Dear Ghost Whisperer Nation
(Army, Alumnae, Sisterhood? You're all these things aren't you?),

I've never reached out like this but maybe some of you have experienced a similar loss. My brother Philip died this past November of a particularly awful kind of cancer. He was my mentor, my surrogate dad, my coach when I was young, my simpler soul, and the fiery engine of our family, teaching my oldest brother Jamie and I what "heart" really is.

I spent five years on this TV show with Jennifer imagining what it was like to lose a best friend, a lover, a parent, a child. I watched countless examples brought to life by hundreds of actors and I was always struck by how- even though we'd done it again and again- when it came time for the crossing over scenes everyone; the crew, the cast, hell the drivers and the guards, would get a little hushed. And then there were the letters. From small towns and cities, from places I grew up near to mt villages in Japan, people telling us "I lost someone that way. I remember them so..." It was always humbling.

What did I know? Not much. My own brother is then taken away and your letters, your notes, your attention and your stories have taken on new meaning.

So my big brother Jamie and I are going to try and do a lot of those athletic things that raise money for medical research. Our first one is a century bike ride (100 miles) this June. There's a link at the end of this letter. We're riding for a foundation that has raised many millions of dollars. None of it of course goes anywhere near me or Jamie. We're just guys on bikes paying our own way. Anything you'd contribute would go to research to keep someone from having to experience the agony and disbelief so many of us have felt.

Here's the link:
http://pages.teamintraining.org/nca/ambbr12/jconradwo4

Much Love,
David Conrad

Reply · Report Post