God's greatest gift to me was a baby brother and now he is gone.
Every extra day from David's 1st liver transplant in September 1981 until this Sunday was also God's gift.
In the end, it was David's time. He had weathered so much and so many challenges, but the toll on his body was too much for him to continue.
David represented all that was good within us – creativity, energy, enthusiasm, positive attitude, love for life, love for others…
As a toddler and young boy, David was a bundle of energy. I will never forget the excitement of those early years when I stopped being an only child after four and a half years, and finally had a brother!
None of us knew what to expect after David’s 1st transplant – it was uncharted territory. We did know it was experimental, we knew lots of other children and adults didn’t survive very long. We knew a few people had survived over 10 years…
I suppose as a young man, my assumption was that David would go back to being the little brother he was before he got sick. Someone who I played ping pong against, but usually lost. Someone who I thought how to play softball and baseball, only to see him become much better at those sports than I was.
Well – actually the idea was to help him become better at those sports than I was – I couldn’t stand to see anyone go through the frustrations that I did, trying to play.
When we were growing up, David filled an important role in our family that I could never bring myself to fill. When my mother was upset and crying, he was always the one who could console her, while I felt paralyzed. This was a huge relief to me that he stepped in to deal with these situations.
Having come so close to death, people were amazed at what David went on to achieve after his transplant. Class salutatorian in high school, a private pilot’s license, graduation from
David did something at his wedding, that I’ve never seen anyone else do – before or since. He sang a love song to Sara – not only did he do that, he went and recorded it in advance and had it played at the reception. Yes, David was a better athlete than I was -- but he definitely wasn’t a better singer – if you know what I mean.
David went through a 2nd and 3rd transplant 7 years ago – once again he amazed us by cheating death and returning back home to a productive life with his family.
Staying positive, staying enthusiastic, never wanting to take “no” as an answer. And while his stubbornness sometimes frustrated me, I would take more of it in a heartbeat for just a bit more time with him.
When we learned at the beginning of November that he was sick again – we had no reason to think that things would turn out any differently than they did the 1st two times he was sick.
David would get a liver transplant, cheat death, and come back to
We’ve since learned that God had other plans for him. And we know that wherever he is, David is looking down on all of us, with his ever pleasant smile.
As I mentioned before, David was a pilot. So it was very appropriate that I happened to be watching the movie “The Right Stuff” last weekend, which is about the pilots that became the first astronauts. There’s a line at the end of movie that I’ve adapted which I believe describes David’s last moments – “Last Sunday, David flew farther, faster, and higher than any other pilot – and at that moment, David was the best pilot you ever saw”.
David had a great sense of humor and was always telling jokes. I think he would like this one to end my remarks.
On the day that David died, Heaven wasn’t very busy, so God said that he would give David a tour. God took David to see the golf course where he could play golf whenever he wanted. He saw the game center where David could participate in Hero Clix tournaments when he felt like it. He showed David the Heaven airfield where there were rows of planes available to be take up.
Lastly they visited a room that was filled with clocks. David asked what the clocks were for. God told him that the clocks were for each person on earth and measured the time that they had left. David noticed that some clocks were moving more quickly than others and asked God why that was the case.
God told him the clocks speed up everytime the person tells a lie. David noticed a clock in the middle of the room that was spinning wildly.
Who’s clock is that asked David? That’s OJ’s clock – we use it as a fan.
1 comment:
Our Dear Yomtoob Family,
I have been so sorry to learn of the loss of David. I know that so many lives will feel his absence intensely. I also know that many lives are richer for having known him, even those of us who were fortunate to meet him only briefly at various gatherings.
David is our Champion in so many ways -- sharing all that he has endured, caring enough to share so that others may benefit from his difficulties. He is a glistening example of hope, and an excellent guide to follow on the journey that many of us will travel. I will always remember David with great thoughts on his mind, great love in his heart, and a beutiful song in his soul. A Ray of Sunshine and a Beacon of Hope for all of us. Thank you, Pari, Joe, Ben, and the rest of the Yomtoob Family, for carrying his message to all of us, too.
Thank you David, for having been here.
Love Always,
--- Fran Corda-Whitehead
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