Pictures of Me with My Brotha Gary (8/28/94)

It’s not too often you run into a long lost brother. It was the summer of 1994, and I was a counselor at a camp in Maine called Med-O-Lark. Gary (who had arrived from Scotland) and I hit it off immediately by quoting Fletch and Mike Myers SNL skits back and forth to each other…(In my best Scottish accent:“Gary, you’re my BROTHA, I LUV YA!”)…We haven’t really stopped quoting to this day.

The summer I met Gary I was also well into the 2^nd year of my destructive relationship with alcohol. Gary was always there to take care of me, carry me, and get me back to camp. 17 years later, and I know Gary still has my back. Like the day we hung out and played wiffle ball in 1994, I’m glad I got to hang out with him these past couple of days, and hope he moves to the northeast sooner rather than later. Love ya, my brotha!

Letter to the 2010-2011 Bruins (Bruins Game Program from 4/21/90)

Dear Bruins,

First of all, congrats on another great regular season. I’m really looking forward to watching you take Lord Stanley’s Cup back where it belongs. The Pats, Sox, and Celtics have had their turns. Now, it’s Black and Gold time. Although I know this feat is more up to you than how badly I want to see you win The Cup, I’m hoping these words will do their part to help you get there.

Even though it seems silly to compare winning the Stanley Cup to a couple of my favorite movies (Three Amigos and Star Wars), the message sent by them is one for everyone. Just like the saying “Everyone has their El Guapo” in Three Amigos, everyone has their Death Star. They both are that ultimate goal that seems impossible to overcome. But, you go after it anyway and you do whatever you can to get there. And in the end, you win.

It’s just as easy to say “Everyone has their Stanley Cup”. Like I explained in my Open Letter to Your Captain last year, one of my “Cups” was a diagnosis of a cancerous brain tumor when I was 18. The doctors told me I was going to need rounds of chemotherapy followed by radiation. I said, “Oh yeah?”, and finished treatment without needing radiation – my doctors had no explanation for this. Part of the reason was, as my mother would coach me through treatment, I took it “Like a Bruin”: I was tough, I tried not to complain, I kept having fun, and I played to win. I also believed in myself and had people who believed in and supported me.

Although I have only been lucky enough to meet a few of you a few times, I’m betting you’ve made it to the NHL because you believed in yourself. I’m betting most of you have parents who love you and supported you with everything you’ve done. And I believe you are playing the game because you love it and you want to go after your own Stanley Cup – which is the actual Stanley Cup (you really need to watch Three Amigos if you haven’t yet…trust me!).

Even though I will only enjoy NHL games from the stands, my chair, or playing the EA Sports video game, I can tell you that I think the strategies I used to beat cancer can easily be applied to winning The Stanley Cup. Battling cancer is not a time to fear, doubt, or blame. It’s a time to believe, celebrate every day, and be surrounded by people who can pick you up when you need it. Like I explained in that letter to Z, I used visualization when I was getting my chemotherapy treatments – I imagined my medicine traveling through my veins, up to my brain, and attacking my brain tumor. My images were vicious, and I knew the cancer didn’t have a chance. Even on my sickest days I told myself “If I feel this horrible, my cancer must be worse”. Getting cancer is time to take charge, and this is that time for all of you.

Every single Bruins fan believes in you. Believe in yourself, believe in each other, and show you want it more than anyone else. Visualize, and it will happen.

Now, go get it!

Dave McGrath

PS-The add for the Bruins Master Card in this Program is Priceless…

GO BRUINS!!!!

After watching tonight's game (4/21/11), I had to write about this program again. This game was the best playoff game I've ever attended. The B's trailed the Habs numerous times, and kept coming back to tie it up. With under two minutes to go in the 3rd period, Cam Neely tied it up with a power play goal. As OT started, my dad was complaining about Gary Galley being on the ice (not one of his favorite players, but I thought he was okay). Well, below is Cam's goal along with what "Ga-Ga" did in OT and it reminded me a lot of tonight's game - I love watching this with the French play-by-play...

The University of Dave

It was the summer of 1994, and I was a counselor at Med-O-Lark in Washington, ME. This is a drawing a camper named Deb made for me. Judging from its contents, I guess the things I liked weren’t much of a secret…

Front and center is alcohol. There is a liquor bottle (vodka?) with a Boston Bruins symbol along with the “Brewum Partium” motto of the University. The “Babum Tunum” part of the motto goes along with the “Chester Chick” female depicted – she represents a major college crush of mine who was from a town called Chester (Chester Chick is how the campers referred to her when they asked me about her). Surrounding the alcohol and woman are three of my favorite fictional characters. There is the Punisher skull, Tasmanian Devil, and Homer from The Simpsons (a show I’ve watched a few times). The “If it’s inappropriate, it’s Dave” is a perfect summation of how I was living when I was 20. I drank a lot, got into trouble, and didn’t really care who I upset.

I’m glad to report that it has been almost 16 years since I last drank, and I am still a big fan of the Bruins, Taz, and Punisher. I also think I’m acting at least a little more appropriate than I was at 20…

PEI Postcard from Mom

I thought this would be perfect for the coming snowstorm…

My mom sent this to me during the first semester of my freshman year at BC. She mentioned in her note that this was my “favorite postcard”, along with things she and “Gram” were getting done on The Island. I know having it up on the wall of my Gonzaga Hall room helped me to deal with my last round of chemo. Thanks, Mom!

GO B'S, make it two in a row!

Holy Mullet, Batman! (Saint John's Junior Year ID)

I wish I could tell you that those wings spreading out by my collar were just shadows. Nope, that’s my hair. In my defense, sporting a mullet was the only way I could have anything approaching long hair at the Ol' SJ . There's no way they would have even let me take this ID picture if my hair were longer on the sides or in front. I believe the actual written rule was anything "past the collar", so even this picture is "rebellious" as far as Saint John's standards. I think my lack of troublemaking for the SJ teachers let me get away with this atrocious hair. (If you want to see other great mullets, you can see AND rate some here)

I did have to meet with one of the Deans of Students (Mr. Robert Moynagh) my very first day at Saint John's. It wasn't because of my hair or any rule breaking. Instead, I had lost the combination for my lock and the Dean had to chop off my lock with a bolt cutter. The funniest part about the whole thing was when my mother came to pick me up. As we drove away, Mr. Moynagh was standing on the sidewalk and saw me in the van. When he waved to me, my mother wondered who he was and how he knew me. I told her that he was the Dean, but had "no idea" how he knew me and thought he was just waving to everyone.

In a way, Saint John's is responsible for my t-shirt blog. I didn't like having to wear a button shirt and tie every day, and t-shirts became my favorite choice of garb whenever I was out of school. But, I am glad I went to SJ. I got a great education and received unbelievable support from the Saint John's community when I was diagnosed with Crohn's freshman year and cancer my senior year. At over $10,000 a year now, I hope Saint John's is still providing Grade A education and support for its students...