January 8th, 2011 by Conor

I have been working at the hospital non-stop since I got back from my extended stay in NH and today is my only day off…I’m suppose to be unpacking and then packing again, as I work the next 3 nights before I leave for Costa/Nicaragua on Wednesday. But as I sit here staring at my backpack, all I can think about it y’all and the last time I used my bag, which was on Danny and I’s trip to South America. So I am going to write to dannyisthebomb.com and hopefully return to my other task at hand : )

Where do I begin??? I guess I’ll start with the already focused questions…I met Danny freshman year of high school, English class to be exact. We were placed next to each other because Mr. Ruland wanted us in alphabetical order. Danny and I naturally became friends due to this proximity and him always talking to me in his Kermit frog voice, which undeniably always made me laugh out loud in class : ) It was there that our friendship started some 11 or so years ago. I have so many great memories with Danny…it’s hard to pick one out…all the snowboarding trips we took, with and without our brothers, to Colorado, Tahoe, Utah, NH, etc…our South America trip, crazy trailer times in Tahoe/CB, hanging in San Diego, Mexico, cabrewin, hiking, and everything in-between.

As you have heard time and time again…Danny’s laugh is one of a kind…it is by far the most infectious laugh I’ve ever heard…I was sick as a dog one day in the Amazon but he still was able to make me laugh while squealing at all the cockroaches in our room and then laughing for doing so ; ) oh I can hear him now : ) My funniest memory of Danny, that comes to mind, occurred a little over a year ago. We were in this small Peruvian town and had made some friends in previous days and decided to all go fishing. This fishing excursion ended up being no small feat, but we eventually got into a locals boat and were out to sea. Danny had recently gotten into fishing with Conor and what not, so he was excited to try his hand out here. I, however, really only fish on vacation and had been trying to go fishing with Danny for quite sometime now but it had never worked out. I was sitting there with the four men in the boat watching everyones anticipation over the first catch, as we all laughed over told stories of our recent travels. After what seemed like eternity for the boys I’m sure, I caught our first fish…a little later the second…and then came the third…each one Danny getting a little more bent out of shape about….as we all know, he is quite competitive and brings himself to perfection in everything he pursues, so this naturally was a little blow to his ego. On a lighter note, I sensed this and gave out the whole oh it’s “beginners luck” speech, with some additional teasing. Then the kicker…minutes later Danny felt a tug on his line as he began to reel it in…he began wrestling a little with it, my fish were so small there was none of that, so we obviously undoubtedly thought this had to be the “big one.” As we waited anxiously for this beast to surface, we were taken by surprised when a snakelike creature appeared. I wasn’t even able to get a good glimpse before our boatman jumped over to Danny grabbed his pole and started swinging the eel over his head and hitting it on the side of the boat…consequentially creating a scene! Cole, our friend, started to move to the front of the boat at this same time Danny was trying to move back, he hit me by accident and I almost fell in…If you could have only seen this guy…what a scene!!! When the initial shock subsiding we were all in hysterics, we couldn’t help it. Every time I thought it was over, one of us would reference the spectacle and there we would go cracking up again. If only we had it on video!!!

Danny has innumerable talents as many have touched on…his creativity, ambition, dedication, diligence, perseverance, etc. I have always admired Danny for pursuing his dreams, it is something we shared and something I find to be very appealing in another individual. Although this is a very hard time for all of us, I find a lot of comfort in knowing he was pursuing his dream and doing what he loved when this unfortunate event occurred. Danny is an incredibly strong individual and It’s like i told Conor when I first heard the news, there’s no doubt in my mind he’ll pull through, he’s as stubborn as they come ; )

I find strength in these stories and love behind all that has been shared…so many people pulling for this lovely family I am so fortunate to know. I know I probably speak for many when I say that we all can’t help but feel somewhat helpless in a situation such as this, but we have seen the love and support that is backing Danny and his family and we all just need to stay positive and keep Danny in our thoughts.

To the fam…I have not stopped thinking about y’all since the moment I heard the news. You are not only amazing people in your own right but make one beautiful family. Conor, you have been such a loving and loyal sibling to Danny always giving and growing with him. I know y’all don’t see eye to eye on everything, hell we didn’t either 😉 but there was always so much love between y’all then and now, and there is no love like sibling love : ) I know he would be so grateful and impressed by all your actions and commitments thus far… Your devotion is so admirable and rare, it will never go unnoticed. Ellen, you have always been such a great mother to your boys and I’ve seen that first hand for years, but talking to you the other night and hearing the strength you exuded was beyond inspirational. Although this is definitely one of your darkest of times, I am so glad y’all are at his bedside, nurse or no nurse I truly believe that matters. I am so touched by the outpouring of support for y’all, as I am sure you are too, but it is just a testament to how wonderful y’all truly are. Ellen Shea, Mr. T, Conor, and the rest of the fam, continue to stay strong…we are all wishing Danny the speediest of recoveries. I will continue to send all my thoughts and love your way…
cuidate mucho…con mucho amor, berkeley xox