Pancreatic Cancer - The Fight Is On And We Need Your Help!

    Every once in a while I will be serious on this blog and I have chosen today as one of those days.  This past June I lost my close friend, Karen Petty to Pancreatic Cancer.  Karen's son Jason was my closest friend growing up and I was at the Petty household on a daily basis.  Karen was like a second mother to me while I was growing up.  Losing Karen was the closest I have come to losing a parent and it really hit home for me.  Karen's passing has inspired me to bring the fight to Pancreatic Cancer in any way I know how.  My first stab at taking on this disease took place on Sept. 25th 2010 in the form of a 200 mile one day solo bicycle ride from Karen's home in West Warwick, RI to her cabin in Thornton, NH.  This ride served a twofold purpose.  It gave me a way to take on Pancreatic Cancer actively and also helped me honor the great life that Karen led.  Also with the help of devoted family and friends we raised almost $8000 for the Lustgarten Foundation from this event.  The Lustgarten Foundation is underwritten by Cablevision, allowing 100% of your donations to go to Pancreatic Cancer research.  I believe the amount raised is testament to how many people truly loved Karen.
     Since the ride I have had a lot of time to reflect and have become more in tune to the Pancreatic Cancer community.  I have found that although raising money for research is extremely important, there is something that I think is even more important to the overall fight against Pancreatic Cancer.  That something is AWARENESS!  I am totally shocked by how few people have mobilized against a disease that happens to be the 4th largest cancer killer in this country.  Yes the 4th largest - with survival rates in the single digits, and very few government dollars to aid in the fight!  This is unacceptable to me.  Something else I've learned since my ride is that Pancreatic Cancer is actually a very slow growing cancer and only becomes lethal in your body after about a 20 year gestation period.  I find this news heartening because in my mind if we can catch this disease in its infancy then I believe we can kill it.  The key to all of this is early detection - which has so far eluded researchers.  The only path to finding a cure is to give these researchers the money they need to continue on with their search.  Raising public awareness of Pancreatic Cancer is the only path to getting the research funding, both Federal and private, needed to make this fight a success.


 I recently joined the Rhode Island Affiliate of The Pancreatic Cancer Action Network.  I learned about this group from an event called Purple Light that I was invited to by one of it's members.  I was very impressed by what I saw at the event and also by the fire in the bellies of its volunteers.  I knew this was a group I had to be a part of.  These are fighters that I can stand back to back with in my fight against Pancreatic Cancer.  The Rhode Island affiliate is relatively new and really beginning to pick up speed.  I have taken on the role of Event Coordinator for the Rhode Island affiliate to try to do my part.


     Our next event will be what is called a PurpleStride event.  It is a walk to be held on May 15th, 2011 at Goddard Park in Warwick, RI.  We have made it our goal to bring at least 1000 walkers to this event.  I believe that Rhode Island should be a perfect place to begin a storm of awareness on the subject of Pancreatic Cancer.  We are small, passionate, and smart.  We also do not like to be messed with.  Rhode Islanders are being assaulted every day by this insidious disease and I find it hard to believe that this state full of fighters will continue to take this lying down.  We are here standing by to help you bring the fight to Pancreatic Cancer in your own way.  We all have special talents and it is time to put them to good use.  This event will take all of our talents and resources to make it the big success we need it to be.  On Wednesday, 1/5/11 we are having a purplestride planning meeting from 6:30 to 8:30 at 82 Pierce St in East Greenwich (the public library), and will continue to meet on a monthly basis after that.  Please join us and help squash Pancreatic Cancer into a memory before it takes any more of our friends or family from us.

Sincerely,

Eric Costantino

Papa Mario On American Chop Suey!

You've all gotten a small glimpse of my 93 year old Papa Mario with his video on "The Hereafter".  Here is another video shot on the same day.  Papa Mario is very passionate about the food he likes.  Somehow the subject got on American Chop Suey.  I have heard Papa rant and rave about this stuff before but was never lucky enough to get it on video before.  Thanks to the small nature of my Flip Video camera I have been able to get this on record more discreetly than a full size camera.  Check out this video for a good laugh thanks to Papa Mario!        

10 Reasons To Ski With Your Kids

Over the years skiing has become an integral part of our family.  While some dread the winter, we wait with bated breath every year to see if mother nature will bring us the snow conditions that we dream of.  This year has started with a bang with Cannon Mountain receiving over 6' of snow in December!  Cannon is our mountain of choice for many reasons.  Trust me when I say that Cannon is hands down the best area in the northeast to ski with your family.  Here are the 10 reasons that Wacky Dad thinks skiing with your kids is great for the family!


1.  Exercise - many kids become too lethargic during the winter months.  Skiing offers an 8 hours of exercise for every ski day you enjoy.  It is the best type of exercise because it is fun!

Mia Skiing at age 2 - we start them young!  

2.  The lift ride - riding up the lift gives you a chance to really connect with your kids while your enjoying something together.  For the 5 minutes we spend on each lift ride we talk about our next run, tell stories (mostly about dumb things I have done in the past), and quietly crack on some of the "Joeys" we see skiing down the mountain.  A "Joey" is simply someone who has absolutely no business being on a set of skis and they make that clear to the world with their style and grace!


3.  Winter is boring without outdoor activities - what else are you going to do?

Abigail at Bodefest 2010

4.  Toughness - skiing can instill a sense of toughness in your kids.  Bundling up against the cold and surviving multiple runs on zero degree days teaches your kids that they can thrive in a tough environment and still have fun.  Abby and I both remember her taking a top to bottom run on a bitter cold day that had most kids and adults lurking in the lodge for most of the day.  She was cold at the bottom but I made sure she knew that she had toughed out conditions that most people couldn't handle.  She is still proud of that one run.

Ailey at Bodefest 2010

5.  Meeting new friends - when you ski at family area like Cannon Mountain you become a part of that mountain's community.  Cathy, myself, and the kids have a whole set of skiing buddies we look forward to seeing every year.  Some of the relationships have even brought us together for summer activities as well.  Getting your kids together with other kids that all share a common passion for sport is a great experience for them.


6.  Building a sense of independence - For kids it is a big deal for them to go out and ride the lift alone and ski parts of the mountain on their own with friends.  Getting away from mom and dad for a while is a good thing for them and us!


7.  Coordination - skiing well incorporates a lot of different timing skills.  Skiing is great for kids balance and coordination and this sense of accomplishment makes other sports and activities seem less daunting.  For Example you might hear your kid say "If I can ski Zoomer (a tough trail at Cannon), than I can ride a bike!" 

Abby and Ailey meet Bode Miller - Born and raised at Cannon

8.  Living together in a small space - We get a seasonal rental every year near the mountain.  It is really bare bones - a 2 bed motel room with a little fridge and microwave, but it is affordable.  With 3 kids and a dog this is pretty tight but we manage to make it fun and we learn to live together in relative peace and harmony in this little domain.  I think my kids benefit from this by knowing you don't need to live in a great big house to survive. 


 9.  Learning together.  As skiers we are all always trying to improve on our style and technique.  Skiing affords us a rare opportunity to learn and perfect a physical activity as a family unit.  We share pointers, talk about how we looked on a particular run, etc.  My daughters are becoming such good skiers that dad and mom can actually take lessons from them!  When a kid becomes your teacher he or she feels a real sense of accomplishment!

The view from Cannon on a spectacular day!

10.  Having fun together - This is the most important of all of the reasons to ski with your kids.  We have a total blast every day we spend on the mountain - and we do that as a family.  When it comes down to it the best things in life happen when your with your family.  Adventuring, playing, and discovering natural beauty with your kids on such an open playing field as a ski area makes for awesome fun and great memories!




I am looking forward to spending a great winter enjoying the incredible fun that awaits!  Thank God for the seasons!


Eric Costantino
AKA Wacky Dad   

Papa Mario On Heaven - The Hereafter!

The Hight Test
That Papa Loves

My grandfather - known as Papa Mario to me, is 93 years old.  Papa is my mother's father and is definitely the true patriarch of the family.  He is an amazing man.  He still lives alone, still drives, reads without glasses, and can put red wine away with the best of us!  One of the best parts of spending holidays with the family is hearing Papa's stories and opinions on things.  He has lived through so much time that his perspective on things is often worlds away from the way we view things today.  One thing that he has been consistent on through my whole life has been his view on Heaven - or as he calls it the "Hereafter".  Watch this video for a good laugh!

After listening to this for my whole life catching this on video on my new Flip Video camera (thanks Cathy!) was a real treat.  Papa I love you.  You are one funny man!


Your Grandson, 


Eric - AKA Wacky Dad 

Sledding Before The Blizzard of 2010

Well we had our white Christmas at the Costantino Residence and we finally shut down snowmaking operations this morning.  Now mother nature is kicking in and it looks like we are all in for a treat!  Nothing like a good old fashioned blizzard to spice up vacation week for the kids.  We got some pre-blizzard sledding in this morning and shot some video while we were at it.

  After today it looks like we won't need to make snow for a while but we have a great base laid down and will be sledding on Brook Hill for months to come!  Gotta love this weather!  For all of you skiers out there if you're heading to New Hampshire for vacation be sure to check out Cannon Mountain.  They are having an incredible season and have recieved over 4 feet of snow in December alone!  Hope all of my readers out there had as great of a Christmas as I did.  A blizzard is just the icing on the cake!  Bring it on Snow Miser!    


Santa delivered 3 of these little beauties to our house this Christmas.  I was like a kid in a candy store riding this thing today and so were the kids.  I even had Mia on it - she'll be 3 in February!