Dave Cawdrey: A life without fear

Dave Cawdrey was a former pro skateboarder in Seattle during the 90’s. I didn’t get to the Pacific Northwest until late 1998 so I never really heard about him, but maybe you have. Dave is now living out the rest of his brief life in Bend Oregon. I say “brief” because he suffers from ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease). This Seattle Times article is a long, sad but good read about his life before and after diagnosis in 2000. Skateboarding is a recurring element in the story. Dave’s physical deterioration contrasts the physical development of one of his sons, who has taken up skateboarding. It’s an atypically poignant case of a father living vicariously through his son. It’s a tear jerker for sure. After reading about Dave and his family’s situation, it makes me want to puke when I see guys like this that think they have it bad and want to have everything handed to them on a silver platter.

“Reggie” wants people to give him money so he can start his “skateboard clothing” company. Skateboard clothing? Maybe he wants to make shorts with hip pads… Reggie has signed up on a site called Robinhood Fund. Basically, you tell them how much money you want ( Reggie wants $22,000 ) and what you want it for, then the “community” votes on who gets paid. I’m not sure how or if the Robinhood Fund is actually funded. here’s a few choice quotes from Reggie’s plea:

Currently right now i am attempting to get a skateboard clothing company off the ground, i have alot of love and support from everyone who is in the know and also many skate shops waiting to carry my line in the coming summer.

It’s quite difficult trying to cover the cost of business while having to pay off my student loans, on top of all the stress i still think back everyday and wish i never took these student loans to pay for school and just invested this money into the company.

Word had been spreading like wildfire and my clothing is in high demand….the love i have for this company is the love i have always had for skateboarding and i have realized that this is my calling, this is what i want my carrer [sic] to be.

If you are going to ask people for $22,000, at least take the trouble to spell “career” right. Reggie is bummed becasue he has a $30,000 student loan to pay off for a private school he feels ripped him off. For some reason he can’t start his company, even though his clothing is in “high demand.” Waaah! Give me a break. This guy reminds me of another whiner. Hey Reggie, if you get the grant and start your clothing line that is in such high demand, make sure you donate some of those profits to Dave’s kids so they can pay for the medical costs involved with watching their father slowly die in front them.

Sure, I’m being a bit hard on Reggie. It’s probably a coping mechanism in reaction to Dave Cawdrey’s story. If you know or knew Dave Cawdrey, you’d do well to try and let him and his family know what he meant to you now, while he is still with them.