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Young Adult Cancer Survivor Expedition and Documentary Film:
Descent of the Remote Owyhee River
My name is Mike Lang and I recently finished chemotherapy treatments and am in the middle of radiation treatments for Hodgkin's Lymphoma cancer. I am seeking financial assistance to help raise awareness of young adult cancer issues through an adventure film chronicling the descent of a remote desert river by young adult cancer survivors, supporters and related professionals. The expedition will be run July 11th-23rd 2009, will cost $14,000 and will entail 8-9 days spent on the Owyhee Rivers.
The expedition team will be made up of: 8 young adult cancer survivors, who are articulate and have unique and inspiring stories, along with 2 supporters (wife and cancer retreat specialist), 2 film crew, 1 nurse and 2 American river guides.
The expedition will be a serious challenge for all involved, and will take us to one of the most picturesque and remote areas of the lower 48 states. The ultimate goals of the project are:
- To give young adult (YA) cancer survivors a unique opportunity to share their stories, connect with other YA's, shatter taboos and raise awareness of young adult specific cancer issues.
- To give the cancer survivors an opportunity to directly transfer learning from one difficult experience to another; to live out the lessons they learned from their cancer experience for others to see and be encouraged.
- To build close friendships and partnerships between the cancer survivors on the trip and place them in a position to be spokespeople/advocates for young adults with cancer.
- To produce a high quality, eye opening, award winning film and then enter the film in at least 20 film festivals with high viewership (i.e. Banff Mountain Film Festival), use as a presentation tool in high schools and universities and as a TV special.
The trip is a project of Survive & Thrive Adventures Inc., an organization dedicated to helping YA survivors of severe illness or injury identify, process and apply life lessons learned from their experiences to increase their quality of life. The initiative is being spearheaded by Mike Lang (Director, fundraiser and river guide), Kenny Layton, international coordinator and river guide for YD Adventures in Idaho (in country logistics and guiding) and Aaron Bryant, executive director of Hands on Films and producer of over 30 short films and advertisements (filming, post production and river guide). All are professionals in their industries with over 30 years of combined experience.
The publicity returns for any sponsorship given for this project will be high. One in three people will get cancer in their lifetime and therefore, cancer research and advocacy is a far reaching and magnanimous cause to have a company name attached with. The expedition will be a much-documented affair, with local TV news coverage and articles in local and national papers. Sponsors will also be highlighted in the film credits and at the various screenings and presentations given by the YA survivors across the country in high schools, universities, and a minimum of 18 different Canadian film festivals and fundraisers.
Click the "Background" tab at the top of the page for more details about the expedition including where and why we are going as well as breakdown of costs and sponsorship benifits. If you or your company would be able to help or sponsor our trip in any way we would love to hear from you. If you require any further information or would like a presentation about this trip please do not hesitate to contact us (contact information on last page). We look forward to hearing from you.
Yours sincerely,
Mike and Bonnie Lang, Directors
Survive and Thrive Adventures and the Expedition Team
Our Mission
To help young adult survivors of severe illness or injury identify, process and apply life lessons through adventure activites.