When you have cancer, or any serious illness, the universe should not allow anything else horrible to happen to you or the people you love. Unfortunately, like a pleasant trip to the P St. Whole Foods, it never happens. Four weeks ago, a dear friend lost her husband to a heart attack. They had been together for twenty years, married for ten, and brought two beautiful and bright children into this world. He was 39.
I have not spent nearly enough time with Jill and Ezra over the years. I was one of those obnoxious city dwellers who refused to visit people living in Virginia, despite the fact that their home was less than a mile from my apartment in the city. That will forever be my loss, but I am grateful for the time I did have with him. You only needed to meet Ezra once to know he was an amazing man with a kind and gentle heart. It takes a special kind of guy to spend years coaching a women’s tackle football team. Go Divas!
I’m not worried about Jill because she is one of the strongest people I know. She has been a source of support and comfort for me since my sister’s diagnosis and throughout my treatment. In addition to her strength, Jill has two incredible families supporting her, Ezra's and her own. On top of that she has every player Ezra ever coached, men, women and children. Every time Ezra should be next to her, one of us will be there in his place. I cannot fill his shoes, because his feet were like three times the size of mine, but I, and so many others, will be there for her to lean on.
It may surprise you, but I do believe in the possibility of an afterlife. As adults we can choose what we believe, unless you were raised in some kind of crazy cult. I choose to believe that Ezra has not missed a second of watching over his family. I choose to believe that someone so full of life and joy does not simply disappear from the world. I choose to believe that everyone I’ve ever lost is still with me in some way.
We are all so lucky that Ezra will live on within his two wonderful children. The love that Jill and her children share will help them make it through this difficult time. It is completely unfair that this happened to this lovely family. But life is not fair, as we learned from Jim Henson’s seminal “Labrynth.” It is up to us to even the odds by supporting our friends and family in need.
Please consider making a donation to help Ezra’s family now and in the years to come.
http://www.gofundme.com/50h7sg
If you’d like to know more about Ezra and his coaching career, check out this article:
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/nov/7/loverro-remembering-ezra-
cooper-bright-spot-local-/?page=2
