to entice you and your friends to buy some F3B gear or raffle tickets to support our team. This post is different....a lot different.

My first boss ever, my RC soaring competition mentor, and long time family friend Mark Smith has cancer. Prostate cancer to be more specific. And he has had it for a while. He has been treating it aggressively for the last few years, and just recently his PSA levels began to rise again. Lupron was prescribed, but it has a limitted effective life, and is now becoming ineffective. This is an advanced stage prostate cancer, and there is only one last hope of keeping Mark with us longer than about 18 more months.

Mark Smith is the co-founder of Marks Models, and founder of Dynaflight. His designs are likely a large part of our collective soaring histories. He designed built and flew the seagull in Jonathan Livingston Seagull the movie, and has been our National champ a few times. Currently Marks business is real estate development, but as we are all aware, times are not good, and in Marks case this could not have happened at a worse time. But don't get me wrong, Mark's attitude is incredible. Win lose or draw, he is prepared for what life brings.

Marks friends and family all know that there is a hell of a lot more life left in Mark, and we all want him to stick around a while longer. He has a wife, and 2 kids from a previous marriage. Mark has not ever shied away from a challenge in life. He has taken in kids that need a helping hand. He has always been there to help anytime anyone asked. Even when not asked, Mark is the type of guy that understands a situation and has the tact, strength and caring to make an offer to help seem perfectly acceptable, and people often accepted his offers of help and support. Consequently, he has quite the extended "family". All of them are working hard to help Mark get this treatment. I am only a small part in that I am introducing this to all of you, and of course making my own donation.

His family has set up a website, and a paypal account to allow us, his modeling community, to lend a hand in this time of need. We are trying to raise $50,000 for a stem cell treatment in Germany and Korea that has proven effective in other cases, and according to his doctor has a 50% chance of bringing the cancer to remission. We are trying to raise this money fast. Mark is still vibrant, and is not feeling the effects of the cancer yet. His immune system is still strong, and it is critical that he get the treatment as soon as possible.

You can contact Jackie Smith Fitzgerald, and Kelly Crouthamel his daughter, and step daughter if you would like to get messages to Mark, or to ask any questions you might have. They have set up a website with some information, and a paypal link www.savemarksmith.com and there is an e-mail address to send your questions, comments, well wishes, or memories to. savemarksmith@aol.com .

Thank you all for you time, and to RCGroups for this opportunity to appeal to the modeling community for help keeping our friend around longer.

Sincerely, and hopeful.

Mike Smith