One of the biggest blessings in my life is being able to do what I love.  It means being able to do archaeology on  daily basis, and to be part of a wonderful and caring community of people whose joy is the same as mine.  Everywhere I go and every place I do research, I find another group of archaeologists that are amazingly talented, intelligent and kind.  I think that when you love what you do, all of the hours of hard work, the heat, the sore feet, the sun burn, it all falls by the wayside because for us, there is no greater reward than being able to find history.

That is how this past summer was.  We found a settlement of approximately 10,000 to 25,000 people, which was about 1000 years old.  The work was hard, but worthwhile.  One of the people I met while working was Jason Bush.  Jason is resilient, hard working, and always cool under pressure.  A genius with the GPS and GIS software, Jason is one of the reasons that we implemented such a new and complex methodology for recording sites in the field.  Jason while be writing his master’s thesis on the work we are doing in Mexico, but unfortunately he hit a roadblock on the way.

Jason has been recently diagnosed with stage III testicular cancer.  Being a graduate student, his health care doesn’t kick in until the fall semester, and unfortunately the cancer was discovered two days before that starting period and therefore, according to the health care provider, is considered a pre-existing condition.  That means the insurance will not cover doctor’s appointments, chemotherapy treatment, operations, or lab tests associated with the cancer.

Now, I could ramble on about how this is a perfect example of why people like Jason and the vast majority of Americans need health care reform to pass, but this isn’t about heath care.  This is about reaching out to the greater community of archaeologists and to ask for their help.  With the accumulation of medical bills, Jason is estimated to have 120,000 dollars in debt, and that is after the initial treatment package.  In helping Jason, we are helping a student.  We are helping him finish his thesis.  We are helping him get on his feet and work in Mexico again this upcoming summer.  We are helping to relive his financial troubles so he could afford to continue school, and go on to a PhD program.  We are investing in his future as an active member of the archaeological and academic community, a community that I know to be strong in the bonds it makes. That is because we all love what we do for a living, and none more than Jason.  So please, pass this blog along, and visit jasoncancerfund.org,  and continue to aid Jason through this tough time, and help him get back to doing what he loves.

For more please visit jasonbushcancerfund.org, or go to his facebook page, under Jason Bush Cancer Fund.  You will be helping immensely just by passing these tags along.