SwiftVets.com

[olympian2004]

**** Update *****

Story and video from WNDU 16 South Bend:

http://www.wndu.com/news/092005/news_44957.php

-----

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Charlie Weis doesn't usually let anyone
else call plays on offense. He made an exception for
10-year-old Montana Mazurkiewicz.

The Notre Dame coach met last week with Montana, who had been
told by doctors weeks earlier that there was nothing more
they could do to stop the spread of his inoperable brain tumor.

"He was a big Notre Dame fan in general, but football especially,"
said his mother, Cathy Mazurkiewicz.

Weis showed up at the Mazurkiewicz home in Mishawaka, just east
of South Bend, and talked with Montana about his tumor and about
Weis' 10-year-old daughter, Hannah, who has global development
delay, a rare disorder similar to autism.

He told Montana about some pranks he played on Joe Montana --
whom Montana was named after -- while they were roommates
at Notre Dame.

"I gave him a chance to hammer me on the Michigan State loss,
which he did very well. He reminded me of my son," said Weis,
whose son, Charlie Jr., is 12.

Weis said the meeting was touching.

"He told me about his love for Notre Dame football and how
he just wanted to make it through this game this week,"
Weis said. "He just wanted to be able to live through this
game because he knew he wasn't going to live very much longer."

As Weis talked to the boy, Cathy Mazurkiewicz rubbed her
son's shoulder trying to ease his pain. Weis said he could
tell the boy was trying not to show he was in pain.

His mother told Montana, who had just become paralyzed from
the waist down a day earlier because of the tumor, to toss
her a football Weis had given him. Montana tried to throw
the football, put could barely lift it. So Weis climbed
into the reclining chair with him and helped him complete
the pass to his mother.

Before leaving, Weis signed the football.

"He wrote, 'Live for today for tomorrow is always another
day,"' Mazurkiewicz said.

"He told him: 'You can't worry about tomorrow. Just live
today for everything it has and everything you can appreciate,"
she said. "He said: 'If you're (in pain) today you might not
necessarily be in pain tomorrow, or it might be worse. But
there's always another day."


Weis asked Montana if there was something he could do for him.
He agreed to let Montana call the first play against Washington
on Saturday. He called "pass right."

Montana never got to see the play. He died Friday at his home.

Weis heard about the death and called Mazurkiewicz on Friday
night to assure her he would still call Montana's play.

"He said, 'This game is for Montana, and the play still stands,"'
she said.

Weis said he told the team about the visit. He said it
wasn't a "Win one for the Gipper" speech, because he doesn't
believe in using individuals as inspiration. He just wanted
the team to know people like Montana are out there.

"That they represent a lot of people that they don't even
realize they're representing," Weis said.

When the Irish started on their own 1-yard-line following
a fumble recovery, Mazurkiewicz wasn't sure Notre Dame
would be able to throw a pass. Weis was concerned about
that, too. So was quarterback Brady Quinn.

"He said what are we going to do?" Weis said. "I said we
have no choice. We're throwing it to the right."

Weis called a play where most of the Irish went left, Quinn
ran right and looked for tight end Anthony Fasano on the right.

Mazurkiewicz watched with her family.

"I just closed my eyes. I thought, 'There's no way he's going
to be able to make that pass. Not from where they're at. He's
going to get sacked and Washington's going to get two points,"' she
said.

Fasano caught the pass and leapt over a defender for a
13-yard gain.

"It's almost like Montana was willing him to beat that defender
and take it to the house," Weis said.

Mazurkiewicz was happy.

"It was an amazing play. Montana would have been very pleased.
I was very pleased," she said. "I was just so overwhelmed.
I couldn't watch much more."

Weis called her again after the game, a 36-17 victory by
the 13th-ranked Fighting Irish, and said he had a game ball
signed by the team that he wanted to bring to the family
on Sunday.

"He's a very neat man. Very compassionate," she said. "I just
thanked him for using that play, no matter the circumstances."

http://www.sportsline.com/collegefootball/story/8890929/1
_________________
Tony in Boulder, Colorado

[AMOS]

Wow.

[Guest]

A CLASSIC!
THANX

[wwIIvetsdaughter]

This brought a tear to my eye. It reminds me of a very recent obit for a nine year old child in the McAllen Monitor newspaper. THe developed leukemia when he was five years old. At the end, this parochial school student and ardent Catholic child refused morphine for the pain and instead asked for Holy Water. He died soon after. "Out of the mouths of babes thoust has perfected praise." I believe is the Biblical quote.

[olympian2004]

**** Update *****

Story and video from WNDU 16 South Bend:

http://www.wndu.com/news/092005/news_44957.php
_________________
Tony in Boulder, Colorado

[AMOS]

Brought more than "one tear".

[Armybrat/Armymom]

Same here.