I like to write good news and inspirational stories, but I also believe in keeping it real. Sometimes life is just downright hard. That’s life, there are ups and downs and how we get through the valleys makes us who we are. Sitting on top of the mountain is easy, getting there, not so much.
Last year I met the Solano family when they came to High Gear Cyclery for the 100 Miles of Nowhere fundraiser for cancer we were doing. As I was complaining about how much 100 miles on rollers sucked, Sandy Solano came up to me and thanked me for doing the fundraiser because her little boy, Adrian, was fighting brain cancer. Wow. That was a punch in the gut and made me realize why I was riding 100 miles of Nowhere. That was nothing compared to what people with cancer have to deal with in their fight.
I didn’t know the Solano family, in fact I still don’t know them real well. That doesn’t matter when a child is fighting for their life. Any barriers that would have kept our families apart completely disappeared and our community rallied together to help Adrian’s fight. That’s one positive thing that comes out of tragedy. It pulls people together, no matter what their backgrounds may be. Adrian pulled many people together with his life.
But alas, Adrian’s fight ended and he passed on at 13 years old. Cancer took his life.
My wife and I went to the funeral and it seemed like the entire Emporia Middle School was in attendance. Although we all know that Arian is in a better place and is no longer sick, it is hard for his loved ones that he left behind. It’s difficult to process why a child must be taken from us. I felt for his family.
Adrian, thank you for your valiant fight. Thank you for bringing us all together. And thank you for showing us to Never Give Up.
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