A little hope will go a long, long way. Jim Valvano knew that. The late former North Carolina State head coach and ESPN analyst even had a saying for it he developed as his final days dwindled before his very eyes.
The NCAA will honor Valvano this week with its ninth annual Jimmy V. Basketball Classic and will finally do so in the inspirational coach's hometown of New York City.
Put aside his 346-212 lifetime coaching record in 19 seasons. It's not important that he made eight appearances in the NCAA tournament or was named Atlantic Coach Conference Coach of the Year twice. It doesn't even matter that he orchestrated one of the biggest upsets in NCAA Tournament history when his NC State Wolfpack upset Houston to take the national title in 1983.
Valvano was a champion off the court to all those suffering, not just from the bone cancer that claimed his life, but from all forms of cancers and diseases everywhere.
It's quite unfortunate that the man dubbed Jimmy V.'s rise to fame was accompanied by his death - his long, slow and painful death three years before the New York native could turn 50 years old.
Legend has it that when Valvano was 17, he scrawled his life-long ambitions on a simple white index card. Included on this card was:
Cut down the nets after winning a national championship.
It took the man with a heart dwarfed only by his dreams all of 19 years to accomplish it all. And when he did, he still had the index card.
When he was well, no one could touch the energy level and determination of Valvano. He knew how to enjoy life and would offer this advice to anyone who wanted to listen: "There are 86,400 seconds in a day. It's up to you to decide what to do with them."
Jimmy V. knew to live life to the fullest because you just never know when you might be one of the 3,500 people diagnosed every day with some form of cancer.
To date, scientists have yet to find a cure for the bone cancer that took only 10 months to devour his body.
Cue Jimmy V.
Fighting fatigue, weight loss, fever, anemia, swelling and tenderness in his joints, the risk of bone breaks and the blinding pain the embattled coach endured, he still found time to smile every single day of his life. Cancer could spread to every inch of his body, but it could never touch his heart, the driving factor behind his creation of The V Foundation.
In 1993, a gravely ill Valvano gave a historic speech at the ESPY awards, fittingly held in the Theatre at Madison Square Garden. The moving speech gave the thousands in attendance and at home watching on TV reasons to smile, cry and laugh. In that speech, the former coach introduced two things uniquely Valvano that are still going strong over a decade later: His patented "Don't give up, don't ever give up" quote and the V Foundation.
Years after the coach's passing, a small staff still works tirelessly to collect funds used for cancer research. The staff of five members, headed by Valvano's brother, Nick, guarantees that 85 cents out of every single dollar donated to the foundation goes toward cancer research.
Since the foundation's inception over a decade ago, volunteers and donors have contributed over $32 million in aid. The money doesn't just go toward any research. Grants are given - 190 since 1993 - to "promising young scientists from the finest research facilities across the country," aptly dubbed "V. Scholars."
Valvano's spirit has even been felt in Tucson.
In 1996, John Gasdaska, M.D. of the University of Arizona Cancer Center became a V Scholar. Four years later, Gasdaska was joined by colleague Daniel Von Hoff of the same department.
The V Foundation doesn't end with the grants. In 2001, Valvano's organization created a program called Sharing the Spirit. The program builds awareness of the pressures younger people face when coping with cancer among middle-aged students across the nation. To date, the program has been distributed to more than 800 schools, spanning all 50 states.
When the V Foundation isn't targeting children, it's offering a chance for adults to get involved.
The foundation sponsors a wide variety of events, all aimed at raising funds and awareness of cancer. These Jimmy V. signature events include a celebrity golf championship, a wine celebration, bike rides, high school basketball tournaments and the most famous of all: the Jimmy V. Basketball Classic, which will be held tonight.
Three teams will join the No. 9 Arizona men's hoops team on the court of the "world's most famous arena" tonight to pay homage to the fallen coach, including No. 11 Illinois, Providence and the Wildcats' opponent, No. 8 Texas.
In the past eight years, the four-team classic has raised over $450,000 to fund cancer research.
Even the referees will get involved in the giving process in the Garden tonight.
The black and white will donate a portion of their stipend to the V Foundation as part of the "Blow the Whistle on Cancer" program.
The next time you want to punch somebody or inflict bodily harm on your fellow man simply because the football team fumbled or the basketball team lost a close one at the buzzer, take a minute to remember that it's just a game. It's meant for fun.
Jimmy V. knew it.
"To me, there are three things everyone should do every day. Number one is laugh. Number two, spend some time in thought. Number three, you should have your emotions move you to tears. If you laugh, think and cry, that's a heck of a day."
What ever you do, don't give up. Don't ever give up.
More information on Valvano and the V Foundation can be found at www.jimmyv.org.
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