“My mom passed away in a car accident when I was 2 years old. Then, back in 2003 my father got sick when I was 7 or 8. He had cancer in his kidneys, which also went to his spine. Eventually, it went away. He had about a 4 year span where he was eating pretty healthy and things were going good, but then in 2010 he got brain cancer, which took away his walking. There was probably a 2-3 year window where he was down, but then when I graduated high school in 2013, he started to come back around. Wanting to travel. Wanting to go all around the world. We are actually going to Europe in less than 2 weeks and he wants to go. He has a walker now. He’s all pumped up. It’s really cool. He’s had all of these things, but he’s pushing through. He has that will to live. He was told he had 6 months to live and he’s been living for 13 years. He never acted like he had cancer. He never felt sorry for himself. He kept battling. I think I’ve stayed optimistic because of the support of my dad. I played sports my whole life. He went to all of my games. He even coached me in middle school. He’s such a great father. He bikes everyday on a stationary bike now. I’ve been biking a lot lately too. This is my first year since I was 5 years old that I’m not playing a sport. I played 3-4 sports all throughout high school and played 2 years of college baseball. Now, I coach baseball at the youth level. I’m working towards a degree in education and trying to go into coaching. I love coaching. That’s my passion. I really enjoy it. I have a passion for seeing other people succeed. Just like I was given chances to. I’ve always had such great support. I feel like life’s a gift. You only get one life, so you have to live it to the best you can.”