On December 5, 1999 Eddie Greenhill lost his battle with cancer. Eddie's struggle began when he was thirteen and ended when he was twenty-six years old. In those thirteen years, Eddie endured seven relapses and touched more lives than anyone ever could have imagined. Eddie withstood a leg amputation, partial lung removal, countless chemo treatments, radiation, a bone marrow transplant, and several interruptions to his education. Once Eddie got over his initial shock, anger, and fear, he chose to live his life with a positive attitude. Eddie knew cancer had changed his life, and he knew it was for the better. Eddie was a favorite patient at Children's Hospital, where he was often heard saying, "I would have been a hoodlum if I had not gotten cancer." He could always find the humor in any situation, however Eddie was very sincere when it came to his feelings about his cancer. He used his experiences to help countless others in similar situations. This is how I met Eddie. In the summer of 1996, I was privileged enough to meet Eddie Greenhill at Camp Rainbow. When I saw the way he helped people of all ages, I knew he was one of a kind. Eddie was one of those people who could walk into a room of sick kids and have them all laughing in a matter of minutes. He never pitied himself or anyone else; he just loved. Eddie loved completely and unconditionally. I don't know what Eddie would have been like if he hadn't had cancer because I met him after the fact. However, Eddie knew that, "Life wouldn't have been nearly as rich if I had not had cancer." Eddie made many lifelong friends on his journey, and some of them left us before he did. Eddie didn't fear death; he focused his energy on living. I still don't know how he found the strength, but Eddie received his certification to be a recreational therapist just weeks before the end. The National Council For Therapeutic Recreation Certification brought the test to Eddie while he was in the hospital. Two weeks before he died, Eddie spent two days laying in his hospital bed taking his certification test. Days before he died, Eddie was notified that he had passed the test with flying colors. Eddie was not only an amazing individual, as a mutual friend put it, he was a super-hero. Eddie was a hero and an inspiration, and I feel privileged to have known him. When Eddie was asked what he wanted people to remember about him, he said, "That I was strong and that I helped people out as much as I could."

Nicole Giamanco.......... a friend and an admirer

Submitted by Nicole Giamanco [email protected]

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