I have had the privilege of knowing many astute and capable people in the course of my life. My best friend in high school went on to become the chief resident of ophthalmology at the Wilmer Eye Institute of Johns Hopkins University. He has been widely published and has pioneered techniques and equipment which has saved the vision of countless people. Right after high school I met my wife at the National Youth Science Camp. NYSC is chock full of brilliant people. As a Physics major in college, I met some remarkable people, both students and faculty. When we came to Dallas to work with SIL (Summer Institute of Linguistics), we again met quite a number of outstanding people. I don’t think that there is an organization around like SIL which is larger with a higher percentage of PhDs. During our first several years in Dallas, we met a number of the boys at the Super Collider: all of them being remarkably intelligent. In my wanderings as a computer programmer, I have also met some really gifted people. However, even after rubbing elbows, and working, with so many distinguished folks, the first genuinely brilliant person I had as a friend outshines all the others. His name was Scott.
My family moved around a lot when I was growing up. I was never in the same elementary school for two full years. We moved to Wheaton IL in the second half my 5th grade year and there I met Scott Wilson. I never cared for school much, but I loved to play sports and, I was good at every athletic endeavor. Scott was not athletic at all. In fact, he was so bad that he got teased and shunned by some. I was small for my grade, and when I was new to a school, I was often picked last, but I liked that because my team would win. Even at that age, I knew that being bullied bothered some, like Scott, who were the target of a bully’s sharp tongue. He was my first “best friend.” We enjoyed playing strategy games together. I rode my bike over to his home countless times. The only time I’ve been hit by a car was when I was riding over to Scott’s home. I often think about him when I ride even now.
I could write a lot about Scott, but he was special. When we had a 6th grade research paper, he had a whole little box full of 3x5 cards with quotes, and bibliography. I did not write something so carefully until I got to my masters studies. Scott was brilliant and meticulous unlike anyone I’ve known compared to his peers. I’ve always thought that he would have made a great medical researcher. I’m sure he could have saved a lot of lives but he did not get the chance.
The summer when I was 13, my family took a two week vacation. When my family got back, Scott had died and was already buried. You see, he had Cystic Fibrosis. The adults all told me that Scott would not make it to his 20th birthday. However, when you are 13, 20 sounds like forever. I knew that he was sick, but not sick enough to die.
I’ve thought about him and the waste of human capital that is caused not just from Scott, but all of the kids who are born with CF. Kids today typically last a lot longer than Scott did, but still, the cost is enormous. Just earlier this year I found out that there are a series of CF fundraiser bike rides. Although I have not ridden my bike in two months, I will be doing the 60 mile ride in McKinney on October 13, Lord willing. It is a truly worthy cause that I have experienced first hand and I would like to be a small part of the solution.
Cystic fibrosis is a life-threatening genetic disease that affects approximately 30,000 children and adults in the United States. A defective gene causes the body to produce abnormally thick, sticky mucus. The abnormal mucus leads to chronic and life-threatening lung infections and impairs digestion. Currently there is no cure, and the median age of survival for a person with cystic fibrosis is 36.5 years.
The CF Foundation has consistently been recognized as one of the top voluntary health organizations in the country at efficiently using its money raised to invest in research and medical programs. By investing in the CF Foundation you are helping to fund the landmark research that will, one day, make a tremendous difference in the lives of those with the disease. With your help, we can give the children and adults with CF the quality of life and the future they deserve.
http://www.cff.org/LWC/JohnBaima
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