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So a few months ago I learned a friend has cancer.

I first met him when he started to work for our magazine doing layout. He was a beast and won an award from the Society of Publication Designers in 2009 for this layouts in one of our issues:

He had worked for us for a few issues when in his quiet demeanor sort of way, asked if I painted graffiti. This is hard to answer because while I dabbled in it for years, I don’t know if I would of called myself a real writer. If you say you are and you aren’t, you look like a chump. So I told him I had messed with it for years, then asked if he wrote. He humbly said yes, I asked what he wrote, he said MAD. Uhm, wait… that MAD? Yup.

Dude is a fucking monster.

Recently, he has been a force behind The Infamous magazine. I actually did an interview with him for one of my classes, and I wasn’t surprised to see his passion, drive and sacrifice for the magazine come through.

But fuck all that.

He is an all around nice dude, super humble, a husband and a father.

He has stage 4 cancer.

What he doesn’t have is health insurance or workman’s comp. He has racked up over a quarter million in medical bills. So far.

I’m not the dude to really ask people for much, but if anyone can relate, could give no matter how big or small, it would really make a difference to him and his family as he battles cancer.

You can go to the website Mad vs. Cancer to cop a t-shirt or make a donation.

This website represents an effort by the friends and family of MAD (ESC KD WH NSF crews; co-founder of the INFAMOUS MAG; respected Philadelphia artist; and all-around good dude) to raise funds to help him support himself and his family during his battle with CANCER.

MAD was rushed to the hospital just after the 2012 new year with severe pain and discovered his spleen had ruptured. During the operation to remove his spleen, Stage 4 cancer was found in a few locations in his body.

MAD had no insurance nor workman’s compensation, and, accordingly, he is in major financial distress. While his medical bills are astronomical, the immediate need os for financial support for his basic costs of living. MAD has two beautiful children to support, his home and family to care for, and with week-to-week inpatient Chemotherapy, can not work a normal job, even IF his weakness and nausea weren’t a factor. SO, he needs HELP.

There are three prongs to our effort to generate support:

ONE – an art auction, where we will need ART donated that can be sold/auctioned with all proceeds going to the charity. The date for this auction is TBD. There will be a Silent Auction held in Philadelphia, and possibly other cities, as we hope to find people willing to help us set that up. There will also be an online portion to the auction, for those who would like to purchase donated art as a donation, but cannot attend the live silent auction. Dates, Times, URLs, and Locations for these events will be updated as they are set.

TWO – we are selling small packs of stickers in a “grab bag” format on this site. There will be printed vinyl stickers, and a mix of some of the best writers in the US and abroad who are donating custom stickers specifically for this cause. Like a public television drive, essentially you will be getting an “incentive gift” for different donation levels. These will be clearly listed as products to purchase on the main page. There is also going to be sketches, a zine, and possibly T-Shirts and some custom “fuck cancer” jewelry for the ladies.

THREE – straight donations. there is a big red DONATE! button on the site here where you can skip the shopping cart and specific amounts and just donate whatever you can afford or manage. This is perfect for smaller donations.

You can help the cause in one (or more) of several ways:

-Donate ART (email madvscancer@gmail.com for details on shipping art)

-Donate STICKERS made by you, your crew that can be added to grab bags

-Donate SKETCHES made by you, your crew that can be added to grab bags

-Donate $$$ directly using the donate button on the website

-Donate SERVICES (currently looking for anyone with a tshirt hookup than can donate the cost of printing up tshirts – if you have a screenprinting connection that might be interested, please hit us up!!)

-SPREAD THE WORD!! This may be the biggest help aside from money, please repost the link to this site on your blogs, your tumblrs, your flickrs, tweet it, text it, email it, hell, post it on your Friendster page if you still roll like that. PLEASE TRY TO MOTIVATE YOUR PEOPLE AND YOUR PEOPLE’S PEOPLE – ITS A GOOD LOOK

THANKS FROM THE MAD vs CANCER TEAM, and from MAD himself

Even if you can’t give financially, if you can re-post this, or the website http://madvscancer.bigcartel.com, it would be super appreciated.

And if you pray, please pray for my man.