Screenings and DVD to continue with help

Stu Maddux and Trip Harting July 8th, 2008

I've received a great many emails from people wondering about this film now that Trip has passed away.
We will continue as before to get it seen as much as possible. At the time of his illness we had just started with our first screening. The screenings page of the website is updated regularly and we are currently waiting for other festivals to notify us of their decision.

When Trip said goodbye to me he made a point of asking that we continue getting it out there. As an independent film that takes a lot of resources on top of our costs of making the film.

If you know of anyplace that would like a screening, please let me know. I'm more than willing to be there myself to share details of the story.

If you know of organizations or individuals that would be interested in purchasing a DVD, please let me know. We are creating the "extra" materials for that right now as time and resources permit and are hoping for completion in about a month.

If you provide a service and are willing to volunteer just one hour of your time, we would be grateful. You would be surprised at the need for everything from old frequent flyer miles to legal services, web design, rides to the airport, places to stay- it runs the gamut no matter your talent. Someone volunteered to bake cookies once. It helped us raise money for DVD duplication!

Contact Stu Maddux

Riders react to Harting's passing

People within the dressage community are reacting to Trip's passing. Here are some of the links to those bulletin boards. You may have to refresh the pages as the postings come in.

Thank you for taking on Trip's documentary and ultimate legacy. He was such a special person. Lois has been keeping us updated. How terribly difficult for you all. From those of us who counted him as a friend, thank you for making certain he was surrounded by love.

http://www.ultimatedressage.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=138712&sid=26694a9917fb6f066cab2801f2f904b3

and:

http://www.chronicleforums.com/Forum/showthread.php?t=163208

Roberta Williams

Harting dies peacefully in his home among friends

It's with great sadness I write that Trip Harting died this afternoon at about 4pm in his home in Los Angeles. As the time drew near, close friends gathered around him and stayed at his bedside for the final moments. He was surrounded by an enormous amount of love.
Two of his closest friends Lori Lauver, swb4lori@sbcglobal.net and Lois Yukins, loisyuki@msn.com will be handling the arrangements for services.
Donations to go towards a memorial service and his medical bills are being asked for and cane be made to:
Delora Lauver,
DVM Community Veterinary Center
10617 Burbank Blvd.
North Hollywood, CA 91607
And I hope that you will leave your comments and thoughts about Trip here on what has become his website, to continue it as a living tribute.
When Trip brought me into his room to say goodbye he said that he was so proud of what we had done together and hoped the documentary would help many people for years to come.

Harting's condition deteriorates rapidly

I am not sure how much longer Trip will be with us. The cancer has caused him to eat and drink so little that his doctors now think it will be a matter of days at most before he leaves us. I spend most of my day now at his home and with other friends who have taken on the task of caring for him. Lori Lauver, DVM (the woman who has trained with him for the past seven years) has cleared out her appointments this week to stay with him 24/7.

His executor Jim Alburg and close friend Lois Yukins are coming in over the next 24 hours.

It is with some uneasiness that I sit here at his dining room table updating this blog. This morning it was time to go through dozens of his emails and fashion a reply to everyone. Still, there is a lot of caring from friends going on here. I could only hope for the same.

Harting discovers he faces terminal illness

Hello everyone:

I'm Stu Maddux the director of Trip to Hell and Back.
You may have noticed that Trip's blog entries stopped abruptly before the premiere. That is because he never made it to the screening. Trip was in a hospital bed in Los Angeles the night of the documentary's premiere was diagnosed with stage four cancer of the liver. It was clear very quickly that his time was very limited. Doctors predicted that he would have three months to live at the most.

In typical Trip fashion, he insisted on keeping the news quiet even to those close friends who had gathered in Providence, RI for the premiere. As these pictures everyone had just learned how serious the situation was. All we could do was call him from the theater with congratulations.

The timing is a confirmation to him of his faith in a higher power.

While the news that he had 3 months left to live came the day he had worked towards for the past two years; it also happened only two days after his probation ended. Two events that have become very important in his life. The coincidences are frustrating to say the least but to him indicate a journey that is beginning.

Unfortunately, his condition has been deteriorating so much more rapidly than anyone expected. And it's not until today that I have been able to write about it here. It is likely that he has weeks left rather than months. Regardless, his faith and acceptance does not seem to waiver.

Trip Harting ponders friends before premiere of his biography

It's hard to believe that in just five days the premiere that all of us have been waiting for will become a reality. I really didn't start becoming excited about this event until yesterday, when I finally had a moment of clarity.



For so long, I've been accepting the fact that this is my story that is being told. But yesterday, I realized that it is so much more than that. It is the story of my dearest friend Lois, and what love and friendship is all about and what she went through during this entire ordeal.







It is the story of Elita whose dedication to her career and her amazing belief and trust in me that she went to extraordinary lengths to show the court that I would be of greater benefit to the community by not sending me to prison.









And, it is the story of Stu, my good friend and director, who saw something of value in this part of my life that he was willing to dedicate over two years of his own life in bringing it to the screen.

It's no wonder that everyone is excited about the upcoming Premier. It's not often that our lives and actions are brought to a reality that can be shared and impact others to do the same.