Along life’s journeys we come across amazing stories of people overcoming the odds and turning tragedy into triumph.
Over the past two weeks my journeys have taken me from New York City to Atlantic City to Boston to Harrisburg and along the way I witnessed first hand some special people who have lived through extraordinary events. Their stories are powerful and inspirational at a time when only bad news seems to grab our attention.
While in New York, I spent time with one of my favorite people from my hockey days, my former Penn State assistant coach and current New York Islanders assistant coach, Matt Bertani. His journey to the NHL should be an inspiration to anyone with dreams, as Matt never played major college hockey or in the NHL. But that isn’t even the half of it.
Matt suffered a devastating neck injury a few years ago after he crashed head first into the boards at a rink in Bridgewater, Conn., fracturing his C1 vertebrae. The doctors were amazed he was not paralyzed and through sheer will Matt not only made a full recovery he did it in record time against the odds because of his positive attitude and spirit.
A few days later I was honored and humbled to attend the Maxwell Football Club Awards VIP reception in Atlantic City with former Penn State football player and Uplifting Athletes founder Scott Shirley. It was a fun evening to recognize pro, college and high school football achievement. It was also a chance to reconnect with some old friends and be introduced to gridiron heroes and legends.
My old friend, former Penn State football and New York Jets star Blair Thomas, was working the room and I reconnected with Smeal College of Business alums Jim Brandau and John Jankowich. We had conversations with host Ron Jaworski and Clemson Head Coach Dabo Swinney, and met this year’s Heisman trophy winner Derrick Henry. Speaking of underdogs and the power of the human spirit, I had a chance to talk with former Eagle Vince Papale, whose unlikely story was told in the 2006 movie “Invincible”.
Former Penn State player and current Temple Head Coach Matt Rhule (a class act) introduced me to his star linebacker Tyler Matakevich, the 2015 Chuck Bednarik Award winner.
At the Thursday night VIP dinner, Scott Shirley delivered a brief but powerful speech about the ‘Power of Sport for Social Good.” You may know Scott best as the founder of Penn State’s “Lift for Life,” which he and his teammates started in 2003 after his father, Don Shirley, was diagnosed with rare form of kidney cancer in 2002.
Don, a popular Mechanicsburg high school teacher and baseball coach, was only given 6 months to live. But mainly through his devoted son’s efforts, he was able to be a part of clinical trials for a new drug and treatment. While Don passed away late in 2005, the drug he was testing eventually proved to be one of the first successful means of treating his rare form of cancer and received FDA approval just 1 month after his death.
It is hard to measure the difference Scott Shirley has made in the rare disease community, inspired by his love for his father. Scott walked away from a promising civil engineering career with Clark Construction in Washington, D.C., and should be sainted for dedicating his life to helping others.
At a post-dinner gathering former Penn State player Ryan Gmerek, general manager of PledgeIt.org, introduced me to sports agent Mike Harris. Mike was a troubled youngster in inner city Philadelphia and was sent to a juvenile detention center near New Castle, Pa. Mike focused on sports to get his life in order and he helped their basketball team win an improbable state championship. Mike turned his life around eventually earning a scholarship at Maryland and had a brief stint in the NBA. He is now a successful businessman, agent, and motivational speaker who inspires others with his story of overcoming the odds.
I told Mike that I had a brother-in-law who coached basketball at Laurel High School, outside New Castle. He grabbed my arm and said, ‘Coach Mike Tinstman is your brother-in-law?’ He went into a story about what a positive influence “Coach Mike” was to him and so many others in the area. Actually, I didn’t need to be reminded what an amazing man my brother-in-law is and I am proud to know others recognize it as well.
The most amazing story of the night belonged to Jake Olson, a USC football player who has been blind since the age of 12. All Jake did was earn an academic scholarship to USC and then work hard on the field and in the weight room to earn a spot on the USC football team as a long snapper. He was recognized as the Uplifting Athletes Rare Disease Champion Award winner and delivered an emotional speech at the Maxwell Awards dinner.
Just when I thought I was inspired enough, I attended the Uplifting Athletes Gridiron Gala in Harrisburg this past Saturday night and heard more stories of the triumph of the human spirit. Dr. David Fajgenbaum was a football player at Georgetown who went on to get a graduate degree from Oxford. Shortly after graduation he was diagnosed with Castleman disease, a rare autoimmune disease, and was actually given his last rites. Not only did he beat the disease but he went on to earn MBA and MD degrees from the University of Pennsylvania. He has been in remission almost six years and leads the Castleman Disease Collaborative Network.
As I look back on my life’s journey I feel blessed to have been around many courageous and inspirational people who have the indomitable spirit to overcome the odds or to go above and beyond in the service of others. Very few can match the passion and desire to help others as much as Scott Shirley.
I am so proud and humbled to call Scott Shirley my friend. If you are a Penn Stater you should be as proud of Scott Shirley as anyone who has ever donned the blue and white. No matter who you are or who you root for, you should consider supporting Scott and Uplifting Athletes. Their mission is all about the best of the human spirit.
