Never, Ever Give Up!
For those of us who live in NC, basketball is a BIG deal. We love our hoops and we have some incredible college teams here: Duke, Wake Forest, Carolina and NC State, to name a few. March always reminds me of our hometown hero, Jim Valvano. The great Jimmy V coached the NC State Wolfpack basketball team for many years. He was a great coach and he was beloved here in NC and beyond. Jim was an incredible motivator. He was vivacious and inspiring and he was a hugger. Who could forget him running up and down the court looking for someone to hug at the end of the 1983 NC State championship game after Lorenzo Charles made the “dunk heard ‘round the world” in the final seconds? But it is my opinion that his finest moment was the speech he gave at the ESPY awards on March 4, 1993, twenty years ago. He was in the final stages of cancer and knew he didn’t have a lot of time left. He shuffled slowly up to the stage, assisted by Dick Vitale, and was clearly in pain.
Then he gave the speech of his life. There were some hilarious moments, my favorite being the story of “your family, your religion and the Green Bay Packers.” He was a young coach at the time and wanted to emulate his personal hero, Vince Lombardi. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, watch the speech on YouTube. You won’t be disappointed: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HuoVM9nm42E.
But to me, the most important message in his speech was, “Never, ever give up!” It was the pinnacle of a great speech. In life, he never gave up, which made him the great coach he was. He was able to inspire others with his wonderful attitude and zest for life. And as he lived his final days, he inspired many people. He founded the Jimmy V Foundation for Cancer Research. He wanted to give hope to others. While the cure was not found in time for him, his goal was to leave a legacy that would potentially help many others down the road. The Jimmy V Foundation is huge today and collects millions of dollars for cancer research. I would say he left an immense legacy.
Just as he wanted to leave a legacy of hope to others, this is what I wish to do in honor of my son’s beautiful life. Since Andy’s passing from an accidental drug overdose, there have been many times when I felt like giving up. But I didn’t and I won’t. I believe we all have a purpose for being here. My son’s purpose and my purpose seems to be to help educate others and to encourage those with addictions to seek help. To all those suffering from addiction, you are a beautiful person of value. You have an important reason for being here and you have the right to live a happy life. Please don’t give up. There are many people rooting for you with all their hearts, myself included. And I know Andy cheers for you from heaven. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. And never give up! Never!