Catholic Free Press Article about Skating for Hope (7/29/11)

If you were looking for another sign of the oncoming apocalypse, this article will help you out. Not only would I have never predicted being interviewed by the Catholic Free Pressfor a story, I certainly wouldn’t have thought it would be the headline with my picture right next to it. But it happened…

Like I told my cousin Katie, I’m just glad he didn’t ask me any questions about my opinion of the Catholic Church. I made sure to tell him up front that I was an altar boy for 10 years and went to Catholic High School and Boston College (I “did the whole program” as Mike Birbiglia says).

But other than a few numerical mistakes (and for some reason not mentioning BC gradJamie O’Leary), I think this is a great article about Skating for Hope and certainly helped out the cause. Thanks CFP, and great picture by Jess!

Here’s the: Online article

Mike Birbiglia Sleepwalk with Me Signed Book and My Girlfriend's Boyfriend Ticket (4/2/11)

Last April, I got to chat for a second time with someone that I consider to be one of my heroes. Raised in nearby Shrewsbury, MA, Mike Birbiglia is one of my favorite comedians and has dealt with life challenges that are similar to mine. Mike was raised Catholic and also “served time” as an altar boy (and like Mike, my answer is, “No, I wasn’t…” Mike also went to Saint John’s, but like his older brother (who was in my class), he didn’t complete 4 years there. “Birbigs” has had his share of medical issues, too. While I have been dealing with Crohn’s most of my life, Mike has been dealing with a sleepwalking disorder. Additionally, both of us are cancer survivors. I have used humor to deal with my issues, and so has Mike…he’s just a lot funnier than me. I bet I could kick his ass in hockey, though. When I knew Skating for Hope was officially booked, I thought of what my “dream schedule” would be. Mike was on there, so I emailed him to see if he was interested in participating. Although I never heard back from him, I hope he knows it’s an open invite (no, I’m not going to make a YouTube video). Thanks for all the laughs, Mike.

To read more about Mike and watch his “Wiffle Ball Tony” routine that I love, you can check out the blog I wrote on the day I went to see his show in April.

PS – His book Sleepwalk with Me is now available in paperback here.

Greg Montalbano Classic Program (5/15/10)

Last year, Saint John’s and Westboro High played a game in memory of Greg Montalbano after dedicating the bullpen area in his name. All the players wore Montalbano shirts (see my Greg stories on the blog about my Montalbano shirt here), and Westboro won 5-4.

On New Year’s Eve coming into this year, I had a party with all of my t-shirts on display. Family and friends came, and everyone walked away with a new t-shirt after making a donation towards the rink rental for my Skating for Hope event. Not long after the stroke of midnight, I received a call from my friend Mike, Greg’s cousin. He asked if the Montalbano shirt was still available, and it was. “Okay, I’ll take it for $100”, he told me. I was shocked, elated, and a bit teary. Mike’s call was the perfect way of starting the year.

I was thinking of Greg as I skated and played for 6 ½ hours today. I’m hoping to get a Saint John’s / Westboro alum hockey game together for Skating for Hope in Greg and Danny Manning’s honor. I will definitely have these two Saint John’s grads on my mind as I skate on July 30^th…

Worcester Telegram Article About Danny Manning, Jr. (1994)

My aunt sent this to me in 1994 when I was starting my job as a camp counselor in Maine. It was great news to me back then, but now it’s a little tough for me to read.

I knew Danny because we both went to Saint John’s in Shrewsbury, MA. We weren’t in many classes together, but were in the same homeroom for all four years. When he was diagnosed with cancer in 1993, I went to visit him in the hospital. I gave him the cross (see article) a priest had given me when I had cancer, hoping it would help bring him the same results as it had brought me. I also told Danny that when I was sick, I tried to keep laughing as much as I could by watching funny movies and Comedy Central. It was a great visit, and he seemed confident that he was going to beat his cancer.

About a year later, Danny lost his battle. His transplant had been a success and he was only days away from going home, but he caught an infection that his treatment-worn body just couldn’t fight. When I got the news, I felt sad, angry, and guilty. I wondered if there was anything more I could have said or done to help him. I knew I could have visited Danny more, but at the time I didn’t want to seem like I was butting in. I asked myself why I made it through and he didn’t. It was my first taste of something that I still sometimes struggle with: Survivor’s Guilt.

When Danny passed away, I was a junior in college and had a drinking problem. My way of dealing with Survivor’s Guilt was to drink more. Guess what? I didn’t help; it only made me feel worse. Now, I haven’t had a drink in almost 16 years and I have discovered weapons that help me fight the Survivor’s Guilt.

The biggest anti-SG weapon I have is my job. I get paid to help cancer patients deal with their battles every night at Hope Lodge. This comes in forms like watching funny movies, sharing my cancer story, or just listening to guests tell me about their day. I really believe Danny somehow helped me find this job at Hope Lodge.

My other weapons are writing and taking some sort of action to fight back against cancer. I write about my cancer story, the people I know who have been affected by cancer, and ways others can help fight cancer. I participate in fundraisers and am in the middle of creating Skating for Hope event to benefit Hope Lodge.

Danny may be gone, but I want to make sure he’s never forgotten. I found a more detailed article about Danny’s story here, and you can read more about the history of UMass’ Walk to Cure Cancer here.

If you’d like to do something to help, you can donate to the Our Danny Cancer Fund here. You can also register to be a possible bone marrow donor here – all it takes is a cotton swab in your mouth.

Thanks for all the inspiration, Danny. You help me want to make the most of my life…

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...