A Birthday Wish

I just registered our cause on Causes.com, a Facebook-based charity site that does a really nice job of making chairty as easy as working a virtual farm or poking a pal. The fancy new "Join" and "Give" widgets in the sidebar here are thanks to the Causes app. Another feature on Causes is the "Birthday Wishlist," which, unfortunately, is a little buggy at the moment. But the premise is sound.

So, what with my birthday coming (December 13!), my wish is for you to join the cause and give a little bank to our first designated beneficiary, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. MSKCC is the world’s oldest and largest private institution dedicated to prevention, patient care, and education in cancer.  Its scientists and clinicians generate innovative approaches to better understand, diagnose and treat cancer.  Its specialists are leaders in biomedical research and in translating the latest research to advance the standard of care worldwide.

The whole point of Comics Cure is that people have too much stuff, and for geeks like me, that usually means silly, childish, escapist stuff. Sure, we love it, deserve it, and maybe even need that stuff to stay happy and young at heart…but at the end of the day, we probably don’t need so much of it. At least not as much as the pediatric cancer ward might need some new equipment or even a fresh coat of paint. So if you were thinking of getting me a present or sending me a card for my birthday this year, don’t . I don’t need any more STUFF. Instead, donate the cost of a few comic books to our first designated beneficiary, MSKCC. Heck, if you don’t want to give money, just donate a few actual comic books…because who could use a little escapism and hope against impossible odds more than someone facing the harshest reality?

UPDATE: The Causes.com "Birthday Wish" link is working now. Check it out and give: http://birthdays.causes.com/wishes/104314