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[Cape Cod MINI]

Well. Sometimes you never know what will happen. I now know why we chose the name Lucky for our ride. It turns out someone close to me -and known to anyone who has attended a MINIs On Top Trivia Contest- is in need. Fortunately we are all here to help!
Please read on and please feel free to copy the message and spread the word. We need your help.


Dear Friends,

How many times have you heard the MINI truism that it’s not about the car but about the people in the car? And, with a moment of thought, each of us might easily list many fine and true friends we’ve made through various MINI events.

Friends help friends when a serious need arises. Now is one of those times.

Bill Bayerle and his partner Libby are good ol’ MINI veterans. They orchestrate the famous Trivia Contest at MINIs on TOP each June. Bill is a Cape Cod native and, thus, suffers from a number of maladies including self employment, stubbornness and willingness to work with me on a number of construction sites.

Now he has another hurdle to face. He’s been diagnosed as having an Intraocular Malignant Melanoma in his left eye. I don’t know about you but each time I think of what that means, I get the shivers. His options are just two: the eye can be removed completely leaving Bill half-sighted yet dashingly handsome in an eye-patch or he can undergo 5 laser-proton treatments at Mass. Eye and Ear to erase the tumor.

Stubborn Mr. Bayerle has opted to go for the treatments. His previous attempts at two eyed piracy were unsuccessful and there is no evidence that one-eyed piracy would be his forte! The true problem is simply one of cost. The cost for these 5 sessions totals around $40,000.00 Each session lasts a single minute. And Bill, as so many Americans, self-employed or not, does not have medical insurance. Keeping the eye absolutely still during the 60 second treatments is paramount. Bill had the requisite surgery on January 11, 2007 where 4 metal anchoring rods were implanted in his eye. His first laser treatment is January 22 and I have the pleasure of being his chauffer to Boston and back that day.

Certainly all avenues to help with this astounding cost will be explored but we can help our pal and his family in the way we are known for responding to events like this. What we MINI folk seem to do (and I may be creating a verb here) is to outpour. With happiness or grief or support or presence, the response when a call is issued quickly becomes a wave. I’m asking your help to create a wave for Bill.

Joe Rose, Dave Brushett, Jock Holden, and I have purchased, for $250.00, a beater vehicle in which we will motor from the Big Apple to the Big Easy in May, 2007 – The BABE Rally. The van, christened Lucky, will be festooned with 500+ rubber ducks. The ducks are at my house right now. You can have your name on a Lucky Duck and have it installed on or in the van for a donation of at least $10.00 to this Bill’s Bills campaign. A small price for a buddy’s health and you get to make rally history to boot!

Together, we can make a huge difference in Bill’s future and I just know that you will want to help a friend in special need. Please send what you can to me at the address below or via PayPal to steve.barnatt@comcast.net. And, spread the word too. Can I also ask that you use our various forums to help with this project? Please contribute what you can and get the word out there….hey, ducks are involved here.

Lucky, the van, will be photographed as he/she evolves and I’ll share the pictures. Your duck can be there. And thanks. This is what MINI friends do…we outpour. And what better reason than a friend’s sight?

With many thanks,

Steve Barnatt (aka Cape Cod MINI)
183 Center Street
South Dennis, MA 02660


*Upon arrival in the Big Easy, Lucky will be gifted to a small local non-profit.
**Please visit www.baberally.com and www.myrallyforum.com for more BABE info.