Former AMA District 14, AHRMA Motocross, WERA and AMA Road Racer Fritz Kling of Lansing, Michigan, who maybe is best known for racing on the start up factory Harley-Davidson VR1000 AMA Superbike effort alongside teammate Miguel Duhamel in 1994 as well as for finishing as runner-up in Formula USA and AMA Super Teams Championships aboard a Dutchman racing Yamaha’s in the mid-1990s, has been diagnosed with inoperable terminal brain cancer.
Kling is already a survivor of brain cancer, as he had a tumor removed from the rear of his brain in 1995. “But this one is worse, said Kling. “They can’t get rid of it, but they did surgery (May 21, 2007) to relieve some pressure. It’s inoperable, Kling reports from his home near Lansing, Michigan. They can’t get to the tumor, at this point. We’ve done all the radiation treatments possible, now we will just have to wait and see how it all shakes out”.
The May surgery gave Kling some strength and control back over his left side which he did not have before the procedure, however, he is still besieged by severe headaches and periodic seizures. These conditions have prevented him from driving as well as working for many months. This has led to a dreadful situation for Kling and his wife Tina and their two sons, Cory, 16, and Caleb, 5, as they are facing inconceivable financial difficulty on top of Kling’s terminal prognosis.
“He’s a proud man”, states Kling’s life-long friend Brent Hurst. “He’s never asked for help, they’re might lose their house to foreclosure. Fritz worked hard to build that house, and I would hate to see his family lose their home. It’s bad enough that Fritz has to worry about what he’s is facing”.
Hurst had no direct knowledge on how to help, he just knew he had to try. Hurst and Fritz’s father, Fred Kling, have worked together at College Bike Shop in Lansing, Michigan, thought that a benefit directed at the towards the motorcycle families may help elevate some of the financial problems facing the Kling family.
The benefit for Kling is scheduled on March 22 at the Bath Charter Township Community Center, located at 5959 Park Lake Road, Bath, Michigan, 48808. The benefit will include an auction of donated items. In addition, a bank account (#4532119619 at Citizens Bank, 3015 East Saginaw Street, Lansing, Michigan 48912) and a PayPal account (fruitflies3@aol.com) have been set-up to receive donations to the Kling family.
For additional information on the benefit for Fritz Kling, contact Brent Hurst at (517) 896-0242 or at brent@collegebikeshop.com.
