Hard not to stand in awe of those who endure an unimaginable loss, then work to right the very wrong that pains them—a constructive effort which in this case includes the grace bestowed on every person the Czech family has allowed to offer a kind, supportive word. It is a gift that the Czechs somehow have found the strength to give, born of rare generosity of spirit. If you’ve never been to a New Canaan High School football game—perhaps you have no direct connection to the sport or to the high school, or your kids are younger or involved in other sports, or none, or like me you have dogs and love only baseball, or you’re on the fence about going tomorrow night for some other reason—consider heading down to Dunning Field at 7 p.m. This will be a community event, in addition to a football game that features a first-place Rams team. It’s being played in honor of Mikey Czech, a New Canaan boy who six years ago passed away at age 11, just eight months after being diagnosed with an aggressive brain tumor called “diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma” or DIPG. Mikey would be a senior this year, same as one of his former East School pals, Jim Keneally. Jim is a co-captain of this football team, and he had an idea of one way to honor Mikey, his would-be classmate, and demonstrate this community’s unflagging support for Mikey’s family and the foundation established in his memory. Mikey’s dad, Steve Czech, will address the crowd at halftime, a video will play, Jim and his teammates will sport a Mikey Czech Foundation decal on their helmets, and funds will be raised for the nonprofit organization, which is dedicated to pediatric brain tumor research. Here’s the story of how plans for tomorrow night came together, and what it means to this remarkable family. —Mike
Posted on: Thu, 06 Nov 2014 14:50:19 +0000
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