Page 270 - The Exceptional Harley Fetterman

JUDY K JOHNSON

to show his scars for the badges of honor and courage that they are,
and to bring attention and education to the critical issues
surrounding childhood cancer research. His parents taught him how
to turn negative things into a positive and use them to build strengths.
He was an ambassador, a hero, a giant.

Harley live life to the fullest. He did so much! His parents did such
a sensational job of showing him the world and keeping him
grounded. They had high expectations, and so did Harley. Harley set
goal after goal, and constantly strived to achieve. He was interested
in people and curious about the world around him, and he was
always interesting and entertaining to talk with. Harley also had an
incredible capacity for compassion and kindness. He always said
thank you, whether someone emptied the trash in his hospital room or
woke him up to do blood work.

Harley also taught me so much about love. Given a choice to pull
back or lean in, we should lean in to love with all our might. I have
seen some of the most beautiful acts of kindness, some of the loveliest
words of comfort, some of the most heartwarming stories of
friendship and support from all around the country, because of
Harley. He has shined a light on some of our warmest potential, the
ability to love and care for one another. That is just one more lesson,
and one more gift he has shared with us.

What if we exercised this potential the way Harley did? What if we
cared about something and others a little more all of the time, in good
times and bad times? We could help people and solve problems and
fund research to cure cancer. We could heal families; and this active
love and caring could help heal our own hearts too.

Thank you, Harley, for the life you shared. You are my friend, you
are my mentor, you are my hero, you are my angel. I’m afraid you’re
going to be busy because I’m pretty sure my guardian angels work a
lot of overtime. We will all try to make you proud, because you
deserve it.
Love you always, Kimmy.

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