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Blog Entry 4 of 17 My view from the bleachers

I'm a longtime journalist, and a mom, wife, daughter and sister with a treasured extended family. I'm a sports mom, and have learned a lot about life watching our son play baseball and our daughter softball. Sports like family are about team work, sharing, looking back and dreaming forward.

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Tears of joy and sadness

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Contributed by: Patricia Aidem on 9/5/2006

It was a bittersweet weekend, one where we celebrated new life and mourned death.

On Sunday, my daughter and I met my sister Ann Briggs and her daughter to shop and have lunch. The shopping was for my niece and goddaughter Katie Black, who's expecting her first baby in February.

Another sister Sally Warner had met the grandma- and mama-to-be
earlier but was called away shortly because her husband Neal's brother Dwayne had been rushed to the hospital.

Dwayne suffered a massive stroke and his family kept vigil all night, holding onto a flicker of hope, but knowing inside he was going.

It was over Monday, except for the incredible gift Dwayne, who was 50, and his long-time love Carol Willman left to an unknown group of recipients.

Dwayne's and Carol's wish was that any organs that were viable be given to the living.

I'm in awe of loved ones who rise above their crippling grief and agree at the moment to help others. Such an unselfish gesture means a heart will beat inside someone who'd given up hope, skin will help heal scars of a suffering fire victim or someone out there who's blind, maybe a mom who's about to be a grandmother, will see that baby.

A doctor assessed Dwayne and determined his liver and kidneys can be used to help people in need of new organs. Can you imagine being on that edge of life and you're given such a gift?

I'm saddened now that I didn't really know Dwayne. He's been a part of our extended family for more than 20 years, he lived but a few miles away. His name certainly comes up in conversation a lot, but our paths rarely crossed. I know he was a bear of a man, colorful from his many tattoos to his one-time career as a body guard for the Sex Pistols and then for Van Halen.

We're a tight family and we feel Neal's pain at losing his only brother, father Bob who lost his younger son and especially for Carol, who lost her love,
then turned around to help others.

At the same time we take joy watching Katie and husband Cody set up a home for their baby.

Life is amazingly intertwined. Tears ofhappiness and sadness mix and some how connect the tapestry we live.

It was my birthday Sunday. I turned 49 - not a big deal other than the fact that I'm
knocking on the door of the Big 5-Oh! But 49 is one of those ages where you assess your life, kind of a middle point if we should be so lucky.

The weekend proved exactly that. We looked at life with overwhelming sadness and with tremendous joy.

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Submitted By: S Warner

posted on 9/6/2006 @ 11:16:56 AM

Rated Blog Entry

Can my sister write, or what? My brother in law Dwayne lived a life that would be considered unconventional by most. But he got a lot of living out of his 50 years and gave a lot of love, particularly to Carol and also to my sons, his nephews Nick, Ben and Greg. He was larger than life and will be missed.

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Submitted By: Judy O'Rourke

posted on 9/6/2006 @ 10:13:50 AM

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hearwrenching

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