Legacy: One Life at a Time
The picture you are looking at is probably one of my proudest moments until today. See, I have told you about how since I was 4 years old I studied music (specifically percussion) and that made and still does make me very happy and focused. Little did I know that music would bring me to this moment in life: presenting about the Costa Rican Non Profit Organization called Project Daniel that I have been a part of for about 6 years, in Japan in front of around 200 delegates from 10 different countries from around the world. Explaining my journey towards that moment in a presentation about something that I truly love and am passionate about.
When I was a kid I asked my grandpa to buy me a piggy bank, he was all for me saving up money so he got me a quite large one and gave it to me. One day he actually asked me what it was for, and I told him I was saving up to be able to afford having a music band. He laughed and said "you don't need money, you need musicians", long story short I put a band together, one guitar, one bass, a singer and me the drummer. We were actually quite good so we started to get hired to play at parties and events here and there. One day we recorded a single to send to a radio station and they told us we should participate in a national bands competition they were going to host about a month later.
We went to the band competition and I was absolutely terrified, the rest of the band members kept their cool a little better than I did because they were all much older than me (I was 12 and they were 16 and 17). While waiting for our turn to present I met this awesome kid that was about 2 years older, a guitarist and composer of his band that saw how scared I was and came to talk to me. He really helped my control my panic and in the process found out we like much of the same type of music and hoped each other for the best. Before I left, because it was my bands turn before his, I told him I was VERY grateful for helping me calm down and asked if he would play with my band sometime, he gladly accepted, smiled and saw me out to the stage.
Years went by and the guitarist started to not have enough time to practice with the band (oh we took it seriously and rehearsed every week at least twice). He asked me if I knew of a guitarist that could "cover for him" in the days or presentations that he would not be able to attend due to university. I immediately had HIM in mind, and remembered he told me he knew a friend of my moms called Shirley, that is like a mother to me, so I called her to ask for his number.
He passed away - she said- He had been fighting bone cancer for years and unfortunately lost his life to the disease... I did not know how to respond to what I was being told, I just stood there in my living room with my house's cord-phone in shock... I know it is VERY ignorant on my behalf but all I could think was "young people get cancer?".
Daniel was his name, and his mother decided to carry on his dream of helping other youngsters like him and their families that are going through the life experience that cancer represents. I do not know how to explain this, but meeting him that one day seems like so little but meant SO much. It just makes me feel so happy everyday I get to volunteer for the organization that resulted from his dream.
We went to the band competition and I was absolutely terrified, the rest of the band members kept their cool a little better than I did because they were all much older than me (I was 12 and they were 16 and 17). While waiting for our turn to present I met this awesome kid that was about 2 years older, a guitarist and composer of his band that saw how scared I was and came to talk to me. He really helped my control my panic and in the process found out we like much of the same type of music and hoped each other for the best. Before I left, because it was my bands turn before his, I told him I was VERY grateful for helping me calm down and asked if he would play with my band sometime, he gladly accepted, smiled and saw me out to the stage.
Years went by and the guitarist started to not have enough time to practice with the band (oh we took it seriously and rehearsed every week at least twice). He asked me if I knew of a guitarist that could "cover for him" in the days or presentations that he would not be able to attend due to university. I immediately had HIM in mind, and remembered he told me he knew a friend of my moms called Shirley, that is like a mother to me, so I called her to ask for his number.
He passed away - she said- He had been fighting bone cancer for years and unfortunately lost his life to the disease... I did not know how to respond to what I was being told, I just stood there in my living room with my house's cord-phone in shock... I know it is VERY ignorant on my behalf but all I could think was "young people get cancer?".
Daniel was his name, and his mother decided to carry on his dream of helping other youngsters like him and their families that are going through the life experience that cancer represents. I do not know how to explain this, but meeting him that one day seems like so little but meant SO much. It just makes me feel so happy everyday I get to volunteer for the organization that resulted from his dream.
If legacy is every life you have touched
Daniel's is the largest, most sincere legacy I am proud to be a part of.
