I was a senior in high school when Jim Valvano stepped up to the microphone at the Espy Awards and delivered his famous speech, “We are starting the Jimmy V Foundation for cancer research. And its motto is, “Don’t give up. Don’t ever give up.” And that’s what I’m going to try to do every minute that I have left. I will thank God for the day and the moment I have. And if you see me smile and maybe give me a hug cause that’s important to me, too. But try if you can, to support, whether it’s AIDS or the cancer foundation, so that someone else might survive, might prosper, and might actually be cured of this dreaded disease.
I was sitting on my couch and couldn’t help get a little teary-eyed. Jim Valvano, a former coach and broadcaster, was at the end of his fight against cancer. Years later, his motto, “Don’t give up. Don’t ever give up,” has been adopted by those fighting cancer.
ESPN started the Jimmy V Classic, to raise money for cancer research. Every year, 4 teams take a court to battle one another. This year, Bringham Young University played against Clemson and the University of Connecticut played against Florida University.
To learn more about the V Foundation, click here.
