Congratulations Michael & Team!
Posted on 24 August 2007, at 9:39 am, by Judie Lipsett
As many of you know, Michael Hess of Skooba Design, is one of Gear Diary’s sponsors. We recently were given the chance to return the favor when we helped sponsor him and his team in the Hospice Regatta.
As Michael told me in his initial email, “I am a crew member on a racing sailboat (“Blue Knight,”) and each year we participate in the Hospice Regatta—a series of races held to raise money for end-of-life and palliative care centers. Anyone who has had a friend or family member cared for by Hospice knows what an amazing service it provides in the most difficult circumstances imaginable. These serious, big-boat racing events, held in communities across the country, are one of the most significant—if not the leading—sources of funding for Hospice.”
For those of you that aren’t familiar with Hospice, I’ll borrow some of the excellent information available on the American Cancer Society site:
Hospice, in the earliest days, was a concept rooted in the centuries-old idea of offering a place of shelter and rest, or “hospitality” to weary and sick travelers on a long journey. Dame Cicely Saunders at St. Christopher’s Hospice in London first applied the term “hospice” to specialized care for dying patients in 1967. Today, hospice care provides humane and compassionate care for people in the last phases of incurable disease so that they may live as fully and comfortably as possible.
Hospice is a philosophy of care. The hospice philosophy recognizes death as the final stage of life and seeks to enable patients to continue an alert, pain-free life and to manage other symptoms so that their last days may be spent with dignity and quality, surrounded by their loved ones. Hospice affirms life and does not hasten or postpone death. Hospice care treats the person rather than the disease; it highlights quality rather than length of life. It provides family-centered care involving the patient and family in making decisions. Care is provided for the patient and family 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Hospice care can be given in the patient’s home, a hospital, nursing home, or private hospice facility. Most hospice care in the United States is given in the home, with a family member or members serving as the main hands-on caregiver.
Hospice care is appropriate when you can no longer benefit from curative treatment and your life expectancy is about 6 months. You, your family, and your doctor decide together when hospice services should begin. One of the problems with beginning hospice is that it is often not started soon enough. Sometimes the doctor, patient or family member will resist trying hospice because he or she feels it sends a message of no hope. This is not true. If your condition improves or the disease goes into remission, you can be discharged from the hospice program and return to active cancer treatment, if desired. Hospice care may be resumed at a later time. The hope that hospice brings is the hope of a quality life, day -to-day, during the stage of advanced illness.
Michael’s team participated in the event held August 17 - 18th, hosted by the Rochester Yacht Club. As he said in his initial email, “our goal is to raise $20,000 among our 10 crew members, in order to build a room in the new Hospice center being built in the area.”
As I found out yesterday, Michael and his team more than met their goal…
Just a quick note to thank you all for your incredible support of our recent Hospice Regatta. Our boat (Blue Knight) raised more money for Hospice than any of the other boats in the races (about 80 boats participated)—in fact, of the approximately $300,000 total raised during the event, about 8% of that amount was raised by one boat alone…. Blue Knight. In recognition of this, our boat and its owner received a special trophy, as well as the naming rights to the first room at the new Hospice center currently under construction. The “Blue Knight Room” will be decorated with models, photos and other memorabilia from the boat and crew, and we are very proud and moved by this honor.
As for the race results, for those who may be interested….
BLUE KNIGHT RESULTS, HOSPICE WEEKEND
Saturday, 3 race Regatta: Blue Knight placed 3rd, 3rd and 1st (second place overall in division)
Sunday, Rochester Race (a single, medium-distance race): Blue Knight finished second on corrected time, missing first place by only 11 seconds over a 3+ hour race! (that’s sailboat racing, folks)
Congratulations Michael and the Blue Knight Team! You ROCK, and I am glad that Gear Diary got to be part of your victory! 
Kudos to everyone involved! Our local hospice organizations are top notch and I’m sure they are there also.
I can’t urge people to help these organizations enough. I went through the hardest times of my life living the fears, sufferance and hopes of my dying mother at a young age. I barely had any sort of support.
A lot of people need help and these organizations are a true gift.
God Speed, Blue Knight!