alan As we get closer to this year’s Nick’s Marathon, I have been telling more and more people about what we do. And the “what” part is simple enough: we play video-games for an entire weekend and raise money for charity. But sometimes people ask me WHY we do it. And that question is a little bit harder to answer. But allow me to try.
People cope with death in different ways. There are the standard five stages of grief, but what happens after acceptance? The pain of losing a loved one doesn’t simply dissipate just because you accept that they’re gone.
After Nick died, I found myself struggling to come to terms with it all. Watching him suffer and pass away – while I was unable to do anything to help – deeply affected me. That feeling of uselessness ate at me, and I felt like I had to do SOMETHING.
But what could I do?
When I think of Nick, there are a few things that immediately come to mind. First and formeost was his kindness. Nick was generous to a fault, and he would always be there to help out a friend in need. Then there was his passion for video-games. He loved playing games whenever he could, but he mostly loved playing with his friends. And we didn’t have to be gaming; Nick always just enjoyed hanging out. Our little circle, friends since in high school, has spread out over the years, but Nick was always trying to get us all together.
All of those things combine to make a video-game marathon the perfect tribute to Nick. It was James who first came up with the idea, and I immediately thought it was perfect. What better way could we honor our friend?
Nick’s Marathon was truly *inspired* by Nick, in every sense of the word. It is meant to celebrate Nick’s spirit in a way that is thoughtful, meaningful, and – at its very core – fun.
It’s something Nick would be proud of.
And that’s why we do it.