- K
- O
Dear Friends,
When you’re in your twenties, I think we get this idea that we are invincible. As if nothing can touch us because we are so full of energy, spirit, and life. We become so busy with personal development, connecting with others, furthering our careers, traveling, starting families, and
I think we forget about the fragility of life.
Five months ago, my best friend Garrison and I were living together in our house in Oceanside. Garrison spent time making music, surfing, skating, and working at Best Pizza in Oceanside. Life was simple. Five months ago, life was full and happy and no one could foresee the unthinkable obstacle that was ahead.
On the evening of October 3rd, Garr called me and said he was being admitted to the hospital because his X-ray showed a 13 cm mass in his chest. Weeks went by and further testing and multiple procedures led to the incredibly painful diagnosis of Hodgkins Lymphoma.
Everything changed from that moment.
In 2015, Garrison and I got really close working as State Lifeguards for San Diego Coast. Garrison was an incredible lifeguard and one that I still aspire to emulate. One day Garrison was working one of our veteran towers, Tower 34, which is one of the busiest beaches in all of North County. It was a beautiful sunny day and it was a holiday so you could barely see the sand there were so many people. But that was where he was in his zone. While he was out on a rescue he was stung by a stingray. He made the rescue as if it were textbook and proceeded to work the rest of his shift without a single complaint. You wouldn’t even know he was stung other than the fact he was bleeding on his tower deck. But that’s who Garrison is. He is the hardest worker I know. He doesn’t complain. And when he sees a need, he does everything he can to meet it. Garrison stepped away from lifeguarding in order to focus on his music which has always been his first love but his legacy and respect amongst lifeguards still remains.
Things changed very quickly with the diagnosis. He spent weeks at the hospital from the day he was admitted with a whole team of doctors, surgeons, and specialists working together to come up with the best game plan. He moved back in with his parents to undergo his chemo treatments every other week. Garrison’s 23-year-old life has changed drastically since his first round of chemo. Each week it takes more and more out of him to do the simple things. Each week his body adjusts to the chemotherapy and he has to fight even harder as the chemo builds up in his system.
His body has been changing through the process and I can’t imagine how hard it is for him to be so uncomfortable in his own skin. Although his body is going through hell and he has endured some very painful days, his spirits haven’t wavered. I have never witnessed anything like the kind of mental strength that Garrison has. Garrison is the kind of person that despite feeling his worst, will check in on others and do his best to make sure they are processing and coping okay with his diagnosis.
I have had the privilege to take Garr to some of his chemo appointments. Garrison has this innate ability to connect with others. Anyone who knows him can speak to the liveliness of his spirit. You know when he’s there and you miss him when he’s not. I feel honored to sit with him at chemo and to watch how he can strike up a conversation with another cancer patient and make them laugh. I feel so lucky to be able to learn from his selflessness.
Even with Garrison’s insurance coverage, it will cost their family $11,000 to cover his chemo treatments alone. Not only is this incredibly discouraging in and of itself, but what makes things even more tough is that Garrison can’t work anymore to help contribute. His immune system is too weak to be at work although he wishes he could more than anything. He loves working at Best Pizza and he loves his coworkers and cannot wait to get back to it.
I wanted to reach out to you all and ask you from the bottom of my heart to please donate anything to help him and his family get through his last two chemo treatments. I have struggled as I know many of you who know Garrison and the Zoutendyk’s personally have, with how I can help and how I can support him and his family more through this time. I am just another broke 25 year old working two jobs but THIS, this is something WE can do. If you think that 5 dollars you would normally spend on a cup of coffee doesn’t matter, it DOES! Any amount will help and is so appreciated. And for those of you who haven’t had the privilege to meet Garrison and his family yet, donate for that person in your life who has had to fight like hell in their fight against cancer. Donate because you believe in going up against the pain and the brutality of it all. Donate because you refuse to accept that you can’t do something. Donate because this life is tragically unfair, but this is something YOU CAN do to make it a little better.
Donate because your kindness matters and fuck cancer.
Garrison’s next chemo treatment is on March 9th. Our goal is to raise the money by the day before his next treatment on the 8th of March. Garrison has always been an exceptional friend to me and he has helped me more than anyone be comfortable in my own skin just by being who he is. If we meet our goal on the 8th, we will do a live feed of Garrison shaving my head on Instagram and Facebook. I hope you’ll help me to show Garrison and his family how loved they are by their community and all who know them.
All my love,
Jay
When you’re in your twenties, I think we get this idea that we are invincible. As if nothing can touch us because we are so full of energy, spirit, and life. We become so busy with personal development, connecting with others, furthering our careers, traveling, starting families, and
I think we forget about the fragility of life.
Five months ago, my best friend Garrison and I were living together in our house in Oceanside. Garrison spent time making music, surfing, skating, and working at Best Pizza in Oceanside. Life was simple. Five months ago, life was full and happy and no one could foresee the unthinkable obstacle that was ahead.
On the evening of October 3rd, Garr called me and said he was being admitted to the hospital because his X-ray showed a 13 cm mass in his chest. Weeks went by and further testing and multiple procedures led to the incredibly painful diagnosis of Hodgkins Lymphoma.
Everything changed from that moment.
In 2015, Garrison and I got really close working as State Lifeguards for San Diego Coast. Garrison was an incredible lifeguard and one that I still aspire to emulate. One day Garrison was working one of our veteran towers, Tower 34, which is one of the busiest beaches in all of North County. It was a beautiful sunny day and it was a holiday so you could barely see the sand there were so many people. But that was where he was in his zone. While he was out on a rescue he was stung by a stingray. He made the rescue as if it were textbook and proceeded to work the rest of his shift without a single complaint. You wouldn’t even know he was stung other than the fact he was bleeding on his tower deck. But that’s who Garrison is. He is the hardest worker I know. He doesn’t complain. And when he sees a need, he does everything he can to meet it. Garrison stepped away from lifeguarding in order to focus on his music which has always been his first love but his legacy and respect amongst lifeguards still remains.
Things changed very quickly with the diagnosis. He spent weeks at the hospital from the day he was admitted with a whole team of doctors, surgeons, and specialists working together to come up with the best game plan. He moved back in with his parents to undergo his chemo treatments every other week. Garrison’s 23-year-old life has changed drastically since his first round of chemo. Each week it takes more and more out of him to do the simple things. Each week his body adjusts to the chemotherapy and he has to fight even harder as the chemo builds up in his system.
His body has been changing through the process and I can’t imagine how hard it is for him to be so uncomfortable in his own skin. Although his body is going through hell and he has endured some very painful days, his spirits haven’t wavered. I have never witnessed anything like the kind of mental strength that Garrison has. Garrison is the kind of person that despite feeling his worst, will check in on others and do his best to make sure they are processing and coping okay with his diagnosis.
I have had the privilege to take Garr to some of his chemo appointments. Garrison has this innate ability to connect with others. Anyone who knows him can speak to the liveliness of his spirit. You know when he’s there and you miss him when he’s not. I feel honored to sit with him at chemo and to watch how he can strike up a conversation with another cancer patient and make them laugh. I feel so lucky to be able to learn from his selflessness.
Even with Garrison’s insurance coverage, it will cost their family $11,000 to cover his chemo treatments alone. Not only is this incredibly discouraging in and of itself, but what makes things even more tough is that Garrison can’t work anymore to help contribute. His immune system is too weak to be at work although he wishes he could more than anything. He loves working at Best Pizza and he loves his coworkers and cannot wait to get back to it.
I wanted to reach out to you all and ask you from the bottom of my heart to please donate anything to help him and his family get through his last two chemo treatments. I have struggled as I know many of you who know Garrison and the Zoutendyk’s personally have, with how I can help and how I can support him and his family more through this time. I am just another broke 25 year old working two jobs but THIS, this is something WE can do. If you think that 5 dollars you would normally spend on a cup of coffee doesn’t matter, it DOES! Any amount will help and is so appreciated. And for those of you who haven’t had the privilege to meet Garrison and his family yet, donate for that person in your life who has had to fight like hell in their fight against cancer. Donate because you believe in going up against the pain and the brutality of it all. Donate because you refuse to accept that you can’t do something. Donate because this life is tragically unfair, but this is something YOU CAN do to make it a little better.
Donate because your kindness matters and fuck cancer.
Garrison’s next chemo treatment is on March 9th. Our goal is to raise the money by the day before his next treatment on the 8th of March. Garrison has always been an exceptional friend to me and he has helped me more than anyone be comfortable in my own skin just by being who he is. If we meet our goal on the 8th, we will do a live feed of Garrison shaving my head on Instagram and Facebook. I hope you’ll help me to show Garrison and his family how loved they are by their community and all who know them.
All my love,
Jay
Organizer and beneficiary
Garrison Zoutendyk
Beneficiary