I am fighting because I can. Simple enough! A few years ago I watched my grandpa slowly get devoured by prostate cancer over the span of a few months and felt hopeless. I felt there was nothing I could do to stop the progression of the ugly disease as it mercilessly took apart someone I loved. Since that point I've watched friends and family members battle for their lives—from "Mighty Max" a courageous 8 year old in my hometown fearlessly fighting childhood Leukemia while fundraising thousands of dollars for other kids, to my grandmother navigating CLL, even a best friend's best friend who lost her battle at the age of 37 on the day I submitted my Haymaker's application. It's never fair, it's always ugly. 

 

As an artist I am used to speaking through performance—I set work on others to share my thoughts with the world. While I wouldn't give my career up for a second, I wanted to use this opportunity to seize control and put myself in the center of the ring (center stage, so to speak) to give what I can physically, emotionally, and financially to work towards defeating cancer.