Help Brian Hinds Beat Cancer

As most of you know by now, our colleague, relative and good friend Brian Hinds has been diagnosed with Head and Neck cancer. Brian is a fighter and is determined to beat this, but he needs our help. 

Brian is a devoted single father who has had sole custody since his son was a toddler. He and his son are extremely close.  He raised his son to be sweet, considerate, respectable, smart and accomplished. His son achieved a 4.1 GPA, was Salutatorian, and went on to get his BA.  Brian is a loving, thoughtful, protective, helpful son and father. He was a Little League Baseball Coach for many years and is a true blessing to his family. 

Brian is also one of the most experienced field herpers in California, and over many years he has made real contributions to research, conservation and public outreach and education. He has always been eager to give freely of his time, energy and expertise to help the public and professional communities; now is our opportunity to show our gratitude for his service. Examples of his many contributions include:

Playing a major role in encouraging the herp community to photo document their findings, rather than by collecting animals, thus instilling a sense of enhanced respect for the animals and their habitats. This ethic has taken hold very quickly and is now standard practice on social media.
Collaborating with Jeff Lemm to found the North America Field Herpetology Association (NAFHA). Brian and Jeff founded this group to bridge recreational and professional communities, thus enabling new forms of interaction, especially for members of the general public who might not be able to afford books or travel to museums or to attend college. 
Providing expertise to governmental officials in Gran Canaria to help combat the spread of exotic California kingsnakes (with Robert Fisher and Bob Reed of the U.S. Geological Survey). 
Playing a pivotal role in the development and management of the North American Herpetological Education and Research Project (H.E.R.P.), which has provided secure data to myriad of state and federal agencies (Arizona, Colorado, California, Maryland, Nevada, and Pennsylvania Departments of Fish and Wildlife, U.S. Geological Survey, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service). Through his work on the HERP platform, Brian has made important contributions to the development of second-generation Citizen Science.
Throughout all these projects, Brian has been at the forefront of articulating the value of collaborations, the potential of citizen science (both the traditional forms and the emerging massive online databases), the importance of linking diverse communities’ efforts to museum standards of data curation, and the importance of ethics. 
Brian has given freely of his time and extensive regional knowledge to people doing research on western amphibian and reptiles, in situations as diverse as locating remnant populations of slender salamanders in urban Los Angeles, and in surveying for rubber boas in southern California mountains.
Brian has devoted a lot of time and effort to community outreach. For example, each year he works a booth at the Los Angeles Fair dedicated to teaching children and adults how important it is to appreciate conserve and take care of our wildlife.

Brian has now had a couple of biopsies, and he and Julianne have done a lot of research. It appears that proton treatment is the best option in terms of success and limiting collateral damage, but it is not something that his insurance will cover (because it is regarded as experimental). Brian will have to be out-of-pocket $65,000 just to get the treatment started. Defraying that expense is our primary goal, but Brian may also need some help with lost work, home care and travel costs. We are setting a goal of $75,000 – it’s a lot, but Brian’s recovery means a lot to us all. We will appreciate any help you can provide.