tank, thanks for sharing this. added it to the OP for now. texinga sent one in advance for thanksgiving, but we can definitely keep yours there til tomorrow afternoon.
 
I'm very sorry to hear that about your grandmom This is a hard time of the year to face those situations. Wish you and your family all the best, and hope she's in good shape tomorrow to read some more.

After reading through several moving reasons as to why people fold, my reasoning seems rather shallow. However, I honestly feel I represent a sizable chunk of the community in my motivation to fold.
 
Black Friday. It is the sole holiday that TRUELY embodies the American spirit; the spirit of Capitalism. Red Blooded Americans, fueled by their lust for bigger and better, will brave any and all adversity to obtain deals of epic proportions.
 
Just his morning, at 0200 MST, I braved the chilly Mountain air for over 60 miles in a car with no heater to shop at Wal*Mart. Glutinous shoppers of all races and genders put aside their petty differences and gathered at this haven of imported goods to buy that which they do not need. It is the desire to have what their neighbor does not; The fear of being left behind the "Jones's".
 
It is in this spirit I fold. Not for some selfless desire to help those in need. Not because I've been touched by a story of courage and survival. No... Its because I am fiercely competitive and aspire to be the best.
 
I do not need to justify the cost I incur in the process; that first million points was all the justification I needed to keep on foldin'. While it does make me feel good knowing that all this effort goes to a real cause with real results, I also know that it is a program that is setup with a competitive aspect. Why else would it keep score like a video game!?
 
My message to all those searching for a reason to fold? Take a look in the mirror. That person staring back at you should be all the motivation you need!
 
P.S. Besides, I've always been a fan of a Preemptive Attack :p

Interesting point of view labeld. I have to agree that we all understand the competitive nature we have and the fueling of the competition by the points system. This is what feeds my addiction too, but I have to say it was not the motivating factor to get me started in the first place. Nobody is going to kick you out of folding for your reason, so Fold On!

I like your honesty, labeld!

Sorry to get it up late labeld, had to leave before you posted. Up now though!
 
While I agree with rj (wouldn't do it for the same) your honesty is very welcome. Your reasons, teams, points, etc all do the same thing... kick the crud outta proteins. Can't argue with that.

Im loling so hard inside. This is just like buying that 60GB SSD for $60 at the beginning of the month as Newegg opened black November. This was the first deal to go out of stock and it went out in 5min. Now that was a godly deal.

I believe that if you do good things, good things happen.
This is why I fold,
 
-Adam

Good words to live by Adam. This applies to more than just folding too.

Sorry this post is so late in the day, been going back and forth to hospital the whole weekend due to family coming to visit. So my story...
 
I married my wife Amanda in May of last year, one month after we were married she started feeling out of breath and having trouble doing small tasks like walking up stairs. We went to the doctor thinking it was prabably just asthma. Three incorrect diagnoses' and several doctors later, we were told that she had a tumor the size of a fist pushing against her lung that caused fluid build-up and eventually collapsed her lung. The doctors first plan was to open her up and remove the tumor, you could imagine our shock when dealing with that news. Luckily another doctor had a look and decided that the better route would be to try chemotherapy since the tumor was Hodgkins Lymphoma. The type of chemotherapy was ABVD which is relatively mild compare to treatments for other cancers. Six months later she had finished 5 rounds of chemo and many radiation treatments, it was a miserable time for both of us but we got through it and we anxiously waited for her scan results that would tell us she was in remission and we could get on with our lives.
 
At the end of her treatment, Amanda was feeling a lot better and i was deployed to Kuwait since she was well enough to care for herself. I had hoped to return a year later to restart our long healthy lives together. Unfortunately, six months in, i got a call from Amanda and she told me that a recent scan showed the cancer had returned and it was more aggresive than before. I got permission to return stateside immediately and treatment was underway upon my return. This time the chemo regimen was called ICE, a very harsh chemotherapy with sever side-effects. Unlike the previous treatments she had, this chemo left her bed ridden and too weak to do much on her own. She would get infections regularly due to her weakened immune system and all of her hair came out within the first couple of weeks. It was heartbreaking to see how sick she was and all i could think about was how much there needs to be a better way to treat cancer.
 
One day in late september this year, her stomach started to hurt so bad that we had to take her to the hospital, she was diagnosed with Typhlitis, an infection of the lower intestine that could be fatal even when treated. Her body was so weak that even under constant care in the hospital she suffered a cardiac arrest and went almost thirty minutes without oxygen to her brain. The doctors stabilized her but told me that due to the length of time she was under, she most likely would not recover most of her brain function. I was told that my 24 year old wife would probably spend the rest of her life in a hospital bed. Bear in mind, this was not caused by her Hodgkins Lymphoma, this was a direct result of the chemotherapy. I'm not blaming the doctors or the scientists for using this type of treatment, in many cases it does help people. However, nobody should have to endure this misery, there just has to be a better safer way to treat cancer. I read about the research being done at the stanford labs and decided i'd do everything i could to support the folding at home project. I'm realistic, i don't think there will be a new treatment developed in time to help my wife, but if people in the future can survive cancer without chemotherapy than we need to do eveything we can to make that a reality.
 
Now for the good news...
Contrary to what several neurologists told us, Amanda has made leaps and bounds in the past couple months in terms of recovery. For the first month and a half, she was completely vegetative. One day a few weeks ago, after much patience and repitition i got her to say her name. She can now carry on conversations and regained a large portion of her memory(some things are still a little fuzzy) She began physical therapy this week and we hope to have her walking by christmas. We had a nice thanksgiving here in the hospital, she enjoyed the turkey, potatoes and stuffing my family brought in and hopefully we can have our next holiday meal at home away from the hospital.
 
Once she is strong enough, she will have to continue her chemotherapy, we're not looking foward to it but it's the only option she has to see the end of her disease. So everyone cross their fingers and fold like crazy and maybe we can see an alternative cancer treatment in our lifetime.
 
Amanda and I at Virginia Beach Summer of '09

 
This picture was taken today, i love that she's smiling again

Don't get me wrong, all these posts have been great and the variety is appreciated.
 
But MrHaViK, my heart goes out to you. She is so young, and you just got married. What a HERO you are going through this with her, and how strong she must be to be pulling through it... Please let me know if you ever want someone to talk to. You have my absolute respect... Wish you and her all the best in the world. With a husband like you, she can't let this beat her. You've got good lives ahead of you. I BELIEVE IN BOTH OF YOU!