Dria, Marc, Dan, and Alex: I found Bill's speech he made at Shane's fundraiser last year and thought I would share his words. Bill and I miss your beautiful son and brother dearly.
"I met Shane when he was 4 years old. His Dad, Marc, pushed him out into the Pacific Ocean on a giant surfboard almost double his length, and I was watching while thinking, "Is this safe?" He was struggling to paddle out and he was getting increasingly more and more mad until he started to drop F-bombs. Remember, this kid was only 4 years old, and he was already swearing. Shane's Dad kept shouting at him to "Pop up!" but this kid's arms could barely reach the water because he was so small. I was biting my nails the entire time convinced that he was definitely going to drown - if not from exhaustion, then from frustration. I remember asking his Dad, "Maybe you should grab your kid and try again another day?" And he told me, "Nah, look at his face, he won't go home until he gets this." Shane's expression was indeed pure determination. He ended up paddling out and popping up on his board after thirty additional minutes of struggling, and when he did, he screamed some more cuss words (in elation this time) before swimming back to his Dad. Marc then asked me if I could coach him in surfing, and I had no choice but to say yes to this potty-mouthed boy.
When Shane grew older, he chilled out and stopped cursing as much, saving the F-bombs for situations that truly warranted them. In fact, he was polite, well-spoken, and witty. Also, he was no longer a beginner surfer. He was actually incredible: fearlessly flying down giant 20 to 50 foot swells, spinning expertly in the air, and barreling countless waves. I entered him into competitions, many of which he won easily and gracefully, but I noticed that he hated the attention and would do anything to avoid interviewers and photo-ops after his sessions. In fact, he told me he disliked competing and said it took the fun out of the sport. Although he tried to stay out of the spotlight, he was too talented and and too handsome not to get noticed by brands, many of them, by the way, went crazy over him. However, when sponsors approached him promising deals to help him go pro, he declined, stating he'd rather go to college and study math. As his coach, I was gutted, because he would have pushed boundaries and ascended to the top of the ranks with his flair and confidence. But as his mentor, I was proud of him for taking his education seriously, and also being humble enough to not get sucked in by the talks of money and fame.
It was a shock when Shane was diagnosed with cancer. During the time of his diagnosis, he was the epitome of health: he exercised daily, he ate healthy, and he was powerful and strong. For his body to decline so rapidly over the next couple of years without a way to stop it felt like a slap in the face. Even so, he handled his illness with calmness and stoicism, without any traces of the anger his 4 year old self displayed while trying to paddle out. But, that exact look of determination was there. He was still the same gritty, stubborn kid, refusing to back down from all of the crazy medical interventions his doctors threw at him. He fought like hell, but he did it quietly and matter-of-factly. He made sure to keep surfing, playing soccer, attending school, and goofing off with his friends and brothers for as long as he could. And when he finally couldn't anymore, he tended to worry more about his family and friends than about himself.
Losing Shane was crushing. There are no words to describe how messed up it was. He was too young, barely twenty years old. His last few months were really rough - stuck in bed, barely able to breathe on his own, drugged out on morphine. Even in that state, he never stopped thanking the people that surrounded his bedside. He always reminded his family that he loved them, and he expressed so much gratitude towards his friends who visited every day.
I could go on about how brave he was, but I'd like to end with some other attributes about Shane that aren't about his cancer, because he was so much more than that. He wasn't afraid to work hard. He was genuine and never did things for attention. He was kind and generous from the heart. He was incredibly humble despite the fact that he had so much going on for him. He was smart - my goodness was that kid intelligent. He loved his brothers, Dan and Alex, and his parents, Dria and Marc. He loved his girlfriend, Jenny, and all of his friends.
He was also a quiet kid, preferring to observe and to let others be in the center of attention. But the way his family and friends still remember and honor him over ten years later makes his legacy louder than anything he could have ever imagined.
A legacy he deserves."
- Bill Reichert
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