Stolen from Grant Peterson

I stole this from Grant Peterson (here is the link to his post).

I love my RB-1, I liked Grant's book, and I frequently find that I like the way Grant's mind works.  So I thought I'd post it here to help spread the love:

 

"calling all….

Here’s a letter I got a couple of days ago.
Grant,

We live in a small world. I have a request - but I need to explain, so bear with me. My mother is in a nursing home. I visit her every day and in the course of my visits have come to know some of the other residents and I regularly visit with a number of them. I met a new resident in the hall some weeks back and we have been greeting one another and exchanging a few words. I  could tell from his skin color that he was a cancer patient, and I have since learned that he is.  He is very sick, Stage 4 prostate cancer. Two weeks or so ago I saw him in the hall and he was wearing a MUSA shirt, but he was tired and we didn’t talk. Last week he was riding a recumbent in the parking lot with his son watching - wearing MUSA pants. I asked him about the pants and he told me he was an old Bridgestone fan. He wasn’t feeling well, but as I was walking away his sister rode up to visit on a beautiful RB2 that he had bought for her. Tonight he showed me his trike that he has stashed on the 2nd floor of the nursing home. He rides it for therapy. The short(er) story is that he and most of his family members ride Bridgestones from your era. His name is Nick Cassell, and he has one of each Bridgestone model, I understand he locally raced an RB1. I talked with him tonight. He remains a big fan of yours, back problems have kept him from buying a Riv, he has been on recumbents for some time, but enjoys the MUSA gear and admires the Riv bikes. He said he has chatted with you in the past. I want to get him something for his room and thought a big Riv pennant would be nice. If I buy one will you write  a “best wishes …’ or something and sign it? I know he would appreciate it. 

Bob

Robert C. Barr

——-

The pennant is easy, the pennant—done. What would you do? Can we/you do more? Nick has Stage Four prostate cancer. It has spread around, and there is no Stage Five, and I think thre’s no recovery, which rules out get well cards and “You’re in my prayers.”

What does it not rule out? — from strangers—us here, although we have spoken, it has been years; and you out there. Don’t go away—-in a minute or so I’m going to offer up a good, easy idea that any of you reading this can pull off without a chance of offending, with no awkwardness, with no even dread-of-doing.

I recently finished Mortality, the book Christopher Hitchens wrote while he was dying of esophageal cancer. On page 18, and then 37-43 or so, he gives advice on how to talk to people who are dying of cancer. You will either be that person, or will know people on that bike and will find the tips useful.

I think — rather than think already longer than the already two hours I’ve given this What can we do? question — it comes down to this. Draw a simple bicycle, a one-try/first shot-at-it bicycle. Do it on a Genuine Postcard and use a Genuine Stamp and sign your name and city/state and mail it to:

Hooverwood Hospital

7001 Hoover Road

Indianapolis, IN 46260 -4169

attn: Nick Cassell

Postcards, he can flip through or put on the wall. Postcards are so great, stamps look so good, and this one’s easy. Nick will know he registers and matters and is being thought about by kind strangers, and that can’t be a bad thing. If you have children, what a good project (this, suggested by a customer whose kids sent him cards),"