Sunday, February 14, 2010
My Dearest Friend
I just found out this morning that our dear friend Roland Trump died last night. My heart is broken for myself but I am at peace knowing that his suffering is over. My sister-in-law just lost their beloved dog of 12 years yesterday and said in her recent post, "To help me deal with my own sadness I just wanted to do a little tribute". That is exactly how I am feeling right now. The only way I can cope with this is to tell someone what an amazing man Roland Trump was.
We met 5 years ago in the waiting room while we were both getting the oil changed in our cars. He was in working boots with a tape measure on his hip. He was so nice to my rowdy inpatient kids that were running around the room. There was something about this guy. I knew he was a good man. We were in the market for a home contractor and he looked the part, so I asked him what he did. He told me that he was a contractor and showed me his card. I started laughing when I saw his name, because he had been referred to us by some dear friends, the Perry's in our ward (he was their uncle) and had already visited with Lee in our home--but this was the first time I had ever met him. At a glance I knew this was the man I wanted in my home and that our "search" for a contractor was over. I knew I would be safe having him around my kids daily. So the work began.
That is Roland far off to the right.
That is Roland far off to the right.I don't think anyone could say they loved their contractor like I loved Roland. As far the project went, it was so smooth and I trusted everything he suggested. He was such a perfectionist that I knew things would be done right. The few glitches we ran into we made it through easily because we had a great trust for each other. He would always say, "With you guys, this just feels right. " He knew we were on a tight budget and was very considerate of it. I know he did a lot of things that he didn't charge us for, because he knew we would like it better but couldn't afford it. You're probably thinking, "yeah right, he got his money worth". But I know for a fact he was being extra generous with us. My dad, who is quite the handy man himself, was serving a mission in Taiwan at the time. And while working on this project, it really felt like I was just working with my dad. We had an instant friendship. We couldn't explain why we had this instant bond, so we decided that we must have been great friends before we came to this earth.
Soon after the project was done, he stopped by to check on a separated venting pipe. He was limping a bit and I asked him if he was OK. He replied with tears in his eyes that he was just diagnosed with Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, often referred to as "Lou Gehrig's Disease." This is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord, leading to paralysis and eventually death. His identical twin had just died a year before from it. He had only lived a year after being diagnosed. Roland had decided that this was not going to happen and that he was going to fight it every step of the way. He was praying for a miracle. Most people do not live long after being diagnosed. I am convinced that it was his faith and positive attitude (and prayers by many of us) that sustained his life for so long. He managed to stay out of a wheel chair for the entire 1st year. I've been so thankful to have 4 more years to interact, visit, play games and just enjoy his spirit.
It would break my heart to see him a little bit worse at each visit but he always greeted us with a smile and very positive attitude. I've been meaning to share my new construction adventures with him but didn't make the time. In the last 2 weeks he had apparently taken a bad turn for the worse. I'm so thankful that he is free from this awful disease, but I will miss him greatly. I have never met a man with more generosity, honesty and lasting faith. He truly endured to the end. We love you Roland.http://yeawright.blogspot.com/2010/02/my-dearest-friend.html
