A Note From Dad

My dad wrote me something recently and gave me permission to post it to our website if I saw fit. I like it when dad puts his thoughts to paper because I think he's a more talented writer than he gives himself credit for, and his words often serve to remind me of concepts and ideas that I'd never speak aloud.

Dad is also a formulaic writer, which is something that I think we all have to do in order to improve our ability to express ourselves. Sam was also a formulaic writer in his personal work. There is a security in sticking with formula that I am often unable to emulate, as though I'm only comfortable when I am so far outside the box that it is actually impossible for a person to be comfortable. This is where I think my family and I sometimes differ.

Where we stay the same, however, lies in our collective desire to keep things simple. If the meaning of our words isn't plain, we'll rewrite it as many times as it takes to make it so. We'll happily eschew skip the big words in favor of something more easily understood. I think that's a common thread in my family. We want to make certain that we are understood.

I think dad accomplishes that handily.

--------

Last year seems so very surreal to me. The year seemed to last forever and yet, was gone overnight. It was the last year of my son’s life. Sam was diagnosed with terminal heart cancer during Spring Break of 2008. As we approach a new spring break, I begin to reflect on the agony of the previous one.

After we brought Sam home in mid March of last year, he got better for about two weeks; he then began a permanent slide downward that lasted for three months. He lost nearly 100 pounds of bodyweight and was sick almost every minute of every day for the three months. He never complained about the nausea or the pain or the headaches or the weakness in his muscles. He took it all in stride. He had more poise and dignity those last months than I have ever mustered in my entire life. I am so very proud to be his father. I miss his quiet dignity.

The University of Tyler sent us his diploma last week. I wish I could have watched him cross the stage and pick it up in person. I put a lot of emphasis on doing well in school and Sam always took it to heart. He studied hard and graduated with honors. He was an A student. I used to accuse him of being a vampire since he would sometimes stay up all night and study for a test, then sleep the remainder of the day after the test was over. He would always smile and made some wry comment when I harassed him that way. I miss his wry comments.

I tend to misspeak often. Once Sam asked for an advance on his allowance and I pulled my wallet out of my pocket to give it to him. I first asked why he wanted the money and his explanation was not sufficient for the advance, so I told him no. I also meant to say “I was going to put my wallet back in my pocket”, but somehow I managed to say “I was going to put my wallet back in my butt”. Sam howled! He thought that was hilarious. I gave him the advance just to get him to quit talking about my mistake. He, however, never forgot. Years later he would still remind me of the words I said that day and he would laugh every time. I miss his warped sense of humor.

At Christmas, Sam always made lists of what everyone wanted and was always diligent about getting every person something on the list. He cared enough to make sure everyone would get something that they wanted. If I mentioned a specific DVD, then I would find it gift wrapped under the tree on Christmas morning and Sam was always willing to watch it with me, even if it wasn’t a movie he wanted to see. Last Christmas was very difficult to endure without him. I miss his caring ways.

The last few years Sam and I were at home alone most of the time. My wife, Penny, works as a flight attendant and is gone a lot. Lee, my other son, works in College Station. Sam and I became very close during this time. We talked a lot and watched television together and would go to Tyler State Park together. He was fun to be with and I feel much lonelier now that he is gone. I miss being with him.

These days my passion for life is banked. Without Sam to fan the coals back to a flame, I will never regain what I once was. Every day without Sam seems a little dimmer, a faded parchment that will never regain its former color. When I get up in the morning, I think of Sam. When I go to bed at night, I think of Sam. Slices of everyday that I observe make me think of Sam. As in: Sam would think that was funny, or Sam would be upset about that, or Sam would want to see that movie, and on and on and on. Almost everything makes me think of him. I miss Sam.

From Mark McCann

Dear Starnes Family and Friends,

I have never met Sam in person. And yet he was part of my daily life for a decade.

Back in the late 90s, I joined a forum group known as “System-Zero” (later known as “Shadow-Corp”). We were a rag-tag group of folks with a common interest in games, movies, anime, and music. This is where I first met Sam, who went by the handle “ShadowSavior”. I had no idea that back then he was in his early teens. He carried himself far better than people twice his age.

In 2007, the webmaster for System-Zero (Mina) announced that she would be shutting the forums down. At the time, my wife and I had a small hobby project called CoopGamer.com. We weren’t doing a whole lot with it, so with Mina’s blessing, I offered to be the new home for anybody that still wanted to keep in touch.

A handful of people came over, including Sam (who went by a new handle – “MadMaddy” and then later settled with “RiotterSham”). We were such a small group that it felt very much like a family. By the way, I never asked him exactly what his handles meant, but I figured I would mention them in case there is some personal meaning.

We continued the legacy of elitist reviews, bad jokes (according to Sam, his Dad loved these), social commentary, and personal tales of woe and victory.

On November 22nd, Sam told us about his pericardial infusion (and, bless his heart, apologized for his absence). Then, I kid you not, the very next line he went right into talking about the Beowulf movie.

On March 22nd, after a 2-week absence, Sam gave us the news about his cancer. It was heartbreaking, yet I was inspired by his positive words:

Anyways, I'm taking breaks from everything until the scars heal, and I thought you should know since I consider this place a second home. I'm going to live my life the best way I can and hope that I survive long enough for some good gaming. The best way to deal with pain is through humor, so when I finally go, I hope I can go laughing.

And finally, on March 24th, he posted his:

Thanks guys. I had a great morning yesterday. I sat on the porch, ate an apple, watched the weather, and listened to "The Moonbeam Song" by Harry Nillison. Greatest morning ever. Seriously. It was one of those moments where I felt proud to live in Texas.

Also, music cures everything. This is a fact, and anyone who says otherwise is WRONG.

This was the last post he made for us. I figured he just needed time to heal up and so I left him alone and awaited his return.

My wife and I had our first child on June 13th and basically those first seven months went by like a blur. In January I sent Sam an email to see how he was doing and the email got bounced back.

It was then that I searched more and found memoryofsam.com. I was crushed. I read all of the articles on the site with tear-soaked eyes. And I saw Sam’s face for the first time (I would love to see more pictures if you would be so kind). Lee, I can’t thank you enough for creating this place for us to remember Sam. It brought me closure. It brought me perspective. And it brought me to all of you.

It takes a special kind of person to have such an impact on people he’d never even met. Someone both quirky and clever. Confident, yet friendly. Someone you’d look forward to hearing from every day and feel an empty spot in his absence.

More importantly, someone who showed nothing but courage while facing insurmountable odds. I don’t know if he did it through genuine optimism and strength or to save us from pain and worry. Maybe both. But in any case, he is my hero.

Sam, you have family that cares about you so deeply – not just your immediate family, but us in your “extended” family as well.

We miss you so very much, but are blessed for the time we were lucky enough to have with you.

I don’t know what goes on after this life. But I like to imagine, Sam, that you are kicking everyone’s butt at Street Fighter IV in that great arcade in the sky. Give ‘em a Dragon Punch for me, ol’ buddy.

Your friend always,

Mark

Missing the Kid

I miss my brother. There's really not a more eloquent way to phrase that. It creeps up on me sometimes, that feeling of melancholy that comes from knowing I'm never going to get to hang out with Sam again. I have so far weathered his birthday, Thanksgiving, and Christmas, all in quick succession of each other. They say that holidays are some of the hardest times to get through when you've lost a loved one, and I genuinely understand how true that is.

I have a feeling the upcoming months are going to be particularly hard. March was a terrible month a year ago. Sam collapsed in my apartment on March 13 - my mom's birthday. Early in the AM on March 15 - MY birthday - we found out about his condition. Having to deal with the cruel reality of the world on your birthday is some tough stuff, and nothing I ever want to have to do again.

To claim that it will be a while before our birthdays stop being tainted with terrible memories is a bit of an understatement. Still, in a way I find the timing of the whole ordeal to be a potential source of strength for the future. These dates indicate awful events, but they also serve as bookmarks - reminders - of my brother's strength during what I would consider his last great trial.

I love the Vietnamese tradition of remembering the deceased's life rather than the tragedy of their death. So much effort is placed into this line of thinking that every individual who has passed receives a "death day" on that date, where loved ones gather to throw a party specifically to remember the ups and downs of that person's life. I like that it's a celebration of life; to honor the memory of the person as he or she truly was, without feeling as though you're looking through rose-colored glasses.

There's also a great deal of drinking involved, but then again, I guess I mentioned it was a party.

I want to embrace those traditions. I have always sort of shared my birthday with mom, but now I feel like I can share it with Sam, too. An opportunity to celebrate all of us at the same time, on each of our birthdays. Growing up, most people thought my brother and I might be twins, we looked so much alike. This just seems fitting. Bust out the Vietnamese karaoke. I have no idea what any of the words mean, but I know who I'm singing for, and that's enough.

--Lee