August 8, 2009 Pinckney, Michigan
On a damp and stormy Saturday in Michigan, ~100 brave souls endured the elements to raise awareness and funds for brain tumor research in a unique new fundraiser, the "Tumors Suck! Paintball Benefit". That's right... paintball! Paintball falls directly in line with the attitude of "mAss Kickers".
The day started off with a heavy downpour and the chance of thunder showers. Within minutes the chance of thunder showers turned into actual thunder showers. The enthusiasm of the members of the FUBAR paintball team provided a "calming-spark" to those eager to play yet disappointed by the weather. Everyone had to patiently wait out the lightning. FUBAR's participation in the event was key to it's success. They volunteered to mentor participants in this event to share stategy, techniques, and paintball etiquette.
Some of the participants drove hours from the other side of the state to participate in the event! The inclimate weather would not be a deterant for these "mAss Kickers" looking to try paintball. There were creative variations on typical paintball games including "capture the cure" and "survivors vs tumors". The highlight of the day was "the gauntlet". Members of FUBAR volunteered to literally be targets for participants who donated to the fundraiser! They would run across the open field and hide behind targets (or chose to instigate the shooters in the open field!) It provided some humorous moments for everyone involved. Their willingness to "take one for the team" was a display of the solidarity that is essential to combat an intimidating diagnosis. Everyone had the opportunity to take a shot at moving "targets" for charity. FUBAR definitely created some memorable moments for a lot of people. For one day, patients and their loved ones didn't have to worry about their medical battles and feel like they could go on the attack.
As the day progressed, the clouds disappeared and the rain finally stopped. The day was very sympbolic of the attitude a newly diagnosed patient and his/her loved ones must possess in order to effectively battle an intimidating diagnosis. Things look stormy at first, but with correct knowledge, the right attitude, and patience... things can get better. We are looking forward to the next paintball event. Stay tuned, mAss Kickers has a few more events planned!
*originally published on Aug 9, 2009 @ 21:31 www.ericgalvezdpt.com
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