A call for thoughts/prayers for a beer brother

[swenocha]

I normally don't solicit on here, but I have a good friend who is going thru a rough time right now, and I'm trying to get the word out to the different beer groups I run in. Jeff is a fixture in our Nashville/Franklin beer circle, and he's had a serious relapse of cancer that he's been fighting for a few years. I have been working with our local brewery (Mantra Artisan Ales) on a fundraiser, and they have run with it and gone all-out. Mantra, in partnership with Goo-Goo Clusters, has graciously offered to release a special beer in Jeff's honor ("Goo Goo Gish", a Goo-Goo Cluster stout that Jeff has looked to brew for a few years... his father loved Goo-Goos, so it's a beer he's discussed homebrewing with me and also brewing at a couple of the local breweries), and they are donating $1 of each pint of beers they sell Saturday to the linked fund. They have also organized a silent auction of items from several of the local breweries for Saturday, and we expect a great turnout. Really top-notch people at this brewery... and they make fantastic beers.

So... none of you know Jeff, and thoughts and prayers are what I ask of you if you are so inclined. I've lost a friend to cancer in the last three years, and another acquaintance just a few weeks ago, so it's hard to think of losing another. I welcome your thoughts and prayers, but if you wish to help a fellow beer guy (who happens to be one of the nicest guys I've met) in a financial sense, the link below will direct you to the donation page:

Jeff Gish's Cancer Sucks Fund

[Beer-lord]

So sorry to hear about your friend. Looking at his picture, he seems to be a great guy. I'll add him to my prayers and send positive thoughts his way and out a few bucks in the fund with the hope that my little bit of support will help him.
Please keep us informed.



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[Kealia]

Oh man, I'm so sorry to hear this. I'm not a religious person but I'm sending positive thoughts in your direction on his behalf.

[Gymrat]

I am very sorry to hear this. My prayers go out to those who need them.

[BigPapaG]

Prayers said, thoughts happening... Cancer sucks!

[BlackDuck]

Thoughts and prayers for all of you Swen!!!

[Dawg LB Steve]

Thoughts and prayers to Jeff and his Family, your way too! It is tough when someone close is going thru that!

[Inkleg]

Sorry he's going through this. I'll do all I can from my end.

[TonyKZ1]

Sorry to hear about this, thoughts and prayers to Jeff & family. That Goo-Goo Stout sounds pretty good.

[FedoraDave]

I wish Jeff, his family, and his friends grace, peace, and strength.

My thoughts and prayers are with them.

[swenocha]

The fundraiser went off better than one could ever expect last night, even with pulling it together in a single week. The Goo Goo Gish beer was crazy good. They took a portion of their ReinCOWnation milk stout and secondaried with peanut butter, vanilla beans, chocolate and caramel. The result was very good, and the first keg went from tapped to kicked in a little over an hour (they had two 1/6 kegs for the event). Mantra donated $1/pint of everything they sold Saturday to the fund, and Yazoo also put a funk beer on tap and were donating the proceeds. The turnout was beyond my imagination... hundreds of people passed through. We skyped with Jeff so that he could see the large turnout and participate in a toast. The GoFundMe is sitting just shy of $6k right now, and the silent auction should factor into that over the next few days. At least 5 local breweries donated silent auction bottles and assorted items (tours, apparel, memberships to their clubs, etc.). There were also Nashville beer history books, jams and other local products for auction. Several in our beer community donated gems from their cellar as well. Hopefully all of that raised substantial amounts of cash. We also will be auctioning off Jeff's beer (240ish bottles) in the hopes of further raising funds. A really good day...

[BlackDuck]

That's awesome!!! So happy it was a success.


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[RedBEERd]

All my best for your friend. I'm sorry he has to go thru all of this but with friends like you and those who put on the fundraiser, I'm sure he's in good shape to handle what comes his way.

[Kealia]

I'm glad to hear that things went well. Hopefully a little bit of joy goes a long way.

[Dawg LB Steve]

From what I saw and read about the event on FB it really did look like it was a great event and turnout shows how much he means to the community.