Our apologies for the resolution quality of this video … but the sound works OK! Yesterday, U.S. Rep. Frank Guinta, R-NH, delivered this floor statement, celebrating Chip’s life and legacy:
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Friends
21 JanA short video on the importance of friends:
Direct link: http://vimeo.com/royheisler/review/105995704/6623bfb778
Chip Kennett: A Silent Patriot Under the Dome | Commentary (Roll Call)
21 JanWe wanted to share this commentary from Roll Call, written by Bradford Fitch:
I did not know Chip Kennett, but I knew him. Chip’s story was beautifully told in a Roll Call article last week (“Capitol Hill Helps One of It’s Own: Chip Kennett Finds Help in Unexpected Places;” Roll Call, Jan. 14). It was the story of a dedicated staffer who found love in the halls of Congress and married his wife, Sheila. To staffers, it was a perfectly normal story — many have found their life-mates down the hall in a Senate or House office building. It was normal, until three years ago, when Chip was diagnosed with lung cancer. His battle ended on Jan. 17, when his wife posted on Facebook, “Chip received a brand new body up in heaven that is free of cancer and simply full of everlasting life.”
“Many media outlets are more content depicting the caricature of democracy — the craven, driven, ambitious, greedy corner of Congress. The “human” side is rarely shown. Little thought is given to the staffers who answer the phones, draft the letters and forge the deals which result in the laws of our land. And then, something happens to wake us up and remind us that Capitol Hill is a community, and there are real lives making up the broader congressional family. …
Continue reading at Roll Call: Chip Kennett: A Silent Patriot Under the Dome | Commentary
What Is “Team Kennett”?
20 JanA short video on the origins of Team Kennett, and how its meaning has changed over the years:
Direct link: http://vimeo.com/royheisler/review/105998450/ecc91bdb30
Former Staffer, Cancer Advocate Chip Kennett Dies at 34
19 JanWe wanted to share this article by Rebecca Gale, Roll Call/Hill Navigator:
Former Staffer, Cancer Advocate Chip Kennett Dies at 34
By Rebecca Gale / Posted at 3:59 p.m. on Jan. 17
Updated Jan. 19 | Bayard Winslow “Chip” Kennett II, a former Capitol Hill staffer whose personal battle with lung cancer helped push Congress to take action, died Saturday. He was 34.
On Jan. 12, Kennett went to the hospital with shortness of breath. He had been scheduled to travel to Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston to complete the screening process for an experimental treatment. The Kennetts remained optimistic, keeping their friends and family apprised of their progress on Facebook and their blog, Team Kennett.
But on Saturday morning, his wife Sheila posted on Facebook:
“At 4:22 AM, Chip received a brand new body up in heaven that is free of cancer and simply full of everlasting life. The kids and I sure are going to miss him down here on earth with us but, boy, did he teach us all how to live and love. May you enjoy your rest in eternal peace, my darling Chip.”
The sad news came just a few days after Roll Call published a story detailing Kennett’s struggle and work on the issue.
Kennett worked on Capitol Hill for nearly eight years, starting out as a legislative correspondent working for his home state senator, Republican Judd Gregg of New Hampshire. He later worked as a legislative assistant for Sen. John Sununu, R-N.H., then as a military legislative assistant and director of appropriations for Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine. While working for Gregg, he met Sheila, who later served as director of scheduling and operations for Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va.
In October 2012, Kennett went for a routine eye exam that revealed a suspected melanoma. A positron emission tomography scan and subsequent biopsy diagnosed Kennett, then 31, with Stage IV lung cancer. The disease was incurable. His prognosis: one to two years to live.
But the Kennetts didn’t believe in going without a fight. With the help from their friends and community, Kennett became an advocate for cancer research, testifying on Capitol Hill and helping draw more attention to recalcitrant cancers, such as lung cancer, which need additional funding to develop and bring more treatments to market. He worked with cancer organizations, including LUNGevity, Friends of Cancer Research and the Prevent Cancer Foundation. He encouraged his colleagues on Capitol Hill — both members and staff — to assist in fighting the disease by raising awareness and money. Advocates within the cancer community credit Kennett’s fight with helping spur action.
Kennett surpassed his two-year prognosis last October and celebrated with friends. That same weekend, he led the largest fundraising team for the annual Breathe Deep DC walk. Kennett remained upbeat, friendly and energetic. He still worked full time for Raytheon as a senior manager for government affairs and told CQ Roll Call late last year he found the support from Capitol Hill “lifts him up” on a daily basis.
Kennett was a native of Conway, N.H. and a graduate of Colby College and A. Crosby Kennett High School. He is survived by his wife and two children, Bayard “Joe” Kennett III, 5, and Crosby Reynolds, 2. Parents Bayard and Theresa Kennett of Conway, N.H.; brother and sister-in-law and Tanner and Sarah Kennett of North Conway, N.H.
Funeral services will be held at 11:00 a.m. Thursday at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Alexandria, Va.
Original source: http://blogs.rollcall.com/hill-navigator/chip-kennett-obituary-cancer-advocate/
Finding Support in Unexpected Places
14 JanRoll Call’s Hill Navigator writes about Team Kennett today, and the unbelievable help we’ve received from the Capitol Hill community and beyond.
Capitol Hill Helps One of Its Own: Chip Kennett Finds Support in Unexpected Places
“Unlike members of Congress, who often leave Capitol Hill privileges and clout behind when departing, staffers take their community with them. Connections made between staffers can last years, through multiple job switches.
“For Sheila and Chip, the Capitol Hill community was about to change their lives. …
“Casseroles started showing up on the Kennetts’ doorstep. Emails flooded in from the House and Senate, from people Chip and Sheila didn’t know personally but who had heard of their situation. They offered research about cancer trials, connections at cancer hospitals and even babysitting services.”
Continue reading on Roll Call …
Photo source: http://blogs.rollcall.com/hill-navigator/chip-kennett-finds-support-in-unexpected-places/?dcz=
For the Next Generation
16 NovA quick note: An article Chip wrote was published in the October 2014 issue of the Prevent Cancer Foundation’s quarterly newsletter, Cancer PreventionWorks. (They invited him to submit a piece following the webcast he participated in on July 17.)
You can read the article online: “For the next generation” by Chip Kennett
Chip Interviewed by The Hill
1 NovIn anticipation of tomorrow’s Breathe Deep DC walk, organized by LUNGevity, Chip recently was interviewed by The Hill: Former Senate staffer and lung cancer survivor laces up for 5k race.
An excerpt:
He may not be making a mad dash during the LUNGevity Foundation’s Breathe Deep DC 5K in Washington this weekend, but to former Senate staffer Chip Kennett, the fact that he’s lacing up at all is a reason to celebrate.
“I’m not back to running yet but I hope to get there and I’ll be able walk this 5K hopefully without any issues except maybe some chilly weather, that’s about it,” he says with a laugh. …
And the dad to four-year-old Joe, and daughter Crosby, who turns two next month, is urging supporters to join him on Sunday morning at the Washington Monument to help “bring more awareness to this disease.”
“It’s not just a smoker’s disease,” Kennett says, “It’s the deadliest form of cancer and it’s going to remain that way until we can increase awareness and funding to combat it. And we’re making great strides so we just need to continue that fight.”
Read the full article on The Hill.
Huge thanks to all who have supported our Breathe Deep team and to everyone who will be walking with us. 5K, here we come!
– Sheila
We’ve STILL Got This
26 OctWell, we did it–we outlived Chip’s prognosis!! While today was chock full of emotions that ran the gamut, I was overwhelmingly grateful to have had the privilege of spending this precious day with Chip and our kids.
It was also surprisingly liberating to be freed from the timeline the prognosis of one-to-two years had pinned us in. Now we are in uncharted waters, and I can’t wait for Chip to continue to defy the odds on his own course.
The past two years have been filled with so many shocking and scary lows, but the highs have been oh, so much sweeter. May we continue to embrace the next couple of years with the willingness to accept the things we cannot change, the perseverance to endure the difficult days and the ability to be present and grateful in the quality filled ones, because we’ve STILL got this.
– Sheila
From http://www.lungevity.org:
LUNGevity is proud to release our 2014 Foundation Video. The video featuring stage IV lung cancer survivor, Chip Kennett, was premiered at LUNGevity’s NY and DC Galas and speaks to the importance of accelerating lung cancer research.
Donations to LUNGevity help provide support services, as well as funding for research projects to get the science from the lab to the patient faster.Because of this cutting-edge research, and the donors who support it, there is hope.
Join Team Kennett at Breathe Deep DC 2014
29 AugTeam Kennett,
Last fall, thanks to what some may call a minor obsession with local meteorologist Doug Kammerer, I inadvertently became aware of an event called Breathe Deep DC – a fundraising walk around the National Mall for lung cancer. The event was organized by a group named LUNGevity, which I had also never heard of, to raise funds for critical lung cancer research, education, and support for patients and caregivers. Despite my reluctance at that point to participate in cancer-related causes, the day before the event, I decided to register and walk.
I still don’t know exactly what made me decide to walk last year. Maybe I had finally realized it was time I become more involved in fighting back against this awful disease, or maybe I just wanted a chance to meet Doug. Either way, I am grateful to have participated in last year’s Breathe Deep event as I met a number of amazing survivors and caregivers, helped raise critical awareness and funding, and also had the privilege of meeting Andrea Ferris, the President of LUNGevity. This encounter has led to almost a year of personal involvement with LUNGevity and their efforts to combat lung cancer.
The 2014 Breathe Deep DC walk is on November 2nd. October 26th will mark the two-year anniversary of my diagnosis when I was told I had one to two years to live. I have been the recipient of some of the very medical breakthroughs and ground-breaking developments LUNGevity is supporting and working to help fund.
Because we have been able to enjoy many more quality-filled days together as a family, it’s time we give back. Sheila and I have formed a Breathe Deep team and would love to have you join us. If you are interested in raising money for a great cause and/or going for a nice fall walk in our nation’s capital, please take a look at the links below. If you have any questions, feel free to email me at chip (dot) kennett (at) gmail (dot) com.
- Join Team Kennett and walk with us on November 2nd. (Click “Join Team” at the bottom of the page.)
- Can’t make the walk in DC? Donations are very much appreciated for this important cause. (Click the yellow “Donate” button at the link.)
Thanks in advance for your consideration.
Regards,
Chip
Team Kennett 