Please consider donating to Ken Starks' medical fund

Hey, everyone - I don't often post stuff like this, as it's so hard to know where to draw the line, but I had to make an exception in this case. It's become widely known in the last week or so that Ken Starks, of Blog of HeliOS fame, is suffering from an aggressive throat cancer and needs surgery on it soon. Thanks to the vagaries of the American healthcare system, on which I have strong opinions I won't go into here, Ken is on the hook for the entire cost of the operation himself, and doesn't have the money.

Ken's one of the nicest guys I've ever communicated with in the F/OSS world, and has dedicated huge chunks of his time for years, tirelessly and often thanklessly, to spreading the F/OSS culture in difficult but constructive ways - not like those of us lazy suckers who just wibble in forums and comment threads. Even more praiseworthy than that, he has for years been the driving force behind the HeliOS/REGLUE project which refurbishes donated computers for disadvantaged kids in Ken's home area of Austin, Texas.

Ken might not be the most polished debater or communicator in the F/OSS world but I can't think of a single other person in this community who's done more good for others, and it'd be a tragedy if Ken doesn't get the surgery he needs because of a lack of funds. So please, consider donating to Ken's medical fund - they set an initial goal of $5,000 which has already been reached, but they really need a minimum of $50,000 just to pay for the operating room for the surgery (more if they can't find a doctor who'll do the surgery for free). The donation process has been thrown together quickly by Ken's friends, so again it's not the most polished thing in the world - the money goes to 'Dragonwing Software' - but it's really all above-board, not some sort of scam. There isn't anyone in our community who could possibly need the money more, I don't think. Thanks!

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