p2pnet special: The MPAA and RIAA (and their international cronies) would have the lamescream media and general population believe file-sharers are calculating, apathetic, thieving pirates.

Actually, that description fits the MPAA and RIAA to a T, and has absolutely nothing to do with filesharers.

But you already knew that.

P2Pers are in reality warm, caring, and considerate people - yes people, not faceless conglomerates – with strong, unbreakable ties to community. P2P means People-to-People, not Pirate-to-Pirate. That’s what filesharing is about: sharing and caring, as proved once again by this recent urgent appeal for assistance, and the tremendous response to it so far.

Earlier this month, I came across the story of Dave Woodley, a teacher in Somerset, England, and his partner of four years, Su Llewellyn, a teaching assistant at the same school where they met and fell in love.

Less than a year ago, they bought a house where they could live with Su’s two children from a previous marriage, Joshua and Bethany. Josh and Beth know, trust and love Dave as their stepfather, and he and Su were planning to be married this year.

Then, in December, 2005, Su was diagnosed with colon cancer, and this month it was discovered that she also has liver cancer.

Dave posted an urgent appeal on a well-known P2P website in the UK. From Dave’s posting on the UK site:

Things are very serious and life-threatening. Standard chemotherapy will simply not work on her: the cancer is too far advanced. Her only hope is a brand new treatment known as Avastin, which is not yet available on the NHS, as it is not yet approved for use. It has not even completed its trial stage.

We can only receive this treatment by paying for it privately. To enable Su to receive this treatment, we have to find £40,000 (about $70,264).

Our families are currently re-mortgaging their houses, raiding their bank accounts and screwing every last penny from their life-savings. Yet we are still far from the needed amount.

The £40,000 will ensure that Su will be able to continue treatment for the next year.

Dave told me, “If the tumours are shrunk [after the second six months], the doctors will operate to remove them. If she’s ‘in the clear’, then we sit and wait for a few years with constant check-ups. If things have improved only slightly, then she has more treatment.”

Donations of all different amounts have been coming in since the appeal was posted, as well as his own web sites http://www.weneedyounow.com/ and http://www.davewoodley.co.uk/weneedyounow/ which went online this month, both of which have Paypal links and postal addresses where checks or cash can be sent.

From carwash-a-thons to cake sales to sponsored swims to original authentic Dr Who-related props being donated by their creators and auctioned off on eBay, to donations of £1, £2, £10, they’ve so far raised £22,170, with hopefully more on the way from caring filesharers around the world who have a couple of extra bucks to spare.

With the help they’ve received so far, Su has finally been able to begin treatment this past week. But more is needed.

Although Dave’s teacher’s union, NASUWT, has given them a £500 grant, they have yet to hear back from Su’s teaching union or the charity ‘Macmillan Cancer Relief’ as to whether or not they’ll receive a grant(s).

So - to hard reality——-

We know there are a lot of scams out there in cyberspace, and p2pnet has reported several of them to you, dear Constant Reader.

I’ve spoken with Dave, Su’s doctor, and their school’s administrators. I’ve seen and verified bills, letters and other documents pertaining to Su’s illness and medical costs. In short, everything that can be verified has been verified and I’m absolutely confident this is for real.

The reputable and respected site www.419eater.com which specialises in scambaiting and exposing internet scams, has given Su and Dave their seal of approval, which appears on their website here.

Meanwhile, the full story, as well as updates and easily verifiable info, are posted almost every day on Dave and Su’s web sites. Their story is truly a human one, and it’s touched me deeply not only because of the devastating circumstances they’ve suddenly found themselves in, but also because of the overwhelming outpouring of compassion and donations from strangers near and far, the majority being file-sharers whom they’ll never, ever meet.

Everyone knows someone (or someone who knows someone) who’s had to deal with the ‘the Big C,’ in one way or another, and understands the physical and emotional stress this illness can place on a family. Money is the last thing one wants to have to worry about in times like this.

Even if you can’t donate anything, I urge you to please read their story, follow Su’s progress, and send them comforting words of love and support in their time of need. Your support will help them get through this.

p2pnet isn’t asking for, or accepting, donations on their behalf. This article is being published solely to help publicise Dave and Su’s situation, in the hope that it’ll help get them the funds they desperately need.

From Dave’s original appeal:

I have set up a fund-raising website at http://www.weneedyounow.com to try to raise a bit more cash. All I need is people with a £1 coin and a heart.

Regards,

Dave Woodley.

Please visit the site @ http://www.weneedyounow.com (or @ the alternate address, http://www.davewoodley.co.uk/weneedyounow/ ) where you not only can donate, but also read updates on the latest progress.

It’s extremely comforting to know that no matter how great the distances, people in the p2p world always come together in the true meaning of community spirit.

We send our love to Su, Dave, Joshua, Bethany, and their friends and families, and pray for Su’s speedy recovery.

catflap - p2pnet

NOTE: - The pic at the top appears on weneedyounow.com and was taken in November, 2005. The caption reads … due to the events of the last few months, this happiness is now in great jeopardy. Su is suffering from primary cancer in her colon and secondary cancer in her liver. Unless action is taken, she will be lucky to survive into 2007. She will leave two children without their beloved mother and scenes like the one pictured above will never happen again. Please, please, please read our story and help us.

Thanks …….

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This entry was posted on Saturday, March 18th, 2006 at 10:51 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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