Daniel is also a HUGE Canucks fan and the visit from Fin went a long way.

While the contest is over, please do not hesitate to send your notes of who should deserve a copy of the book. Our goal is to reach as many kids as possible.

Secondly, I went out to Burnaby to attend a Kelsan who is using my experience as their message to ride the BC Ride to Conquer Cancer event this weekend.  It was another great event to see the power of books and meet the many people who have inspired, but never met.

Good luck to Brian and Kevin on your ride!  (As well as our own Johnathon Strebly who is also taking part in this event!)

Lucas Spata

Download the Entry Form!

Rules and Regulations of the Philmore and Fin Contest

Contest Date: Contest will be run from April 15, 2010 to May 15th, 2010

Entry Method: A request sent to Lucas Spata via email or through the mail (#345-5880 Dover Cres, Richmond BC, V7E 5C5, Canada) during the contest period will be consider an application to the contest.  Recommendations on the best applicants include:
1) Clearly display the need for a specific individual or organization that deserves a book.
2) Explanation of the applicants connect to the deserving party.  A direct family relationship will not dismiss and applicant, but great effort will need to be made establish the sincerity of the request.
3) Any supporting evidence or referrals are not necessary, but will be needed for the selection of the grand prize winner.
4) When possible, a school or social organization should be reference in the letter.

Contest Prize: A minimum of ten (10) copies will be sent to qualified applications.  One (1) entrant will be sent based on the board of directors decisions.  All decisions by the board are final.

Any prize can only be claimed by an adult or parental guardian.

*In the event that more/less qualified applicants applied, the board may decide at its discretion to award more/less books.

Entry Protection: This contest is being run through the Board of The Impossibility Theory Fund.  The only intention is to spread copy of the books to deserving children.  Any information collected from applicants is strictly to be used to contact applicants and distribute winning prizes.  We strongly suggest that you only share information (names, addresses, etc) you are comfortable sharing.  We appreciate sensitivities with respect to children and would recommend that all requests reference a school or organization.  Any desire to have contact information destroyed for any communication (other than contact of winner) will be honoured.

Please note this contest is fully run by Lucas Spata and The Impossibility Theory Fund.  The use of Mascot Fin time, logos and other trademarks of Canucks, Sports and Entertainment are simple donations to the program. The Canucks will have access to contestants who enter the contest.

The Rotary then went further and offered Lucas the opportunity to apply for additional support which later came in the form of a dontation of $500.

A huge thank you to all the members of the Rotary Club of Richmond Sunrise!

For more information about the Rotary Club of Sunrise and the great work they do visit their website.

Catch Lucas talks about his involvement with Canuck Place, Canucks for Kids, and his book Philmore, Xebob and The Impossibility Theory.

My life flipped four years ago when an odd lump on the bridge of my nose turned out to be a small cell cancer tumor in my sinus cavity.  I went through surgery, chemotherapy and radiation that was a six month hell that I would not wish on my worst enemy.  But as difficult as that experience was mentally, physically and emotionally, it provided me with three valuable things.

Firstly, I gained a true understanding of perspective.  Life and one’s good health has never been more precious in my mind.

Secondly, I realized the power of a positive attitude.  There are two ways to deal with tragic news; you can let it bring you down and let it become an excuse for failure, or you can accept it and use it as motivation to reach your full potential.

Lastly, cancer has given me more purpose in my life.  I know I have inspired many in how I accepted the challenges that come with cancer.  Now, I want to inspire more people and especially those who are going through the same battles.

I wrote a children’s book – Philmore, Xebob and the Impossibility Theory.  It is just a fun story for children that will take their minds away from the world of chemo cycles, blood tests and nasty medication, to one of adventure and excitement with alien creatures in a different universe.  Simply put, it is distractive therapy – the other medicine.

The story also has an important message to communicate to children about facing the greatest challenges whether they be mythical monsters or the real monsters like cancer.  It is about positive attitude and, in some cases, believing in the impossible.

My goal is for every child battling a serious illness to receive a printed copy of my story and have them start believing in the impossible.

How can you help?

Philmore, Xebob and the Impossibility Theory is available to download for free on www.sharing-books.com.  Please go to this site and get your copy.  Donations are vital to fund the printing and distribution of copies of the book to children, but more important is your ability to spread this message.  Tell your friends, family and your co-workers that you have joined an amazing movement that allows you to help inspire and brighten the lives of sick children.

Tell them that you believe in the impossible.  Tell them that you believe we can defeat cancer.

Please note: Donations can also be made directly to The Impossibility Theory Fund Society which is a registered Society. The Society is not registered under the Income Tax Act and cannot issue tax receipts at this time.

Donations sent to:
Lucas Spata
The Impossibility Theory Fund
#345 – 5880 Dover Cres.
Richmond, BC
V7C 5P5 Canada

My first venture into the world of blog was titled “Left Coast Hosers”.  Actually it was something more like www.extendiamediapromotionhypersolutions.net/leftcoasthosers (I wanted a website, but I was too cheap to pay for one so I linked through one of these “free website offers”.)  Despite the crazy link I was quite pleased with the work.  Two friends and I randomly posted commentaries on a wide range of topics from sports to entertainment to politics to all sorts of obscure kinds of musing that you might expect from three 20 something Vancouverites living in Memphis, Tennessee.  I loved the submissions, but like the next day perspective of someone who thought they were really funny at the office party –when in fact they were just drunk – most of my submissions were a lot better in my head than on paper.  With that, I think the Left Coast Hosers blog should rest in peace in the Bluff City.

The next thought was to introduce “Lucas Spata’s Road Apples”.  I love this phrase.  It has so much going for it.  It is an album for my favourite band (The Tragically Hip), it was the name I used for my first fantasy football team, it was the title of one of my early “novels” plus it is nice way of saying horse poop.  For those who know me well know that saying the word “poop” has about a 99.99% chance of making me smile.  (Yes, I am the complete package Children’s book Writer and child in one.)

But the beauty of “Road Apples” is that when I first heard this term, I had no idea of its real meaning.  I actually remember a summer day as a child where our family was walking around farms in West Richmond and the sides of the roads where lined with apples that had fallen off of nearby trees.  It was our mission to find those “apples” that had freshly fallen on to the “road” and had not suffered too much damage to not be inedible.  Road apples.  I swear this is the truth.  (First bit of information you are learning about my thirftiness is a family inheritance -Free road fruit gathering as child leads to web hosting.)

It is in this story though that I realized I simply cannot associate my work with “Road Apples”.  The whole world of blogging is full of “Road Apples”.  For readers it is a hunt to try to find those few stories/comentaries written by bloggers with any real insight and value amongst the mounds of stinky produce.  Or as is in in my case, not even realizing that these “free treasures” are not even old rotting fruit and they are just “poop”.

I have decided to go with “Xe-Blog”.  First off, because Xebob has the “ah” sound that is so crucial to successful blog names who have a subject that sounds like or ryhmess with the word “blog”.  I bet more people will choose to read a “Hog-Blog” or a “Frog-Blog” before considering a “Giraffe Blog” just because of the funny names.

Secondly, it is not a real word.  Marketers spend sleepless nights struggling to create words like “Haagendaas” (means nothing in any language by the way) in hopes of breaking out of the norm of messaging.

Most importantly, Xebob is energy.  Philmore’s goal is to save the universe from being sucked dry of Xebob.  It is his courage and will to overcome the “impossible” to make this happen.  This is what drives me everyday and what I hope to do with The Impossibility Theory Fund.  With Xe-Blog, my goal is to have some fun and share some insights with readers as to who I am and what I think.  There will likely be some road apples, but keep reading because I promise there will be some Xebob as well.

Lucas discusses his new book, Philmore, Xebob and The Impossibility Theory.