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In Memory of Luke Fry
Less than three weeks earlier, on April 30, he showed up late to our final match of the season. Win, and we were in the Division 2 final. Lose, and we were done. Luke showed up late, his head in a state of discomfort that we can only imagine. But he played. And then he played two more matches for his indoor teams. That’s how much he loved soccer and his teammates. He was admitted to the hospital less than a week later and fought to stay alive as doctors struggled to pinpoint the problem. His appointed doctor had joined the staff specifically to handle to rare cases, and even he was befuddled. To the end, Luke continued to ask about the next time we’d practice or have a scrimmage, or when his next indoor game would be played. Luke wore No. 7 in the spring 2006 season. That number will not be worn this season. He loved motocross, snowboarding, soccer and the Red Sox (smart man). We loved having him around. And his name won’t be forgotten – the new trophy to be awarded to the Division 2 champion is called the Luke Fry Cup. Another example of his legacy occurred on July 1, 2006, when the Wild Cards, McCabe's Tavern and the soccer community helped raise about $1,500 to the American Cancer Society in Luke's name. We watched two World Cup quarterfinals. Greg Howard, owner of McCabe's, donated 20 percent of the bar sales to the ACS. Patrons bought raffle tickets or simply made straight donations.The good folks at Colorado College, UCCS, Colorado Springs Soccer Club, Phantom Canyon, Tech For Less, Soccer Stop Colorado Springs, Southside Johnny's, the Colorado Springs Blizzard, McCabe's, Cuervo and I'm sure a few people I'm forgetting were very kind to donate prizes. Oh yes ... Daniel Wasson, who played at Liberty High School in town, got all the Rapids to sign a jersey that sold for triple digits at a silent auction. Thanks for everyone who helped. One of these days, we'll frustrate cancer instead of the other way around. UPDATE: FEB. 2, 2007 The American Cancer Society has released this information: "Recently, the American Cancer Society announced that cancer deaths declined in the United States for the second year in a row – a milestone event that indicates dramatic progress is being made against the disease. There were 3,014 fewer cancer deaths in 2004 than in 2003, a significantly larger decrease than the 369 fewer deaths reported the previous year. Thirteen years of continuing drops in the overall cancer death rate have now overtaken trends in aging and growth of the US population, resulting in decreased numbers of deaths. "The decline is strong evidence that decades of groundbreaking research, effective public health policies and public education has been worthwhile. Our hard work toward preventing cancer, catching it early, and making treatment more effective is paying dramatic, lifesaving dividends." To learn more call 1-800-ACS-2345. |
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May
19, 2006, was a sad day for all of us in the Wild Cards family. Luke
Fry, who joined us for the 2005-06 season, died of cancer in the spinal
fluid around the brain and spine. He was 26.