Some sound advice
Losing a loved one is never easy, even if it’s a great-grandparent who has endured into their 90s and has enjoyed everything that life has to offer. But saying goodbye to a young person, just as their life should be gaining altitude, is a particularly cruel blow. Friends and family are left to wonder about the potential that will never be fulfilled and all the ambitions that could have been pursued.
The death Sunday of Luke Blanock, a 19-year-old graduate of Canon-McMillan High School and athlete who excelled in multiple sports, is particularly poignant. Rather than being taken as a result of an accident or some other mishap, Blanock was claimed by Ewing’s sarcoma, a rare cancer he was diagnosed with in December 2013. He was able to compete when the cancer was in remission, and even pitched for the high school’s baseball team after the cancer returned in March 2015. Coaches who worked with him say he was an inspiration and faced the possibility of his own premature death with grace and bravery.
Frank Zebrasky, Blanock’s baseball coach, told our Joe Tuscano that Blanock was “a warrior” and “he looked at things right in the eye and attacked them. That’s what he’s done. He took this as another battle.”
In June, when he was presented with a Spirit Award at the Canon-Mac Youth Baseball Association Baseball Fest, Blanock’s mother read a letter written by him that offered advice to the young athletes. He told them to listen to their coaches, read and never stop seeking knowledge, and “have fun.”
Blanock wrote, “Have fun at triple headers on 90-degree days, have fun with your teammates, have fun standing there at the plate waiting for the next pitch to come in, and have fun looking forward to the next game. … Have fun, play with a smile, and enjoy every minute of it as I have.”
That’s sound advice.