A Statement to the Board and its Members that I must Make... (please read)

airplanenut

Over the last few weeks, I have experienced the incredible generosity of the great people who make up these boards. Amidst my many thank yous, I would like to say, yet again, thank you to all who have been so kind to me in my quest for knowledge and friends interested in a hobby not normally associated with teenagers.

Recently, I really haven't been able to find the "perfect" coin to buy... some are nice, but there just isn't a spark at the moment for buying online... I think I need to get to a coin store... but it doesn't really matter, as I have still seen a steady intake of coins through the kindness of the board members here.

I want to make up and repay this generosity... sure I will have a giveaway soon enough (upon my return from Europe) but I want to do more than just a giveaway...

While I am taking a break from my biology research project, I am reflecting upon it. I am studying pancreatic cancer, which robbed me of my grandfather, the man who brought me into aviation, two weeks before he was to fly from Los Angeles to New Jersey to watch me be called to the Torah for the first time as a Bar Mitzvah (not the big party, but that isn't the point). I remember my devistation when I heard of his loss, and although his passing is approaching three years, I still feel his absence every day, now moreso than ever.

With that in mind, I have chosen a different kind of giveaway, so to speak. Instead of sending off a numismatic item to someone on the boards, I would like to make a donation to the RSH Memorial Foundation for Pancreatic Research, which is based at UCLA, where he received the best treatment of the day until the moment which he passed, in his memory, as well as in the honor of the generosity of the members of this board. I can't think of a better way to spend the money which I received this holiday season. After all, a coin is a coin and there will always be another one, but a life is precious, and each and every one counts.

I am sorry if this has become any bit of a sob story- trust me, it was hard enough just to write it out.

A big thank you to all, as well as a wish for a happy, healthy holiday season.

Sincerely,

Jeremy Katz

stman

I can't explain how great I think this is. Just to let you know, I can understand the pain you have somewhat. I lost my wife to colon cancer. It's a disease that needs to be wiped off the face of this earth.

Edit to add: Sorry if I didn't spell something correctly.

BigE

A good young man here--BigE

fcloud

Jeremy,

You sound like a fine young man, and your Grandfather must have been very proud of you!

Tony

braddick

Jeremy, if only more could be like you.
God bless you this Holiday season. Merry Christmas.

Clankeye

Jeremy... cool.

Clankeye

MrLee

Jeremy, you are wise beyond your years.

ccr

That`s one nicest acts of selflessness I`ve heard in awhile. It`s a good way of honoring your Gandpa and it good of you to do so.

airplanenut

ttt

kieferscoins

A true Good Guy worthy of my title.

Cameron Kiefer

toners

Ditto Jeremy, keep on keeping on!! Happy Holidays to you.
Allen

Twowood

Your Grandad would be proud of you...as I'm sure your parents are! Twowood

coinbuf

Jeremy, your actions speak volumes about yourself and I think your grandfather is very proud. I wish you the very best.

nwcs

Shalom, Jeremy. Alaahaa Rekhmaanel'e.

Neil

Neptune

Jeremy - I haven't talked to you much on the board, as I am relatively new to the board, but would like to say that I think you are a very admiral and mature young man. You have a lot going for you and I feel you will do very well for yourself in the years ahead. Having just lost my father on Memorial Day of this year, I sympathize your pain. This will be my first Christmas without him, and it will be/is hard. He was also a grandfather to my three sons and a Great-Grandfather to my 4 grandchildren, and I know that he was their icon, rock and mentor, as he was mine --- and as I am sure that your Grandfather was to you. I am sure that he was/is very proud of you! God bless you and yours -- and Happy Holidays.

MrKelso

This could never become a sob story but is a true story of life. I share your pain. I applaud your Donation, you are so right life is most precious.

coinguy1

Jeremy,

That is a wonderful gesture which will be a permanent reminder of and tribute to your grandfather.

You have gone way beyond "cool" in my book.

Trime

Jeremy,
I have watched you mature Numismatically on this forum and have been pleased to see how a YN has gained the respect of a number of much older collectors and professional coin dealers.
Your most recent post also shows how you have matured in other ways. They told you at your Bar Mitzvah, you are now a man! We can now confirm this and add that you are a bright, thoughtful and caring man. You have a very promising future. Respect yourself and those around you.
While I have no idea what your aspirations are, maybe you ought to consider an even better way to honor your grandfather. There remains a great need for superb physicians and particularly oncologists; think about a career in Medicine. Can you imagine the reward of finding ways to prevent and/or cure pancreatic cancer. Despite the rigours of the task, there would also be some time to think and talk about coins.

nucklehead

Jeremy, you're a total class act! look forward to reading more of your post here in the future! Happy Holidays.

Russ

You know, Jeremy, kids like you give us old guys hope for the future. Thanks for the reminder that there are good ones.

Russ, NCNE

paigowjohnny

Cancer flat out blows.....

Thanks for helping us realize there are things more important than numbers on slabs. Good luck with your endeavors...

CharlieB

My family has dealth with it for several years and it is tough. I
Can easily understand how difficult it was to post your thread but
you did and that makes you a much better person to have that courage.

Ogden

Jeremy, I feel your pain. It must have been terrific to have such a wonderful relationship with your grandfather. I remember talking to one of the lawyers I deal with and he told me his 10 years old son was grieving for his grandfather who recently died. He said that his son saw his grandfather everyday of his young live and didn't understand why he had to die. I told him how grateful I would have been to have even known one of my grandfather and how wonderful it is, or would be, to have the memories of such. You see my grandfathers were both dead before I was born, and I have wondered for 50 + years what it would have been like to hold one of their hands or to sit on their laps or to talk to them to hear what they sounded like. You were really blessed to have had such a wonderful relationship. It's a relationship I would have treasured. What's really hard, is that I never met them, so I could have gottten to know them or created a memory. That's the emptiness I have. In acutality you are very lucky, even at this sad time of your life. Good luck and God bless you.


Ogden

thankyou

The people you are helping in your Grandfather's memory, as well as your Grandfather will be in great appreciation of your giving and your help, more than any words can describe.

Carl

Elcontador

Jeremy,

I am not nearly as articulate as many others who have expressed their feelings re your post. But the first thing that came to my mind was an expression that is heard occasionally in the Northeast of Brasil.

Você é cabra bom da peste Cabra da peste, per my signature, is just a greeting between two guys. But cabra bom da peste is different. It doesn't translate well, it means something to the effect of a man of the best character: literally, a good man even in time of the plague.

I salute you.

Outhaul

Jeremy is truly a class act on this board and will be a credit to not only numismatics, but to mankind itself. I have had the privilege of dealing with Jeremy over the past few months and have found him to be funny, entertaining, and just an all-around stand-up guy.

I can understand how you feel. I lost my mother on Christmas day 1990 from Hodgkins.

What a truly generous thing to do. Never forget, good things happen to good people. May many good things bless you, Jeremy, your family, and all on this board.

You donate that money, Jeremy. I have your address and I can assure you something good will be coming your way.

Cheers,

Bob

airplanenut

Thank you all for your kind words... I just found out that one of my friend's grandfathers was just diagnosed with pancreatic cancer Like my research has told me, it was discovered late and the illness which has been plaguing him has been found beyond any simple treatment

ccrdragon

Ditto what Russ said - with young adults like you around there is real hope for the future!

airplanenut

I have done most of my project... most changes now will be very small...

Please look around and educate yourselves- thanks to Bob Turcotte for providing me the webspace...
Pancreatic Cancer

Trime

Jeremy,

The paper is well done.
I suggest you correct your spelling errors and a few typos.
You may want to add a few more references; I saw only one (probably missed others).
Check your anatomy on the pancreatic duct and common bile duct to be sure you are accurate.
You may want to think a little about genetic predisposition other than gender and race.

As you indicated the pancreas is really two organs in one:
an endocrine organ consisting of the islets that produce hormones such as insulin and glucagon which are involved in regulation of sugar and other substrate metabolism and an exocrine organ producing digestive enzymes.

Good luck on your honors class!

coinlover

Kudos to you Jeremy! I hope your example inspires others to perform worthy acts of generosity.

Karen

jtryka

Nice one Jeremy, both the sentiments and the research work. I just asked our biotech analyst here who specializes in oncology, and she mentioned that very little work is being done in either pancreatic or liver cancer, at least on the biotech side, but more is being done on the academic research side. Either way, I hope that more folks like you can raise awareness of this issue. Happy holidays!

danglen

Jeremy,

I look forward to meeting you at the ANA Summer Camp in Colorado Springs next summer. Now that Cameron Kiefer has been promoted to "adulthood", we need YNs like you to take up the slack.

airplanenut

Trime,

The site is, as of now, completely unedited... I will do that this weekend or when I return from Europe. I used a few sources, and a few more were used, but uncited as they gave me a better/further explination of something else I had read.

Jeremy