One week ago, after I’d scattered David’s ashes over Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome, I was given a letter. With permission, I’m going to share that letter.

Dear Gail,

Once again, David Fielding has inspired us to save lives and make a difference.

The pain we each felt at his passing has left many people with a burning desire to do something. We cannot sit by and watch as millions of other people suffer the sting of loss.

With this determination we have designed and organized a fundraiser, which upon its completion will have raised at least $1,200. These funds will be donated, in honor of David’s life, to the Lung Cancer Alliance.

Our fundraiser is centered around the sale of silicone bracelets, which are sky blue, for obvious reasons, in celebration of flight. They are engraved with three phrases, the first of which says “End Lung Cancer”, followed by “Clear Skies” which is simply a comforting reminder to those of us who knew David, the last phrase is on the inside surface, and reads “In Memory of David Fielding” to clearly dedicate each piece to his memory…

As Lieutenant Fielding’s wife, our love and loyalty to him is directly given to you as well. Our friendship and support continues with you.

Sincerely, on behalf of:

Eric Cannon
Aleya Van Doren
Alex Tullo
Alicia Lanphear

Each bracelet is in a plastic envelope, along with a double-sided card:

David Lee Fielding
May 30, 1967 – December 18, 2005

David Fielding had a passion for flight, which he shared with many. One of the many ways he did this was by volunteering in the Civil Air Patrol, where he was able to reach the lives of hundreds of teenagers. To a few of these he became a mentor, and a close friend.

At the young age of 38, David Fielding, a non-smoker, was diagnosed with an aggressive case of small cell lung cancer. This tragedy took his friends and family by surprise and took his life in just over 4 months.

There are two types of lung cancer, small cell and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Small cell lung cancer is rare and represents only 15-20% of lung cancer cases, 98% of which are attributed to smoking. This form of lung cancer is aggressive and spreads much faster than NSCLC to the lymph nodes and other organs.

David’s courage during his battle with cancer and the pain of losing him has inspired us to fight this disease.

Thank you for joining the battle.

Join the Fight to End Lung Cancer

Lung Cancer Alliance is the only national organization dedicated exclusively to lung cancer patient advocacy and support.

Lung cancer is the leading cancer killer with a mere 15% survival rate.

• 35-40% of new lung cancer cases are smokers.
• 50% of new lung cancer cases are former smokers.
• 10-15% of new lung cancer cases are non-smokers.

In 2005, The Centers for Disease Control earmarked $204 million for breast and cervical cancer, $14 million for prostate cancer, and $14.6 million for colon cancer. The 2005 budget included $0 for lung cancer research.

For more information visit www.lungcanceralliance.org.

The group of four (Alicia, Alex, Aleya, and Eric — all former cadets of David’s) are putting together a website to promote their fundraiser, but it isn’t ready yet. I brought a bag of bracelets back with me and sold most of them on the trip back to Toronto. I will be getting more to sell in Canada, and the others will sell the rest in the U.S. If you would like to buy a bracelet, they sell for $5 each ($5.50 Cdn?). I can mail them out, as well. I’ll post the link to the fundraising website when it’s ready. In the meantime, please contact me if you’d like more info: gail [at] gailatlarge.com.

I have added another section to the Links page, called “In Memory of David Fielding”. I will be expanding this section in the coming days.

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