The deviantART community was informed that Neil Braithwaite, otherwise known as `randomcasualty, passed away last week. Unbeknownst to most of us in the community, Neil had long suffered from cancer until last week, when his stuggle with the disease finally came to an end.

As a community, we have suffered through the passing of members in the past, but Neil was much more than a deviant. He was an amazingly giving person, an upright pillar of strength that stood upon the foundation deviantART. Now that pillar is gone and the earth trembles around us at the loss; so, with the Braithwaite family, we will mourn what we have lost.

I brought `randomcasualty on to staff a long time ago as one of the first help staffers. He was a massive help in reforming the customer service reputation for the company with regards to the website, since prior to his efforts and those of his team mates, help desk requests were responded to whenever people had the time to.

He was an easy candidate for the team because, if you recall, Neil basically was the only real FAQ deviantART had for a time - the official one was static and vastly outdated. Once he joined DA staff, I worked with him and some of the developers to produce the first official FAQ system, which Neil introduced his material into and managed heavily for a time. I have no way of verifying any more, but I expect that much of what you will find in the FAQ at +help today is the result of his efforts.

But what Neil gave to deviantART measures more than the sum of what he did while on staff. For so many of you out there, he was the first friendly face you came to know here at DA. Even if he wasn't the one to welcome you into the community, he could always be found in the forums, the shoutbox, dAmn... He was always here, always actively contributing to make DA a better place.

The mascot of deviantART - Fella - is a familiar symbol for all of us now. Fella was created to be a kind face, something people could easily grow attached to. In an iconic way, he represents everything likeable about the community. But, without spirit, Fella is just pop art. I say that it's people like Neil Braithwaite who define the spirit of Fella, who make deviantART the great community that it is.

Perhaps we might all take some time to reflect on why the man known as `randomcasualty meant so much to us, and what we can do to learn from him.

Neil is gone now, and the time for mourning and healing has begun. I ask that you keep his family in your thoughts and prayers in their time of grief. When you have a chance, raise a glass for our friend Neil and everyone else in the community who has passed beyond our sight.

Additionally, I offer some of the remarks made by current staff members on hearing the news.


Lastly, I'd like to draw your attention to a few cancer research charities. Neil was certainly not the first person to suffer from this disease, and he won't be the last. Many of our lives have been touched by it, so now's as good a time as any to make note of the organizations in the world whose work is going towards helping those afflicted with cancer.

Grid.org - Surely by now, most of you know what SETI@Home is. Just in case you haven't heard of it, it's a distributed computing project that empowers home computers to crunch SETI radio satellite data using only unused CPU cycles. Grid.org provides a similar tool for the more down-to-earth problem of finding more effective treatments for cancer. Your computer helps calculate the chemistry, medical researchers use the results to help them create more effective medicines and treatments. There's even a deviantART team you can join and help the cause with your fellow artists.

CancerBACUP (UK) - A registered charity in the UK whose mission is to help the victims of cancer and their families minimize the fear and the uncertainty of living with cancer.

Cancer Research UK - One of the world's leading charities when it comes to cancer research. Donations to this charity help finance research on the causes of cancer, its treatments, and even prevention of the disease.

Cancer Research Institute (US) - Another fine US cancer research institute.

Of course, if these organizations don't suit you, it's never hard to find charitites and institutes in your country who wouldn't benefit from your donation!

Peace and God bless.



_{Photograph of Neil taken at a London devMEET by ~Castigator}