My own war with the disease began on my 44th birthday in 1997, when I was diagnosed with a brain tumor. Two weeks later, the tumor had been removed and my long road of treatments and physical therapy to realize a full recovery had begun. I had to re-learn the normal things that we all take for granted-- speech patterns, the mere buttoning of a shirt, eating with a fork or spoon, and to an extent, even just walking. The first weeks were far from pretty, but they were necessary for me to regain any sense of normality.
Fortunately for me, my chief oncologist also was a fly-fisherman like yours truly. One day, not long into my therapy, he struck upon the idea of using my love of tying to help me regain my hand-to-eye coordination. I had been tying most of my life, and setting me up in my hospital room took little more than having my wife bring my portable tying kit with her on her next visit. Despite some very awkward attempts early on, my flies slowly began to take shape, thanks in no small part that I tend to be stubborn when challenged, and it soon became obvious that "Doc's" idea was starting to pay dividends.
These regular gatherings continued until the day of my discharge and the long ride home. Before my departure, I held one last tying session in the Children's Cancer Wing, at the end of which each child was presented with one of my flies in a small plastic box, each with the hooks cut off flush to the body of the fly. On the drive home, my family and I collectively agreed on the idea of hosting tying classes in our home for small groups of kids battling/surviving cancer like me, and "my kids" soon became a reality. That was over 18 years and three other tumors ago, and we're still going strong.
As it stands today, we continue to do the annual tying classes for "my kids" completely FREE OF CHARGE!”
Folks, these flies are simply amazing & expertly tied. He calls these boxes his “Miracle 100+” boxes. In them you get a large amount of flies (110 to 120 flies) from dries to nymphs to cover just about any fishing situation. Not only that, they come in a very cool 2-sided fly box which is included in the price.
Now here’s the best part: these boxes currently cost only $85, including shipping!! Folks, that’s about 78 cents per fly, with a box, coming right to your door!!.....and all the proceeds go to a great cause!!!! How can you beat that?!!?
Here's a couple photos of the boxes...just look at what all you get!!
I can’t say enough good things about Jerry, his flies, & his efforts to help kids fighting cancer. Please folks, if you need flies & can help him out, then please get a hold of him. I’m sure you’ll be glad you did.
You can contact Jerry directly through his email address here:
[email protected]
Get a great deal on some of the best tied flies you’ll ever fish & support a great cause. To me, what Jerry is doing represents the best of what fly fishing can be!!