Please keep Chance in your thoughts and prayers (1 Viewer)

[Guster]

Obituary

Donation information:

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to:

Texas Children’s Cancer Center

In Memory of Chance Davidson

1919 S. Braeswood Blvd., Suite 5214

Houston, Texas 77030

Or call (832) 824-2945 to donate by credit card

Is there a reputable FBG that would be willing to collect donations from those that want to give (Paypal?) and then provide that in one lump vs. a bunch of individual letters/calls they would have to deal with?

 

[CletiusMaximus]

The obituary is beautiful. I can't stop looking at such a sweet kid's smile, though. ####.

I remember seeing that smile in the video where his classmates shaved their heads. What a great smile, happy kid. Life is so strange sometimes. I'll never forget this.

 

[the moops]

And as for being strong, I feel anything but strong. I have wept more in the last two weeks than in all the years of my life. And my wife has held me while I sobbed every bit as much as I have held her. But as a family unit, we are strong. I know we are.

Please don't doubt how strong and inspiring you have been. We only get to read your words. I imagine those that get to hold you and hear you and know you feel your strength ten-fold over what we feel hear.

Love you man. Think about you often.

 

[CurlyNight]

Wow, what a beautiful obit. RIP love.

 

[Bob Sacamano]

Obituary

Donation information:

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to:

Texas Childrens Cancer Center

In Memory of Chance Davidson

1919 S. Braeswood Blvd., Suite 5214

Houston, Texas 77030

Or call (832) 824-2945 to donate by credit card

Is there a reputable FBG that would be willing to collect donations from those that want to give (Paypal?) and then provide that in one lump vs. a bunch of individual letters/calls they would have to deal with?

I can do this. PM me if interested

 

[prosopis]

I am so sorry to read this and I don't know what to say. Know that I will keep you and your family in my daily prayers.

 

[Mr. Nasty]

Obituary

Donation information:

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to:

Texas Children’s Cancer Center

In Memory of Chance Davidson

1919 S. Braeswood Blvd., Suite 5214

Houston, Texas 77030

Or call (832) 824-2945 to donate by credit card

Beautiful BB. Thank you again for sharing this with all of us.

 

[bentley]

All the bentleys send our love, BB. Thanks so much for sharing. I've been a lot more patient with JR over the last few days than I might have been otherwise. I can't imagine that there's anything that I can offer that would help but let me know if you ever need anything.

 

[Ministry of Pain]

BB, thank you for giving the gift of Chance to the FFA. May he forever stay in our hearts, may his story inspire all of us to be better. I rarely share anything in here with my wife or anyone else for that matter but I have been speaking about Chance. The obituary was beautiful and to be able to see Chance for the first time, I just feel touched and honored you wanted to share this great gift with all of us.

 

[Idiot Boxer]

Obituary

Donation information:

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to:

Texas Childrens Cancer Center

In Memory of Chance Davidson

1919 S. Braeswood Blvd., Suite 5214

Houston, Texas 77030

Or call (832) 824-2945 to donate by credit card

Is there a reputable FBG that would be willing to collect donations from those that want to give (Paypal?) and then provide that in one lump vs. a bunch of individual letters/calls they would have to deal with?

I can do this. PM me if interested

He said 'reputable'

 

[Gator Shawn]

Here's a link to the video. I'm hoping JJ doesn't mind that I'm posting it temporarily, but it felt right to share it with you all. It's unlisted so it won't be searchable or anything - only you guys with the link will be able to view it.

Link

Awesome. So glad Watt did this for Chance, and so glad it made Chance happy.

This makes me a Watt fan.

:

 

[Buck Bradcanon]

The obituary is beautiful. I can't stop looking at such a sweet kid's smile, though. ####.

I remember seeing that smile in the video where his classmates shaved their heads. What a great smile, happy kid. Life is so strange sometimes. I'll never forget this.

Is this video still available? Thank you.

 

[Jayrok]

Here's a link to the video. I'm hoping JJ doesn't mind that I'm posting it temporarily, but it felt right to share it with you all. It's unlisted so it won't be searchable or anything - only you guys with the link will be able to view it.

Link

Awesome. So glad Watt did this for Chance, and so glad it made Chance happy.

This makes me a Watt fan.

:

Same here.

 

[NCCommish]

Can't even imagine what you are going through. No words suffice. Just know that your family remains in our thoughts and that you have much love reaching out to help you through. RIP Chance.

 

[belljr]

i am so sorry

 

[Psychopav]

Obituary

Donation information:

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to:

Texas Childrens Cancer Center

In Memory of Chance Davidson

1919 S. Braeswood Blvd., Suite 5214

Houston, Texas 77030

Or call (832) 824-2945 to donate by credit card

Is there a reputable FBG that would be willing to collect donations from those that want to give (Paypal?) and then provide that in one lump vs. a bunch of individual letters/calls they would have to deal with?

I can do this. PM me if interested

He said 'reputable'

Well, he's got a reputation at any rate. pm sent.

 

[Koya]

Obituary

Donation information:

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to:

Texas Childrens Cancer Center

In Memory of Chance Davidson

1919 S. Braeswood Blvd., Suite 5214

Houston, Texas 77030

Or call (832) 824-2945 to donate by credit card

Is there a reputable FBG that would be willing to collect donations from those that want to give (Paypal?) and then provide that in one lump vs. a bunch of individual letters/calls they would have to deal with?

I can do this. PM me if interested

He said 'reputable'

Well, he's got a reputation at any rate. pm sent.

Another PM sent, and a great idea. Thank you for stepping up.

 

[bigbottom]

The obituary is beautiful. I can't stop looking at such a sweet kid's smile, though. ####.

I remember seeing that smile in the video where his classmates shaved their heads. What a great smile, happy kid. Life is so strange sometimes. I'll never forget this.

Is this video still available? Thank you.

http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/video?id=8776874

And this was an alternative version of the story with a different part of the interview with Chance that they ran in a different broadcast: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zPX6biYdYP8

 

[bigbottom]

Obituary

Donation information:

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to:

Texas Childrens Cancer Center

In Memory of Chance Davidson

1919 S. Braeswood Blvd., Suite 5214

Houston, Texas 77030

Or call (832) 824-2945 to donate by credit card

Is there a reputable FBG that would be willing to collect donations from those that want to give (Paypal?) and then provide that in one lump vs. a bunch of individual letters/calls they would have to deal with?

I can do this. PM me if interested

He said 'reputable'

Well, he's got a reputation at any rate. pm sent.

Another PM sent, and a great idea. Thank you for stepping up.

Thanks Bobby Sac and thanks to anyone who is inclined to make a donation. It is not expected, but it is certainly appreciated. A couple things: First, I trust Bobby Sac completely, so no one should have any hesitation sending their donations to him to collect. (I know where he lives.) Second, I am told by our contacts at Texas Children's Cancer Center that all donations made in Chance's name will be placed into a special fund. Once all the donations have been collected, we will be provided an accounting and then will have some discretion on how the money is spent. We already have some ideas. So rest assured that your donations won't just be dumped into some huge operating fund. Many thanks to you all.

 

[Keerock]

Obituary

Donation information:

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to:

Texas Childrens Cancer Center

In Memory of Chance Davidson

1919 S. Braeswood Blvd., Suite 5214

Houston, Texas 77030

Or call (832) 824-2945 to donate by credit card

Is there a reputable FBG that would be willing to collect donations from those that want to give (Paypal?) and then provide that in one lump vs. a bunch of individual letters/calls they would have to deal with?

I can do this. PM me if interested

He said 'reputable'

Well, he's got a reputation at any rate. pm sent.

Another PM sent, and a great idea. Thank you for stepping up.

Thanks Bobby Sac and thanks to anyone who is inclined to make a donation. It is not expected, but it is certainly appreciated. A couple things: First, I trust Bobby Sac completely, so no one should have any hesitation sending their donations to him to collect. (I know where he lives.) Second, I am told by our contacts at Texas Children's Cancet Center that all donations made in Chance's name will be placed into a special fund. Once all the donations have been collected, we will be provided an accounting and then will have some discretion on how the money is spent. We already have some ideas. So rest assured that your donations won't just be dumped into some huge operating fund.

Many thanks to you all.

 

[Andy Dufresne]

I can't thank you all enough for the kind words. The thoughtfulness, insight and perspective are welcome and very much appreciated. I may spend some time over the coming days and weeks recounting a few of the more amazing moments of this journey. I hope you will indulge me. Suffice it to say that the last couple weeks have been soulcrushing and sorrowful at times, and tender, joyful and inspirational at others. And now, with Chance gone, I am left with a hole in my heart so big that I can't imagine that it will ever be repaired. But I also am so thankful that he is finally cancer-free and at peace. It is a nearly unbearable emotional conflict. And as for being strong, I feel anything but strong. I have wept more in the last two weeks than in all the years of my life. And my wife has held me while I sobbed every bit as much as I have held her. But as a family unit, we are strong. I know we are. And we will be able to face our lives ahead, because we know that Chance will live on in our hearts, and that he will be watching over us the rest of our days.

I've been trying to avoid the FFA for the last couple weeks but this thread has kept me coming back and I've been searching for the words and not finding them but I have to respond to this.

In circumstances like this "strength" doesn't mean "stoic" and there's nothing particularly strong about suppressing your true emotions.

I think the 2nd definition from Oxford's dictionary applies more here:

"Strength - A good or beneficial quality or attribute of a person or thing:"

There are far too many people that have grown up with loser fathers in this world. It is clear that your son was NOT one of them. And the reason that it is clear is manifest in the deep sorrow you feel at his absence and in your willingness to share what has happened with complete strangers here. Guys that don't care would be able to contain their grief.

The love you have for your son is bursting forth in the form of tears. But the ability to express those feelings of sadness isn't weakness. On the contrary rather, it is most definitely "a good and beneficial quality".

From what I've heard, you'll never get over the loss. But I'm not sure that you should. I have a nearly 14 y.o. son and wouldn't get over losing him either. What I do sincerely hope, however, is that you get THROUGH it as soon as possible.

And may the good remembrances of the past soon overtake the heartache of the present.

Spoiler

Oh, and it's not a good thing to read any part of this thread while listening to The Liars' "The Other Side Of Mount Heart Attack"....

 

[Andy Dufresne]

One more thing.

Up yours, cancer.

 

[Kilgore Trout]

Thanks Bobby Sac and thanks to anyone who is inclined to make a donation. It is not expected, but it is certainly appreciated. A couple things: First, I trust Bobby Sac completely, so no one should have any hesitation sending their donations to him to collect. (I know where he lives.) Second, I am told by our contacts at Texas Children's Cancer Center that all donations made in Chance's name will be placed into a special fund. Once all the donations have been collected, we will be provided an accounting and then will have some discretion on how the money is spent. We already have some ideas. So rest assured that your donations won't just be dumped into some huge operating fund.

Many thanks to you all.

That is fantastic. If the money was just going to their operations, that would be great as well, but being able to put that money to a specific use is really nice. Having watched the video of Chance going home, the staff working there seems to do a great job working and caring for the children that need treatment.

 

[Tau837]

BB, thank you for giving the gift of Chance to the FFA. May he forever stay in our hearts, may his story inspire all of us to be better. I rarely share anything in here with my wife or anyone else for that matter but I have been speaking about Chance. The obituary was beautiful and to be able to see Chance for the first time, I just feel touched and honored you wanted to share this great gift with all of us.

Same here on the bolded.

 

[collective]

http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/video?id=8776874

Cadesman?

And what ever happened to keeping full names of minors out of the media?

Anyway, sorry for your loss.

 

[Bob Sacamano]

Obituary

Donation information:

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to:

Texas Childrens Cancer Center

In Memory of Chance Davidson

1919 S. Braeswood Blvd., Suite 5214

Houston, Texas 77030

Or call (832) 824-2945 to donate by credit card

Is there a reputable FBG that would be willing to collect donations from those that want to give (Paypal?) and then provide that in one lump vs. a bunch of individual letters/calls they would have to deal with?

I can do this. PM me if interested

He said 'reputable'

Man, I can't wait until I win Acer's ipad with your money.

 

[Clayton Gray]

So sorry, BB.

 

[RBM]

BB, thank you for giving the gift of Chance to the FFA. May he forever stay in our hearts, may his story inspire all of us to be better. I rarely share anything in here with my wife or anyone else for that matter but I have been speaking about Chance. The obituary was beautiful and to be able to see Chance for the first time, I just feel touched and honored you wanted to share this great gift with all of us.

Same here on the bolded.

Same. Very nicely said MOP

Your family is still in my prayers BB.

 

[TobiasFunke]

Obituary

Donation information:

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to:

Texas Childrens Cancer Center

In Memory of Chance Davidson

1919 S. Braeswood Blvd., Suite 5214

Houston, Texas 77030

Or call (832) 824-2945 to donate by credit card

Is there a reputable FBG that would be willing to collect donations from those that want to give (Paypal?) and then provide that in one lump vs. a bunch of individual letters/calls they would have to deal with?

I can do this. PM me if interested

He said 'reputable'

Well, he's got a reputation at any rate. pm sent.

Another PM sent, and a great idea. Thank you for stepping up.

Many thanks to Bob for organizing, hope lots of FBGs join in.

 

[Bob Sacamano]

If anyone tried to send me a PM and my inbox was full, I apologize. I made some room. If it happens again, please be patient. I WILL clear it out eventually and give you a heads up in here again. Thanks to all who have donated thus far.

 

[Jewell]

Obituary

That's beautiful obituary for a beautiful child, BB. Chance sounds like he accomplished quite a bit during his too short time on this Earth. I'm sure he's a chip off the old block in that regard.

It's pretty impressive to hear that the little guy was an accomplished bagpiper at his age. I often listen to the bagpipes when I run. I'll put a little something extra into my next bagpipe run in honor of Chance.

 

[Whitetail Hunter]

Very sorry, BB.

 

[AAABatteries]

It's pretty impressive to hear that the little guy was an accomplished bagpiper at his age.

- very, very cool. I'm envious of the talent that Chance had - sounds like a really cool kid. You did a great job BB!

 

[Christo]

I'm sorry for your loss, bigbottom. This one goes to eleven.

 

[Fritz Funk]

so very sorry to hear BB

 

[bigbottom]

Obituary

That's beautiful obituary for a beautiful child, BB. Chance sounds like he accomplished quite a bit during his too short time on this Earth. I'm sure he's a chip off the old block in that regard.

It's pretty impressive to hear that the little guy was an accomplished bagpiper at his age. I often listen to the bagpipes when I run. I'll put a little something extra into my next bagpipe run in honor of Chance.

Thanks Jewell. Here is a photo from his regional competition solo in May 2012, just a month before his cancer diagnosis. He won his division. An unusual musical pursuit to say the least, but one he had a real talent for.

 

[OC Zed]

Obituary

That's beautiful obituary for a beautiful child, BB. Chance sounds like he accomplished quite a bit during his too short time on this Earth. I'm sure he's a chip off the old block in that regard.

It's pretty impressive to hear that the little guy was an accomplished bagpiper at his age. I often listen to the bagpipes when I run. I'll put a little something extra into my next bagpipe run in honor of Chance.

Thanks Jewell. Here is a photo from his regional competition solo in May 2012, just a month before his cancer diagnosis. He won his division. An unusual musical pursuit to say the least, but one he had a real talent for.

That's pretty awesome. Thanks for sharing that.

 

[prosopis]

Obituary

That's beautiful obituary for a beautiful child, BB. Chance sounds like he accomplished quite a bit during his too short time on this Earth. I'm sure he's a chip off the old block in that regard.

It's pretty impressive to hear that the little guy was an accomplished bagpiper at his age. I often listen to the bagpipes when I run. I'll put a little something extra into my next bagpipe run in honor of Chance.

Thanks Jewell. Here is a photo from his regional competition solo in May 2012, just a month before his cancer diagnosis. He won his division. An unusual musical pursuit to say the least, but one he had a real talent for.

That is awesome and a great picture.

 

[BroncoFreak_2K3]

Obituary

That's beautiful obituary for a beautiful child, BB. Chance sounds like he accomplished quite a bit during his too short time on this Earth. I'm sure he's a chip off the old block in that regard.

It's pretty impressive to hear that the little guy was an accomplished bagpiper at his age. I often listen to the bagpipes when I run. I'll put a little something extra into my next bagpipe run in honor of Chance.

Thanks Jewell. Here is a photo from his regional competition solo in May 2012, just a month before his cancer diagnosis. He won his division. An unusual musical pursuit to say the least, but one he had a real talent for.

That is awesome and a great picture.

Totally agree. What a fantastic young man.

 

[Mr.Pack]

We played this song at my moms funeral. It's a song of inspiration and sung by my daughter with her HS Choir.

God bless you and your family BB, Chance is a true Angel.

All our love

 

[CurlyNight]

The obituary is beautiful. I can't stop looking at such a sweet kid's smile, though. ####.

I remember seeing that smile in the video where his classmates shaved their heads. What a great smile, happy kid. Life is so strange sometimes. I'll never forget this.

Is this video still available? Thank you.

http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/video?id=8776874

And this was an alternative version of the story with a different part of the interview with Chance that they ran in a different broadcast: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zPX6biYdYP8

OMG! How sweet and cute!!

 

[Flying Spaghetti Monster]

i am so sorry

 

[Fiddles]

So so sorry BB. The links you posted are tearing me up. My condolences to you and your family.

 

[glock]

Obituary

That's beautiful obituary for a beautiful child, BB. Chance sounds like he accomplished quite a bit during his too short time on this Earth. I'm sure he's a chip off the old block in that regard.

It's pretty impressive to hear that the little guy was an accomplished bagpiper at his age. I often listen to the bagpipes when I run. I'll put a little something extra into my next bagpipe run in honor of Chance.

Thanks Jewell. Here is a photo from his regional competition solo in May 2012, just a month before his cancer diagnosis. He won his division. An unusual musical pursuit to say the least, but one he had a real talent for.

What a great picture. BB- what lead Chance to become a piper? As a Scotsman I have often entertained the idea of picking up the pipes.

 

[Bob Sacamano]

If you sent me a PM about donating and the conversation between us in PMs shows as "deleted", consider that acknowledgment that I received your payment. There's one I couldn't figure out, but I think I know who that is. If our conversation does NOT show as deleted but you believe you sent me money, please let me know and double-check your payment.

Thanks to all who donated. We're over $1k already.

 

[bigbottom]

If you sent me a PM about donating and the conversation between us in PMs shows as "deleted", consider that acknowledgment that I received your payment. There's one I couldn't figure out, but I think I know who that is. If our conversation does NOT show as deleted but you believe you sent me money, please let me know and double-check your payment.

Thanks to all who donated. We're over $1k already.

Wow, this is so amazing. I can't thank you guys (and gals) enough for your thoughtfulness and generosity. For those still interested in donating, I would encourage you to continue to direct your contributions through Bobby Sac so that we can keep a tally of the donations from our FFA community. That said, if there is anyone who does not want to forward donations in that manner, and would rather donate directly on-line, we've confirmed that donations can be made to Texas Children's Cancer Center at the link below. Please be sure to complete the Tribute information at the bottom of the page to provide that the donation is being made In Memory of Chance Davidson. Thank you all so much, and thanks to Bobby Sac for coordinating.

https://waystogive.texaschildrens.org/SSLPage.aspx?pid=1064

 

[bigbottom]

Obituary

That's beautiful obituary for a beautiful child, BB. Chance sounds like he accomplished quite a bit during his too short time on this Earth. I'm sure he's a chip off the old block in that regard.

It's pretty impressive to hear that the little guy was an accomplished bagpiper at his age. I often listen to the bagpipes when I run. I'll put a little something extra into my next bagpipe run in honor of Chance.

Thanks Jewell. Here is a photo from his regional competition solo in May 2012, just a month before his cancer diagnosis. He won his division. An unusual musical pursuit to say the least, but one he had a real talent for.

What a great picture. BB- what lead Chance to become a piper? As a Scotsman I have often entertained the idea of picking up the pipes.

His school has a Scottish Arts program and the best Pipe Band in the country. They compete at the World Championships in Scotland every other year (too expensive to make the trip every year), and have won the World Championship five times. This past summer, the band came in second place. The "A" Band that competes in Scotland is made up of the best high schoolers in the program. Chance was in the "B" band as an eighth grader, but hoped to make A band and compete in Scotland.

 

[bigbottom]

I may spend some time over the coming days and weeks recounting a few of the more amazing moments of this journey. I hope you will indulge me.

So begins the part where I ask that you all indulge me a bit.

The last day of Chance's life was an extremely difficult one. The pain had become so intense that we had to keep him on a steady dose of morphine. This rendered him pretty much non-responsive. His breathing had become extremely labored, his pulse quick, but weak. Our hospice nurse told us that today was likely the day. Chance was surrounded for the endless hours of that last day by my wife and me, his brother, his two uncles and two aunts, his five cousins, and three grandparents. We took turns whispering in his ear and holding his hands.

But the time came when we began praying for release. His breathing was almost like he was gasping for air, and it was rattled and congested. The color had begun to drain from him. Finding a pulse had become difficult. It was time. We told him it was okay for him to go. We just didn't want him to be in pain any longer. But still he fought to live.

So we turned to music. Chance loved music. We thought some beautiful and relaxing piano pieces might help him transition to his next life. Satie, Debussy, Beethoven, etc. We played this soothing music for over an hour, but still, he hung on.

And then my wife decided that she wanted to play Chance a song that his uncle had once dedicated to him. And so she did.

Gym Class Heroes - The Fighter

From there, we said screw the sad piano music. We started playing a bunch of the songs that Chance loved. Rock tunes from Queen, Journey and Foo Fighters. (Bohemian Rhapsody was his favorite song of all time, and the lyrics went straight to the heart when we played it for him.) But we also played a bunch of modern pop hits that Chance really enjoyed, from the likes of Avicii (Wake Me Up), Fun (We Are Young, Carry On), Capital Cities (Safe and Sound), Imagine Dragons (Radioactive, Demons). And then there was a request to play something from Pitch Perfect. This was a movie that our family had watched and enjoyed thoroughly multiple times together. So I pulled up and played the following song. It was near the end of this song that Chance left us and went to heaven. I like to think that Chance didn't want to depart listening to dreary piano music, no matter how serene and heavenly sounding. He wanted to listen to music that he enjoyed. And it was during this song that he wanted to say good bye.

Cups

 

[fatguyinalittlecoat]

Those are beautiful songs but I think "Brady" should have been worked into the rotation somehow.

 

[AcerFC]

eep breath: