1 year ago
34
They gathered Friday night at the home in Pinson, Alabama. The father, the mother, the brother and the coach. They wanted to tell the world what we can learn from his wonderful life. They wanted to tell the world that he loved hard.“He was so kind and so funny,” Charlette White said. “When he was in grade school, he said he wanted to go to college and major in basketball. He was so loyal — he loved hard."“My son made himself great,” Curtis White said. “He would get up at 5 a.m. and head to the gym, even before school He practiced three times a day, yet he was an honor student. He wore jersey No. 1 for a reason.”“My little brother was my workout partner,” Cameron White said. “He always made it his dream to be better than me at basketball. You know something? I can sit here today and tell you he was better than me.”“He was a natural leader on and off the court,” Pinson Valley Coach Darrell Barber said. “He would arrive at the gym at 5 a.m. and take shot after shot,” Barber said. “Teammates and students were drawn to his smile. When he played, people saw his passion — they were inspired."Caleb White had it all: Talent, charisma, and that infectious smile. On Thursday, Aug. 10, the second-rated high school basketball player in the state was leading practice in the Pinson Valley High School gym. He fell ill just past 1 p.m. Life-saving measures, the ambulance, the family rushing to St. Vincent’s East — it was all such a blur. Doctors told the family he was gone, as they fell to their knees.“We were told at the hospital that Caleb went into cardiac arrest,” said Charlette. “We are waiting for an autopsy for official results. My son loved so hard."“We are numb,” Curtis said. “Who could fathom a great kid who looked as healthy as ever collapsing and dying? Caleb was a senior, he had offers from several colleges and was so excited about his future. We were so excited, too."The days ahead will be difficult indeed for the White family. Who would have thought that the kid with the kindest heart of all would be the one whose heart gave out? But as the family mourns, perhaps they can take some comfort in knowing what Caleb taught the world:Soak in life’s every moment.Love those around us.Be kind.Love hard.I thanked the father, the mother, the brother and the coach for taking time to chat. “You are welcome," they said in unison.“Your family misses you,” I whispered silently to Caleb.I hoped that he heard me.
They gathered Friday night at the home in Pinson, Alabama. The father, the mother, the brother and the coach. They wanted to tell the world what we can learn from his wonderful life. They wanted to tell the world that he loved hard.
“He was so kind and so funny,” Charlette White said. “When he was in grade school, he said he wanted to go to college and major in basketball. He was so loyal — he loved hard."
“My son made himself great,” Curtis White said. “He would get up at 5 a.m. and head to the gym, even before school He practiced three times a day, yet he was an honor student. He wore jersey No. 1 for a reason.”
“My little brother was my workout partner,” Cameron White said. “He always made it his dream to be better than me at basketball. You know something? I can sit here today and tell you he was better than me.”
“He was a natural leader on and off the court,” Pinson Valley Coach Darrell Barber said. “He would arrive at the gym at 5 a.m. and take shot after shot,” Barber said. “Teammates and students were drawn to his smile. When he played, people saw his passion — they were inspired."
Caleb White had it all: Talent, charisma, and that infectious smile. On Thursday, Aug. 10, the second-rated high school basketball player in the state was leading practice in the Pinson Valley High School gym. He fell ill just past 1 p.m. Life-saving measures, the ambulance, the family rushing to St. Vincent’s East — it was all such a blur. Doctors told the family he was gone, as they fell to their knees.
“We were told at the hospital that Caleb went into cardiac arrest,” said Charlette. “We are waiting for an autopsy for official results. My son loved so hard."
“We are numb,” Curtis said. “Who could fathom a great kid who looked as healthy as ever collapsing and dying? Caleb was a senior, he had offers from several colleges and was so excited about his future. We were so excited, too."
The days ahead will be difficult indeed for the White family. Who would have thought that the kid with the kindest heart of all would be the one whose heart gave out? But as the family mourns, perhaps they can take some comfort in knowing what Caleb taught the world:
Soak in life’s every moment.
Love those around us.
Be kind.
Love hard.
I thanked the father, the mother, the brother and the coach for taking time to chat. “You are welcome," they said in unison.
“Your family misses you,” I whispered silently to Caleb.
I hoped that he heard me.
English (US)