A Random Act of Kindness

It was kind of a magical flight after that. Also in the cabin that day was a man who told Summer that 17 years earlier he had been diagnosed with cancer and told he had nine months to live. His story was such an inspiration. Summer told both men all about Team Summer and gave them Team Summer bracelets. I snapped this picture as we were all getting off the plane. Both men stayed in touch with us and became supporters of Team Summer. The man who gave up his seat – Chad Morriss – is on the right.

Three months after that flight, I got an email from Chad. He said that he had just been diagnosed with cancer. He wrote: “I am convinced that God put Summer in my path on that day. I can’t tell you the number of times I have looked at my Team Summer purple bracelet and found strength to battle this diagnosis. Surely a 52 year old with children out of college can face this with the same courage as a teenager like Summer.”

Chad beat cancer that time around. He and his wife Cathi began leading Team Summer’s Matching Gift Fund every year with a generous donation. They have had such an impact on the program! Chad, Cathi, and their two sons wore their Team Summer bracelets for a decade.

Recently, Chad’s cancer came back. I’m so sorry to report that Chad lost his life to the disease last week. He was 63 years old. I had the honor of being at his Celebration of Life in Montgomery, Alabama yesterday, attended by hundreds of people. We were so touched that the Morriss family asked that, in lieu of flowers, donations be made to Team Summer.

Please keep Cathi and her sons in your thoughts and prayers as they learn to live with this loss. Chad was an amazing man, and Summer and I were honored to be his friend. I will never forget how his random act of kindness intertwined our families in love forever.