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December 13, 2014 — Rob is Interviewed on "Amazing Hope Radio with Shellie Nichol" Shellie Nichol, Host of "Amazing Hope Radio with Shellie Nichol" interviewed Rob about his cancer journey, including his original diagnosis in 1989, the relapse of 2008, the bone marrow transplant that followed in early 2009, his divorce in 2011, and his new book, "When You See the Cows, Make a Left!". The hour-program was aired on the San Francisco Bay Area's KFAX AM 1100. Tens of thousands of listeners tune in each week to hear "Amazing Hope Radio" Saturday afternoon at 1:00 p.m. PST.November 12, 2014 — Rob's Releases His Second Book, "When You See the Cows, Make a Left!" After two and a half years of work, Rob released his second book, "When You See the Cows, Make a Left!". "Cows" is a memoir of Rob's journey to rebuild his life and find greener pastures on the other side of his bone marrow transplant and the divorce that followed fast on it's heels. In August of 2011, Rob was on the (long) path to recovery from the bone marrow transplant, and in the early stages of divorce proceedings. He was long on the need for a vision of how to move forward but short on options, until an amazing door of opportunity opened. With his German shepherd, Sam riding shotgun, he made his move and took the first steps in rebuilding his life. This memoir recounts the events of that journey.What Rob is most excited about, is that beyond his own story, "Cows" includes the stories of several friends who have traveled their own difficult roads--the challenges they faced, the battles they waged, and the insights they gained through their experiences. He feels indebted to those amazing friends, who caught the vision for how this book might be a help to others, and dove in head first in sharing their stories. "When You See the Cows, Make a Left!" is now available in paperback at Createspace (https://www.createspace.com/5076119) and Amazon.com, and is also available as a Kindle ebook. August,
2013 — Rob's Story Featured in Cancer Today Magazine May 1, 2013 — Presentation at West Valley High School, Redding, CA Rob shared his story with the Senior Class of West Valley High School. Approximately 200 students attended the assembly where Rob shared part of his cancer journey with the students, and also spent some time discussing the Kubler-Ross model of the Five Stages of Grief, and how we face adversity when it befalls us.The response from students was very positive. Several approached Rob after the presentation to share
their stories of bone marrow donation; one gal had been a recipient of her own marrow, and the other girl had donated her
peripheral stem cells to be frozen for a future need, most likely a young child who will require a transplant in order to
survive. February, 2013 — Interview for Stanford Medicine Magazine Article Rob was interviewed for an article about blood donation that appears in the Spring 2013 issue of Stanford Medicine Magazine. The article, entitled, "Roll Up Your Sleeve," highlights the stories of several individuals who suffered accidents or battled illnesses and how they benefitted from the blood transfusions they received. To access the online version of the article, go to: http://stanmed.stanford.edu/2013spring/article2.html. January
31, 2013 — "Meet the Authors" Book Signing Event at The Tasting Room in Redding, California
Rob was one of four authors invited to participate in a book signing event at The Tasting Room in Redding, California.
His memoir, “But I Was in Such a Good Mood This Morning!” was available for purchase at a discounted price,
along with works by three other local authors. It was Rob’s first official book signing event, and the evening was wonderful.
Many thanks to friends and fans of Post-Traumatic Press who attended. Thanks to Mimi Moseley of Moseley Family Cellars for
extending the invitation to participate, and for hosting such a special evening. June 11, 2012 — Keynote Speaking Opportunity at GEAR UP/Camp McCumber, Shingletown, CA Rob spoke to 55 new high school graduates attending a unique camp in the shadows of Mt. Lassen, near Shingletown, CA. The GEAR UP camp is designed to prepare young men and women for the next stages of their lives. Important life skills are addressed through the week, and Rob's presentation in the late afternoon on the first day of camp set the tone. He told two stories. The first, about a young man in Germany who tried to help a teacher in a time of need. The second, about a forty-six year old man who faced a relapse of leukemia after nearly twenty years in remission, and how those two lives intersected in 2009, when the young man chose to look beyond his own self interest to save another man's life. Rob encouraged the students to seek ways they can impact their world in any way they can, to look outside of their own circumstances, good or bad, and realize they have an opportunitiy to potentially save a life. Each student and all of the camp staff received a copy of Rob's memoir, "But I Was in Such a Good Mood This Morning!". About half of the students asked Rob to sign their copy of the book. Rob stayed in camp after his presentation to sign books, and had a great opportunity to get to know the students and staff over dinner.
April
25, 2012 — Career Fair Participation at West Valley High School, Redding, CA Rob
was one of the presenters at a career fair held on the campus of West Valley High School. He shared information with the students
about his experiences working as a freelance graphic designer, and also answered questions about his memoir writing project.
The students rotated through career "stations" set up in the school's gym. The students had freedom to chose the
stations that interested them the most. At each interval, Rob's station was packed with students. Rob included a contest as
part of his Q&A session so one member of each group received a free copy of his memoir. At the conclusion of the event,
several of the students asked Rob to sign their copy of his book. April
24, 2012 — Presentation at Central Valley High School, Redding, CA Rob shared his
story with 160 high school seniors during the week of California State Star Testing. He shared the story of Michael, his bone
marrow donor, who at the age of eighteen decided to step out of his comfort zone to help a teacher in need of a bone marrow
donor. Rob encouraged the students to seek ways to be a "Michael" in someone's life, either through registering
to become a potential bone marrow donor or donating blood. Rob discussed the five classic stages of grief with the students,
and how they might work through difficult times when they arise. The presentation was met with tremendous enthusiasm and appreciation
from the students. Many of them hung around long after the presentation had concluded to ask questions about cancer, leukemia,
and Rob's memoir. March 7, 2012 — Radio Interview for "Your Story Matters" with Angela Schaefers Rob was interviewed for the "Your Story Matters" radio program, hosted by inspirational speaker and author Angela Schaefers. During the interview, Rob discussed his cancer journey, the lessons he learned and is still learning because of his illness, and why he wrote his memoir, "But I Was in Such a Good Mood This Morning!" Your Story Matters interview podcasts are uploaded weekly to iTunes and feature discussions in three categories: Encouraging Entrepreneurs, Creating Change (non-profits), and Inspiring Healing. Listen to the interview by clicking on the link below. January 28, 2012 -- "Saturday Magazine" Radio Interview for KVIP in Redding, California Rob was invited by Redding, California radio station KVIP to be interviewed for the station's "Saturday Magazine" program. The interview aired on Saturday, January 28, 2012 and addressed Rob's recently released memoir, "But I Was in Such a Good Mood This Morning!", his long journey with cancer, and the bone marrow transplant he received in February of 2009. In the second half of the interview, Rob and a second guest who was a recent bone marrow donor, discussed the nature of the donation process and how easy it is for folks to join the registry through Be The Match, at www.marrow.org. A recording of the interview will be available soon for those who were unable to listen to the live broadcast. January 6, 2012 — Rob's Story Featured in Stanford Blood Center's "Hemoblogin" Blog Site Rob story is highlighted in this blog posting from the Stanford Blood Center (http://bloodcenter.stanford.edu/blog/archives/2012/01/but-i-was-in-su.html). Throughout his twenty-year cancer journey, Rob received blood and blood product donations too numerous to count. The generosity and selflessness of those who donate through the Stanford Blood Center and similar organizations allowed Rob to stay alive so he was able to receive his bone marrow transplant and have a second chance at life. The Stanford Blood Center does an amazing work in support of folks like Rob, and others in need of blood and blood products. Each year, the Center collects and processes 47,930 whole blood donations, 1,129 autologous donations, 236 designated donations, 11,580 automated donations,and 113 therapeutic phlebotomies. To learn more about the Center, and how you can become a blood donor, visit www.http://bloodcenter.stanford.edu/. January 5, 2012 — Interview with Fast Company Magazine Rob was interviewed by Fast Company magazine for an upcoming article about business innovators. He was asked about his work with students at Stanford University who have created the "100,000 cheeks" project (http://www.facebook.com/100kCheeks) to achieve their goal of registering 100,000 new potential marrow donors into the international registry using social media channels. Rob shared the story of his own bone marrow transplant, and the role the Be The Match Marrow Registry played in finding not one but four perfect donor matches. The interview concluded with several questions about Rob's recently released memoir, "But I Was in Such a Good Mood This Morning!" and how his life post-transplant has played out over the past three years. The article will be part of the magazine's March issue. November 3, 2011 — Speaking Opportunity at
Stanford Blood Center's Annual "Precious Mettle" Breakfast in Palo Alto, CA Rob was one of two featured
speakers at the annual "Precious Mettle" Breakfast, hosted by the Stanford Blood Center. The event was attended
by approximately two hundred donors who have given hundreds of units of blood and blood products. Many have given 300 and
even 400 hundred units over the course of their lives. Rob shared highlights of his twenty-year cancer journey, and emphasized
the ciritcal role blood transfusions played in helping him survive his treatment for Leukemia and his bone marrow transplant. October 18, 2011—Presentation at Dartmouth Middle School in San Jose, CA Rob made a presentation to eigth-grade students in the "Life Skills" class at Dartmouth Middle School in San Jose, CA. He asked five student volunteers to open five unmarked envelopes. Each envelope contained a card with a statement describing a "life circumstance" that had befallen the student who selected the envelope. The statements included "I hear my mom and dad yelling at each other all the time. I think they love each other, but I wonder if they will get a divorce", "One month into my freshman year of high school, I feel lost. I cannot connect with anyone and I am starting to feel like I am not going to make it", and "I was just told I have Leukemia and will most likely die within the next several months." Through these examples, Rob led the group to explore the thoughts and emotions they might experience should such events actually occur in their lives. The class dicussed the concepts of Denial and Acceptance, and the five classic stages of the grieving process, with emphasis placed on the importance of reaching out to family members and trusted friends for support. Rob shared about his own struggles along the path from denial to acceptance, from his original diagnosis of Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia in 1989, the relapse he and his family endured in 2008, a bone marrow transplant in 2009, and post-transplant complications. He shared with the class the five words that changed his life: "It is what it is." He told the students how getting to the point of acceptance, and ultimately having any chance to work through his illness and treatment, and emerge on the other side, was possible only when he realized that he had no control over the disease and the fallout from it, other than to acknowledge it as a reality, and commit to fighting hard to beat it and not let it get the best of him. The response from the students was remarkable. They were very willing to participate, both as volunteers for various components of the talk and also as active participants in the discussion. It was a tremendous experience, and Rob looks forward to presenting this material to other student groups.
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