The Beginning

I’ve always loved Star Wars.

   It started when I was a kid. My Dad had this “thing” on his shelf in his den. It was weird, ugly, and ate things- in other words it was a kid magnet. He let me play with it all the time, and I fed it all kinds of toys to the point that he would have to take it apart for me and put it back together.

Yep. That thing.

   When I got older he showed me the Star Wars films, and I realized that the “weird monster” I had loved all of these years was real- it lived under Jabba’s Palace, and it was a part of an expansive universe that held amazing heroes, terrifying villains, and wonders beyond my wildest dreams. I was hooked.

I became obsessed with the world of Star Wars- I went to garage sales to find anything I could left over from the 70’s films, and amassed a collection that would make most fans weep. I had starships and aliens and bed sheets and lampshades- books and posters and costumes. The whole nine yards.

   As I got older I developed other interests, specifically music. And musical equipment is expensive. I sold off my collection, and I could tell it bothered my Dad- he told me, “keep the best pieces because one day you will wish you had them”. I didn’t listen and I sold the whole collection at a garage sale, for way less than it was worth and used the money to start a band.

   That band lasted me 15 years, took me across the country and back. I’ve met a million amazing people, opened for hundreds of amazing bands, and spent nights in wretched hives of scum and villainy that would make the Mos Eisley Cantina look like a Paula Dean fan club. But that time in my life has come to an end.

Empyrean at the House of Blues ca 2010

   Last year I went to the Star Wars weekends at Disney with my wonderful girlfriend Whitney. We watched the parades and rode the rides. I think she saw it in my eyes that I missed that part of my life, how in love I was with the world of Star Wars. It was then that I became aware of the 501^st Legion, a group of people who dressed up as and impersonated Star Wars characters. As if this wasn’t cool enough, they also took an active role in amazing charitable organizations including the Make a Wish Foundation, Ronald Mc Donald House, and the American Cancer Society. I thought it was amazing that these people were so dedicated to something that they went above and beyond to give it a meaning greater than a bunch of guys in costumes.

501st Troops

Yep. My eyes are closed.

Me with the only other guys hairier than me in the whole park.

Whitney always falls for musicians.

   Fast forward to March of this year. I was having a tough time of things. It was getting close to my birthday and things just weren’t going well, in a lot of ways. Just when I thought things couldn’t get any worse, I found out that my father had been diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma,  a cancer of plasma cells which attacks and destroys bone marrow. It had already caused significant bone degeneration which resulted in fractures in his ribs and spine.

I was devastated. I didn’t know what to do. My Dad has always been my hero. I didn’t care about anything, least of all a stupid birthday party. I was about to call the whole thing off when a co-worker urged me not to (Thanks, Jen!). So I went to the party, and pretended to have a good time. I put on a show for the folks who came out to celebrate, and for my girlfriend Whitney who worked very hard on putting the party together. What I never would have guessed is that there was a surprise waiting at that party that would change my life. 

The lights went down, fog filled the room, and music started playing- familiar music- and to the sound of the imperial march a Stormtrooper walked out of the restaurant kitchen and presented me with two gift cards to start me on my way to building my own armor and joining the 501^st legion. I was totally dumbfounded. It was the most generous gift I had ever been given, and in that moment it mean more to me than Whitney will probably ever know. I didn’t fully recognize it at that moment but what she gave me that night was a lot more than a silly costume that cost a lot of money.

Months passed and I stayed in a limbo. Things popped up and fell apart. My father had ups and downs with his health. I worked on my armor (which is an intense process I would have documented for this blog had I thought of this earlier) and I popped in to visit him here and there. On one of those frustrating evening, he walked out to the garage and handed me a plastic bag full of Star Wars toys he had pulled out of that garage sale all those years ago without me knowing. He said, “I kept these for you because I knew one day you would want them back”. Dad’s good like that.

The fun starts here.

In browsing the 501^st message boards and forums I became aware of the Star Wars Celebration Convention taking place in Orlando this year, as well as the unveiling of a full size rancor monster. I knew I had to get my armor done in time for the event and that I had to take my Dad to see it. I bought the tickets and tried my hardest, but things were complicated. A friend of mine had a new baby who was in critical condition due to birth complications just a few weeks before the convention. I struggled with it for a few days, because something inside me was telling me I needed to do something to help- but what could I do? And then it occurred to me. 

 

I gathered up all the remaining merchandise from my band and set up a fund raiser, promoted on facebook, and set it all up for sale in the same restaurant that that fateful birthday party had happened in (thanks to Missy, Pete, and all the wonderful folks at Oblivion Taproom!). In one weekend we raised $851 to help little Griffin Ulfharm fight for his life. I had to make a choice, between getting that armor done and giving this thing my all- but It wasn’t much of a choice. I thought of all those troops out there, and all the good they have done and knew that this was what the 501^st meant, not some silly costume.

Sadly, Griffin didn’t make it. I was crushed. After a few days I visited his parents to give them the money we had raised in hopes that it would at least contribute to a memorial service or help them with outstanding medical bills. They were very gracious and kind despite their recent loss, and I realized that maybe I hadn’t failed in this endeavor- that at least I had been able to offer them some comfort in their moment of tragedy. As I left their home I couldn’t help but notice the Star Wars poster in their living room.

A few days later I went to the convention, and it was amazing- I met a lot of awesome people, including the oldest living member of the 501^st legion, and as always I was amazed at the power of people brought together by some silly movies and a bunch of plastic.

Old Guys Rule.

Whitney Holding Hands with C3P-O

Oh, and I got a picture of my Dad in from of our favorite monster. 

That's my Dad. The "Serious Lawyer" type.

Today I became more aware of my Dad’s declining health. His treatment is not going as well as we'd hoped, and the procedures he's facing are a bit more intense than initially thought. It's all a little overwhelming for me, and once again I felt at a loss. I can't cure my Father. I can't reach inside him and fix this disease. All I can do is be there for him and try to make him laugh, make him have fun, and most of all make him understand how much I really do love him. Make him feel like his life has been good and with pupose. Make him proud of his accomplishments, his life, and his son. And it all fell into place for me. This was my new purpose, to take up the mantel of evil to do good, to put my childhood fantasy to work for an adult cause. To spend the rest of my days helping people, all the while waving the flag of epic nerd-dom. I had become the thing I had admired, and though the armor still isn’t done (I am literally typing his with dried plastic weld on my hands) the battle has already begun. I may not win it, but I will fight, all my living days to make a difference in any way I can. For the Empire, and for my Father.

 This blog is about a lot of things- It's about Star Wars- it's about the 501st- it's so that people can see what one person can do to make a difference- but mostly It's so that my Dad can pull it up from his Hospital bed and know that I love him more than anything and that I will fight for Him. 

-TFAC
TK Percentage Complete: 87%