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February 07, 2005
The Message
What is a hero?
Is it a highly paid sportsperson whose job is to win at all costs?
Is it a platinum-selling musician whose lyrics espouse violence?
Is it a film star who earns 20 million dollars a picture?
Or is it my 13 year-old friend Tylor Lauck who has been through 41 surgeries to remove countless cancerous tumors from his brain and lungs.
Tylor who cannot take any more chemotherapy or radiation because his body is saturated. Who has had one of his legs amputated. Who put a roller-blade on his remaining leg and careened down the street the day he arrived home from the hospital. Who stopped puking long enough to say “Wassup?” the day I met him two months ago. Who has more enthusiasm and hope than any other person I know. Who left me the following message on my answering machine last night.
“Hi Trevor, it’s me. Tylor, the one-legged maniac. Hey, I love that name you gave me. Oh…(muffled) mom says to call her about (muffled) something about the make a wish or something. (With hand over phone) It's not him mom, I'm leaving a message. Well, I just wanted to say thanks for getting me started on writing the book about my life. It’s fun to write about everything that has happened to me. You dare kids to make a difference and I really think I can with this book. It could really help little kids with cancer. But I need to finish it quick because they found six more tumors in my brain at the scan today. One is in my (Where is it mom?) oh yeah, in my brain lining or something. She can tell you when you speak to her. Oh and by the way I figured out a title for the book. I think we should call it 'Cancer took my leg but it didn’t take my spirit'. Call me when you get in, okay?”
Tylor – you are my hero! Your courage and determination gives me so much hope and faith. The way you spread your spirit outward instead of wrapping it up in a tight ball inside, and curling yourself around it, inspires me. It’s people like you who make me realize how wonderful and promising life can really be, (even under the most trying conditions), if we just let it.
Posted by trevor at February 7, 2005 07:07 PM