LIVESTRONG Challenge Taping
Today, we were down at a studio helping tape a public service announcement and take pictures for a media campaign promoting the LIVESTRONG Challenge. As usual, it was fun and inspiring. This time I didn’t bring clothes for me, so I didn’t wind up in the shoot. In order to work with a bunch of amateurs, Mat from Alpheus Media, just talks with the subject while the camera rolls. He asks questions, asks them to repeat lines back at him, and asks them to move in specific ways.
I get into a bit of a trance when we do these, as I did at the LAF Manifesto video shoot almost three years ago. The theme for this PSA was “what would you say to cancer” and Mat helped Spencer a lot in delivering some good material. This is a kid who, shortly after being diagnosed with leukemia when he was four years old, set the goal to raise $25K, ride with Lance Armstrong, and do a 40 mile bike ride with me. Then he achieved the goal. He’s got some opinions about cancer. It’s just a matter of getting him to speak. On camera. With his Dad lurking around the set.
Me? I got pissed at cancer. I wanted to put on a jersey and bike shorts, join Spencer on the set, and give cancer a piece of my mind. So, I tweeted (@sartin if you want to follow me) my first thought about what I want to say to cancer:
Cancer, you took this fight into MY house and tried to take MY son. I’m taking it back to you and I’m not stopping. Ever.
When I got home I was still mad, so I wrote a short note to cancer. Since I’ve not got the b*****d’s address, I will post it here as an open letter:
Dear cancer,
Hi, it’s Rob Sartin. Do you remember me? You killed my grandfather. You tried to kill my mother, but she and the oncologists beat you. You killed my father. It took you two tries to kill my mother-in-law and then you topped it off by trying to take my father-in-law. You’re attacking my cousin again now. You’ve attacked my friends, my family, and former strangers who have become dear to me because of you.
You took this fight into my house and tried to take my son. I’m taking the fight back to you and I’m not stopping. Ever.
I have ridden my bike. I have walked. I may even run. I will ride again and I will not stop. 40 miles in ‘03 and ‘04. 40 miles pulling my five-year-old cancer survivor son in ‘05. 40 miles pushed so hard by my son in ‘06 that we did 55 miles in ‘07 on a tandem. Chasing my eight-year-old son for 45 miles through the hills of Dripping Springs in ‘08. Raising money to fight you. Over $50,000 since Spencer was diagnosed on October 22, 2004. We’re not done. We never will be.
I will not stand idle while you attack 12 million people in 2008. I will not stand idle while 8 million of them die.
-Rob
P.S. You suck.
Spencer and I will be riding in the Seattle and Austin LIVESTRONG Challenge events this year. We’ve upped the stakes a little. We are targeting 100 miles on the tandem in Seattle in June and 90 miles on single bikes in Austin in October. I encourage you to donate to fight cancer or join us at one of the LIVESTRONG Challenge events.
March 26th, 2009 at 7:32 am
[…] On January 21, Spencer and I got to head to East Austin and drop into a cool little studio to do some filming for a LIVESTRONG Challenge promo. Today, the results are out. […]