Support for KinderAugenKrebsStiftung (Children’s Eye Cancer Foundation)

Dear Metalheads,

My name is Thomas Ruhfus (45 years old) and I have been a member of staff at WOA in the Ticket Control area for a number of years.

Unfortunately, for the third time in my life I have a malignant tumour. This time it is a rare form of bone-marrow cancer. Several years ago I had a rare malignant stomach tumour, which was discovered at an early stage and could therefore be successfully treated.

My first tumour as a small child, a so-called retinoblastoma, which is also a malignant tumour, can be seen as the “root of all evil” in my case. A retinoblastoma is the most common childhood eye tumour, which if left untreated is deadly. Due to the gene alteration, which caused my eye tumour, I will always have a high risk of developing cancer.

My current illness has led my older brother and me to do something worthwhile in the fight against the terrible disease cancer: This summer my brother will do a charity bike ride throughout Germany. The aim is to raise awareness for the illness retinoblastoma and to collect as many donations as possible for the KinderAugenKrebsStiftung (Children’s Eye Cancer Foundation).

This foundation, under the umbrella of German Children’s Cancer Foundation, is devoted to the topic “eye tumours in children” or rather retinoblastoma.

With your donations we want to support the foundation so they can reach and implement their goals as soon as possible. Children who currently have the illness and children that get the illness in the future should receive the best possible therapy and help:

1. Screening of babies and small children as standard so that further tumours are de-tected as early as possible in order to increase the chances of recovery.

2. Support for scientific research projects, e.g. early tumour detection.

Through my job at WOA I know that there are also many (young) families amongst you and kindly ask you to support the foundation. Every donation helps, no matter how small!

• For Payments from Germany:

KinderAugenKrebsstiftung,

Bank account: 1902 631 926, Sparkasse Köln/ Bonn (Sort code 370 501 98); Purpose: Augenlicht

• For Payments from other Countries:

KinderAugenKrebsStiftung

BIC: COLSDE 33, IBAN: DE17 3705 0198 1902 6319 26

• Or simply send a text message with the word AUGENLICHT to 81190

(€10 is donated automatically per text).

For more information about the charity bike ride or the foundation visit:

Augenlicht-Spendentour on Facebook (only in German) and

www.kinderaugenkrebsstiftung.de/en

Wishing you all a great time at WOA 2013.

I hope to see you all alive and kicking at WOA 2014. Take care of yourselves!

Thank you very much

Yours Thomas Ruhfus