Update: August 3. Joe lost his courageous battle tonight. Rest in peace Joe. I’ll miss you.

This is going to be one of the most difficult posts I’ve ever written”¦

Many reading this know Joe Ferrara. If you haven’t had the honor of meeting Joe in person, then you are missing out on knowing one of the finest human beings to ever walk the face of the planet.

Joe is one of the co-founders of the Sellsius Blog, a site chocked full of goodness for real estate agents, brokers, buyers and sellers. He, along with his partner at the time Rudy Bachraty, also were the geniuses behind Blog Tour USA. In the summer of 2007, Joe and Rudy wrapped an RV and set off across the country stopping in many locations and bringing real estate bloggers together. They defined social media before social media was cool.

I don’t think it is an exaggeration to say the Joe Ferrara is one of the people who is primarily responsible for bringing the “re.net” together. His contributions to real estate, and literally hundreds of real estate practitioners, knows no boundaries. Joe is an extraordinary speaker, teacher, author, and friend.

And Joe Ferrara is very sick.

He’s been recently diagnosed with a very aggressive malignant brain tumor. I’m not a doctor, and I haven’t been able to speak to Joe since the diagnosis, but he is having a rough time right now and is currently in an Intensive Care Unit in a Pennsylvania area hospital.

Joe’s good friend Scott Forcino has been in contact with Joe’s wife Sandra, who is understandably over-whelmed right now. Sandra has granted permission to get the word out about Joe’s condition, and has graciously allowed us to try to raise some funds for Joe’s medical expenses, which are probably bordering on the absurd.

I have set up a PayPal account to accept donations for Joe’s expenses. You can donate by clicking on the donate button at the top of the sidebar on the right. PayPal is a secure site, you do not have to have a PayPal account, and you can donate via credit card, or “eCheck” (electronic draw from your checking account). If you have a funded PayPal account, you can also use that.

If you have a blog or website and would like to add the donate button to it, just copy/paste the code in this text file.

I’m in the process of setting up a site to collect donations at joe-ferrara.com (site is not active yet, but will be shortly). In addition, there is a “Friends of Joe Ferrara” Group that has been started on Facebook.

Please help spread the word. I realize times are tough for many, but they are tougher for Joe and his family. Any amount you can donate would help. If it fits your beliefs, a quick note to the man upstairs sure wouldn’t hurt.

Hang tough Joe, you have a LOT of friends out there that care deeply for you.

Update: Several people have asked publicly and privately for Joe’s mailing address to send a card. I’ll be happy to share that, but don’t want it posted on a public facing web site. Please contact me or leave a note in the comments and I’ll get it to you.

Update 2: A couple of folks have asked me what the processing fees are for PayPal. They charge 3%. But don’t worry about it. I’ll cover the fees personally for up to $10,000 in donations. Every dollar you donate to Joe will go to Joe.

UPDATE: Sadly, on October 30, 2010, my friend Dan lost his courageous battle with ALS. God Speed Dano, you will be missed by many.

Posts like this are hard.

I met Dan Keitz many years ago when we both worked in the semiconductor manufacturing industry. I was immediately struck by three things: His sense of humor, his intelligence, and his huge heart.

Dan was a U.S. Navy Commander, a marathon runner, a semiconductor factory capacity modeler (and latte drinker), and is a fun-loving guy:

 

He’s also a family man, and a man of great faith.

And he has been diagnosed with ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease) and CIDP (Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy).

Both of which are horrific, and ridiculously expensive, diseases.

Yet despite what he is facing, Dan remains strong in hope, spirit and faith.

I’ve set up a site at DanKeitz.com where anyone interested can help contribute to Dan’s medical expenses, learn more about ALS and CIDP and even leave Dan a message that his caretaker can share with him. I’m sure words of encouragement, even from complete strangers, will mean a lot to Dan.

I don’t like asking people for money. I know times are rough for many out there. But any contribution, no matter how small, adds up. And when you’re speaking to the man upstairs, please put in a good word for my friend Dan.

Here is a video Dan’s son Kendal made that shows some of what his father is going through. What an expression of a son’s love for his father this is. Keep a box of Kleenex handy”¦

Direct link to video