About a Boy

There are a few reasons I got involved with Kyle's Kamp.  My husband went to high school with Rob Hahne and played ball with him.  My oldest boys took hitting lessons from Rob.  My littlest took his very first baseball clinic, "The Bambinos", with Kyle Hahne when he was four years old.  We followed Kyle's journey after he was diagnosed with Leukemia.  We prayed for the Hahnes and my boys' teams played in the last two Memorial Day tournaments.

Then there was Gavin.  I've written about Gavin.  Countless times.  I wrote about lots of things before Gavin and I've written about many things since.  I will continue to write about things that move me whether it's a quote from my pastor or the new JCrew catalog or any other manner of things.  But I cannot deny the effect on my life and my writing of the story of Gavin Rupp, the boy who was so much like my own. And the story of his family, so much like my own.  And the story of the buddies with whom he played, so much like the boys who pile into my car when it's my turn to drive to practice and who have sleepovers in my basement and eat all the pancakes before I can blink.

Gavin and the loss of him.  That's what made me email Rob and say, "I'm in. What do I do next?"

One thing Rob asked me to do was write for the Kyle's Kamp website.  And when I write, Gavin always comes to mind.  But, Gavin is not a myth.  He is not a Lifetime Movie script.  He was not just a boy with cancer.  Gavin was a boy.  He was a boy in a family with a mom and a dad and three kids. The boy had a group of friends who loved baseball.  His dad coached his baseball team.  His mom ran kids all over town here and there. He was smart and funny and my guess is that sometimes he could drive his mama nuts and bug his brother and sister.  Sound familiar?  Gavin was everyone's kid.

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