WJW FOX 8 graphic and pictureAbout 500 people got together in a Westlake hotel ballroom Friday night to honor a man a lot of people have been thinking about in the past few months.
The event was all about Casey Coleman, the WTAM/1100 veteran sports voice and Browns Radio Network sideline reporter…who’s unfortunately been sidelined himself due to pancreatic cancer. If you can tell a man by the number of friends he has, having 500 people spend a Friday night helping you out sure says a lot about Casey.
A WJW FOX 8 story on the event noted that those at the event were raising money for Casey’s medical bills. While we’re sure Casey likely has the standard medical coverage available through Clear Channel, who knows what insane deductibles or other costs are still involved for a horrific medical situation such as this? We’re glad they got together.
And Casey, who often calls himself “The Luckiest Guy in the World” (see that “LGITW” license plate?), felt bad that he could not be there on Friday night. But…he had to stay away, for as if having to go through chemotherapy isn’t enough, FOX 8 reports that a spot has been found on his liver, and Casey has to have surgery to remove it next week.
We got a glimpse of part of the letter Casey wrote to be read by his wife Mary, and here’s the text we could catch:
“Dear Family and Friends,
Imagine me, at a loss for words.
I just don’t know where to begin to try and thank everyone, from the amazing group of people who spent so much time and energy putting this event together to all the rest of you for being here. As it has been from the beginning, your kindness and generosity is overwhelming. I’ve long since stopped debating the reasons for this outpouring of love and support and decided to surrender and accept it.
It pains me greatly not to be here with you on this truly humbling evening, but the good Lord has added to the task that Mary and I and the girls face, so my first priority must be to keep myself free from exposure to anything that could potentially cause a delay in Wednesday’s surgery.
Please know that I consider every day I wake up an opportunity to prove worthy of the love and support that you’ve all showered upon us, and I only hope that through this battle we’ve been able to help someone else along the way.
Please don’t confuse my serenity with defeat. The intention remains the same – I intend to kick cancer’s butt with a smile on my face.”
Your face – by far – won’t be the only one with a smile when you do that, Casey. And we’ll be thinking of you, and praying for you.
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