Ted Rheingold<\/a> is the most inspiring person I have the honor of knowing. I’ve thought about it quite a bit these last 24 hrs, and the superlative is appropriate.<\/p>\n

Ted’s power to inspire is his normalcy \u2013 he isn’t Elon Musk or Mark Zuckerberg \u2013 Ted is just like us in that he hasn’t had that life-changing exit or been catapulted to celebrity status. But unlike many of us, Ted has truly lived his life for others, and it’s brought him a level of love, respect, and admiration that no amount of money could ever buy.<\/p>\n

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Last year, I got roped into fighting in a charity boxing match<\/a> shortly after Ted shared his diagnosis. I needed to pick a charity to raise money for and I wanted to dedicate my fight to Ted. So I texted him to explain the situation and ask for what charity he’d like me to raise money. I was expecting an organization doing research that could help treat him, or maybe a fund for the hospital where he was receiving treatment, or maybe the American Cancer Society. I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised when he responded with a list of organizations helping the homeless in the Bay Area, because it was typical Ted \u2013 even in his darkest days, thinking of others first.<\/p>\n

He never said it, but I understood from our text conversation that he didn’t want a fundraiser in his name. He and I decided on a great organization called Lava Mae<\/a>, which provides showers to homeless people. And thanks to Ted’s help promoting the fundraiser and the generosity of some amazing people<\/a>, we raised\u00a0$2,825 for them. As always, Ted eschewed the spotlight and did the actual work of helping people.<\/p>\n

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I won my fight. This one was for you @tedr<\/a>! Thanks @heeksjim<\/a> for a great bout pic.twitter.com\/qjn6DGr5q2<\/a><\/p>\n

— J-Strizzle (@jstrauss) May 21, 2016<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n