Of course I knew about Brett Wilson and Bret Hart. How could you not?
What I didn’t know was how much I would enjoy their company. They are both articulate, smart, compassionate and funny guys. On Friday Brett invited me to the Bob Edwards Gala. I suspect he invited me because Bret Hart was being honoured that evening and the three of us have bonded through our support of the Calgary Prostate Cancer Centre. That and our membership in the rat bastard cancer club.
Unfortunately Tracey wasn’t feeling well so I took Mandy Stobo with me. She is an walking, talking, living, loving bubble of inspiration and my perfect partner for this night of inspiration.
You see, the gift of cancer is an interesting one. For with the need to be in the moment everything can be richer and more profound. Of course you have to believe in the moment and you have to know that which you manifest is before you.
Bret’s speech changed me. Again.
This is a man that has had incredible global success. He is a man that is known and revered around the world.
He is also a man that has had a career ending concussion caused by a kick to the back of the head, a man that has worked back from a stroke that put him in a wheel chair, a man that beat prostate cancer through surgery.
Ya. That kind of man.
I have had the pleasure of fundraising (making a beer made with bulls testicles) with both Bret and Brett. And in doing so I started to learn more about each of them. Their respective stories are both so very interesting. One day I will tell you a story about Brett, but first I need his permission to share. So let me tell a quick story of Bret 'the Hitman' Hart.
Through ongoing dialogue with Bret I have always been interested in his measured style of conversation. He takes things a bit slower, most likely as a tool learned after his rehab from his stroke. He looks at you intently, thinks, then speaks. And the words are always worth the wait.
So when he got up to speak I was a bit nervous. I had never seem his speak publicly and didn't know how his slow measured speech pattern was going to be received.
Holy shit!
Winner of best speech in years. A beautiful story well told.
I laughed, I cried, I learned, I laughed again.
Then bam, it hit me. He read a quote that resonated so deeply that it changed me.
Again.
I keep saying again because this new found clarity has me climbing higher into a thought that I feel like my cells are forever changing. Again, and again.
After his speech I raced up to Bret and had to gush. I never gush. But this time I gushed. His speech will be forever on the list of things that motivated me to keep fighting even when I feel super shitty and want to stop the program.
In my gushing I made a bold move. I asked if I could please just have that one page of his speech. The page where he changed me. Again.
He did more than give me the page. He gave me the whole speech, and then signed that particular page.
I was speechless.