It’s Jimmy V Week. It’s okay if it’s new to you; it was new to me. My husband actually educated me on it and the namesake of the Jimmy V. Foundation for Cancer Research – Jimmy Valvano. Apparently there was even a made-for-TV movie about Jimmy V., his life, and his legacy. (I apologize to all the ESPN watchers, sports fans, and made-for-TV movie lovers…my husband was just as disgusted at my lack of knowledge.)

Jimmy Valvano started his basketball coaching career at Rutgers University, and he coached the North Carolina State University basketball team, the clear underdog, to the 1983 NCAA championship against the Houston Cougars, 54-52. Jimmy was diagnosed with cancer – metastatic adenocarcinoma of unknown origin – at the age of 46. His 1993 ESPY speech is as inspirational as it gets. He passed away weeks after that speech but not without first forming the Jimmy V. Foundation for Cancer Research with the help of ESPN, which provides funding for translational cancer research. According to their website, the Jimmy V. Foundation has granted more than $90 million in grants to researchers.

Reading more about Jimmy V. inspired me. He made my day because I definitely laughed, thought, and cried. I hope the same for you today. Remember his words.