[freegeek-e-newsletter] Special Announcements: Holiday Party and Leo Westwind Fund

[e-newsletter at lists.freegeek.org]

A special invite for our newsletter subscribers.  I've combined both 
messges into one to keep your email traffic low.

-Shawn

-------------------------------
It's almost that time of year, geek lovers.  The time that some revere 
and some dread.  That's right - we invite our friends, volunteers, and 
loved ones to Free Geek for a big party.

So save the night of Saturday, December 8th for an awesome, fun, free, 
private party to thank you for what you've brought to Free Geek in the 
past year, and generally celebrate how cool we all are.

Joining in the celebration will be:
Beer and food
New Deal Vodka
BeBop jazz
Stencil art
A cute girl who raps about geeks and food
A super-cool DJ who's also a very official-sounding Free Geek Board Member
Epic fun

Details, for those who'd like them far in advance:

Free Geek Holiday Party and Leo Westwind Benefit!! W00t!
Saturday, Dec. 8th
8pm-1am
@ Free Geek
1731 SE 10th Ave.
Portland, OR 97214

This year, we'll also be holding a live pie and art auction to benefit 
the child of Free Geek collective member Michael Westwind.  Leo Westwind 
has been in and out of hospitals regularly in the past year to treat the 
decreased liver and heart function caused by Alagille Syndrome.  The 
cost of these trips to his family has been upwards of $10,000.  We're 
asking attendees to consider bringing or buying a pie or piece of art at 
the party to help the family.  We're in the process of setting up a 
Paypal account so folks can donate to the cause online.  In the 
meantime, if you'd like to donate straight cashola, stop into Free Geek 
while we're open or send your check, written to "Leo Westwind Fund", to 
Free Geek's address above.  For more info on Leo, please read the 
announcement below.

If you'd like to help set up for the party or have any questions, feel 
free to send an email to events at freegeek.org.

Thanks for supporting your friendly neighborhood coolest non-profit 
ever, and we'll see you in December!

Shawn Furst
Outreach Coordinator
Free Geek

-------------------------------------------------------------
We here at Free Geek don't often send mass emails.  At the most, you 
might receive a newsletter or holiday party invite a few times a year, 
as we like to protect our friends' inboxes from overflowing.

But this time's different.  Our Tech Support Coordinator, Michael 
Westwind, has a child, Leo, who's going through lots of medical issues.  
Leo's condition has worsened throughout the year, and he's spent the 
last couple of months staying at hospitals and resting in bed at home.

Free Geek's given a lot to the community, and we're asking you now to 
give to Michael and Leo - both important parts of our organization and 
culture.

We're in the process of setting up a Paypal account so folks can donate 
to the cause online.  In the meantime, if you'd like to donate straight 
cashola, stop into Free Geek while we're open or send your check, 
written to "Leo Westwind Fund", to Free Geek at 1731 SE 10th Ave., 
Portland, OR 97214.

If you're short on cash, but would still like to help, I'll be sending 
out info on that in a couple of weeks (make some art! or a pie!).

To learn more about Leo and the trials he and his family are facing, 
read on.


Thanks for your time,

Shawn and the Staff Collective
Free Geek

*   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *
At age 12, Portlander Leo Westwind knows more about liver disease than 
most of us ever will. Just a few weeks after he was born, Leo was 
diagnosed with Alagille Syndrome[1], a genetic disease that primarily 
affects the liver.  As a result, he cannot digest fats and has trouble 
assimilating fat-soluble vitamins, putting him at constant risk of 
malnutrition.

Despite all this, and a round of hospitalizations as an infant, his 
health slowly improved, and for over a decade he led an active life that 
included exploring Oregon's wilderness, learning gymnastics and rock 
climbing, earning a blue belt in Taekwon Do, and enthusiastically 
participating in Portland's bike culture.

This year, however, his health began deteriorating; currently he is on 
bed rest, and sleeps much of the time; he can not walk unaided, and he 
is experiencing a great deal of joint pain and body aches.  His parents 
and primary care doctors were determined to find the best possible care 
for Leo, and after much research, sought treatment at Seattle Children's 
Hospital.  The specialists in Seattle are cautiously optimistic about 
their ability to treat Leo, but that treatment is very expensive, as is 
the travel back and forth from Portland.  The family already owes 
thousands of dollars for treatment Leo received in Seattle this spring, 
and now are facing the possibility of needing to pay for a liver 
transplant, which would cost approximately $300,000.  Even if Leo does 
not end up needing a transplant, his ongoing treatment and care will be 
catastrophically expensive.

[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alagille_syndrome or 
http://www.emedicine.com/ped/topic60.htm