Thanking Jimmy V

I was in New York for the Jimmy V Classic to benefit cancer research tonight and got to see two excellent games.

In retrospect, the games meant very little.

More important was the message millions receive each and every year from the event.

“Don’t give up, don’t ever give up.”

It’s been said a million times by a million different people. Almost everyone knows someone that has been affected by this terrible disease. If you don’t, sadly, you will. One in every two men and one in every three women will get some form of cancer in their lifetime.

It’s just shocking, isn’t it? Read the above paragraph again. Think about it. In the time it takes you to read this posting, two more Americans will have died of cancer.

There is reason for hope however. The V Foundation has raised over 50 million dollars to help cancer research. I have no doubt that coach Valvano’s dream will one day be realized: There will be a cure.

The most touching moment of the games came at half time of the Kansas/St Joseph’s match-up when the infamous 1993 ESPY speech Valvano gave was replayed.

His words were so uplifting, so moving. To think that a man who knew he was close to dieing could say such inspiring things.

Here’s thanks to an amazing person.

You can read the full speech at http://jimmyv.org/rememberingjim/espy.cfm