Don't Give Up, Don't Ever Give Up
Posted: Thursday, November 29, 2012 by Travis Cody inRe-posting, as has become tradition here at Trav's Thoughts.
Every year, approximately 6.2 million people die from cancer. This post is dedicated to anyone who has lost someone to cancer, to anyone who may be battling cancer right now or know someone who is, and also to all cancer survivors.
It's Jimmy V week in college basketball. It's a week of nearly 50 college basketball games in 10 days across the country. The games feature healthy young men and women playing the game with passion and emotion.
The games also help raise funds for cancer research.
In what has become an annual post for me, I ask you once again to take 10 minutes and watch Jim Valvano's inspiring speech at the 1993 ESPY awards.
Jim Valvano (1946-1993) died of cancer less than two months after giving this speech. In the 19 years since the Jimmy V Foundation for Cancer Research was established, it has raised more than $100 million.
The motto for the foundation is "Don't give up, don't ever give up".
NC State, coached by Jimmy V, beat Houston in the most improbable upset ever to win the 1983 NCAA Basketball Championship. They never gave up. And they created March Madness.
You may click here or on the graphics in my sidebar to read more about the work the V Foundation and the Kay Yow WBCA Cancer Fund do, and to make a donation should you choose.
Please remember the words of Coach Valvano..."Cancer can take away all my physical ability. It cannot touch my mind; it cannot touch my heart; and it cannot touch my soul. And those three things are going to carry on forever."
It is a special week because of a very special man