cuzstrong.

you're probably not from a small town.  you probably have no idea what it's like to know everything about everyone.  for those of you, who haven't lived in a small town i am envious of you, but at the same time, i pity you because you don't know the warmth of having a community behind you.

every time i stepped on the field, court, or even the podium at graduation i knew i wasn't standing alone.  there was really only one 'crowd' in my community and we were all tigers regardless of how different our stripes were.  

we were united.  we were one.  we ARE cuzstrong.  My friend Chad's dad and my high school principal was given only thirteen months to live in may of '07 when he was diagnosed with brain cancer.  he was scheduled to have surgery in the early parts of may, just as everyone was awaiting the arrival of summer.  the day of his surgery, a few of my friends made wire bracelets with orange and black(the colors of the Madrid Tigers) beads on them.  The cut all of our wrists, but we wore them the whole day.  Then when the diagnosis was final my classmates and some parents ordered Live Strong look-alike bracelets in the school's colors and had CUZ STRONG printed on them.   I've warn mine since then, rarely taking it off, I took it off today at four in the afternoon, because i didn't want to get it filthy at softball practice.  I learned after practice that he had passed away around four.  

I'm not here to tell you how speechless I became.  I'm not going to sit here and preach to you about how valuable life is, or how you should never take things for granted.  But you should know that there's a community out in the middle of iowa that knows what it lost today.  I can guarantee you that we will forever be CUZ STRONG.

Mark Cosens

Feb. 14, 1963-Mar. 17, 2009

Cuz Strong and Carrying On.