12 replies to this topic

[ARCHON of RAGE]

The impact a true friends have on your life is both immeasurable and immortal.

When I first started playing Halo online I never imagined I would make real friends with the people I played with. At first they were just gamer tags that popped up on my TV screen and faceless voices that added to the entertainment. After a while I clicked with a few of them and we started a clan. We weren't a bunch of noobs trying to prove something, or battle other clans. Now that I look back, I think we were all just surprised that we had actually started becoming real friends. And that was something worth naming, and representing in the game. We worked well together and won nearly 80% of our games when we were all online.

Then about two years ago, my buddy Ross, a very active and proud member of the clan went offline and nobody could get in touch with him. I happened to be online when he surfaced almost a year later. Naturally I was excited to see him online, and grateful I had not removed him from my friends list after nearly a year of no contact. He accepted one of the dozen invites I had spammed him with and the moment he was in the game lobby I was grilling him.

"Where the hell have you been man, I haven't seen you on in like a year!? Did you get the Red Ring of Death or something."

My heart dropped the moment I hear his voice. His tone was something like a cross between Barry White and a cement mixer. "Something like that." He said with a struggle.

"Oh my God bro, you sound terrible, are you sick or something?!" I asked in shock.
"I uhh..." He hesitated. "I had to have surgery and treatment for cancer." His words were so labored they were almost unintelligible.

He went on to tell me that he had been diagnosed with an aggressive form of tongue and throat cancer. The biggest kick in the pants was that he had never smoked or chewed tobacco a day in his life. Nevertheless he was fighting for his life. After his surgery and follow up treatments the doctors were hopeful. And though his voice never returned to normal, after a few months he was able to speak properly again. And things went back to the way they were for a while. We played pretty often and talked about our wives and families and life in general. We had a lot in common. We both liked soccer and we shared the same wedding anniversary, February 14th, 2009.

Last year he asked me to play in the FLAG tourney with him. Once he had gotten his strength back Ross took every opportunity he could to support any fight against cancer that he could. Even though he wasn't able to play at the level he was at before he got sick, he... we still had a blast. Then just before Christmas Ross got sick again. He was really sick when we talked shortly after the new year. We joked about how long it would take to save two million credits for inclement whether and what armor colors looked the best on our spartans. I was speechless when he thanked me for being a true friend, and for brightening his spirits. Then he grudgingly told me that the cancer had moved to his lungs and his bones. He said that the doctors were running out of options, but he wasn't giving up. He promised me he would fight it with everything he had till the end.

The end came on the morning of February 14th, 2011. Valentines day, and our shared 2nd wedding anniversary.

I picked up where Ross left off. I take every opportunity I can to raise awareness, and funds for the fight against cancer in the hopes that someday no one will have to fight like a girl, or fight like my friend Ross.

~Benjamin

[masterots]

Benjamin - Thank you very much for sharing that story. I'll be honest, I choked up a little while reading it. It really means a lot to those who run the tournament to know that it has a direct effect on people's lives, and hopefully this kind of loss does not need to be repeated.

[Raven]

wow thanks for sharing that story

[TheDonWan]

Wow, Benjamin, that is such an amazing story. Thank you so much for sharing with us. What was his gamertag?

I am so sorry you lost a friend. I have met so many wonderful people because of Halo, and they're the reason this tournament exists. I know how close you can get to a friend on Xbox LIVE, even if you've never met them in person. I don't know how I'd feel if one of them passed on. Did he have a favorite charity? Perhaps a throat and lung cancer charity? Have you thought about holding a small tournament in his honor?

[ARCHON of RAGE]

Wow. Thanks for all the kind words. He was a genuinely great guy.

@TheDonWan, Ross' gamertag was iTz FX. I am not sure if he had a favorite charity but I will email his wife and ask. I had never thought about holding a tournament in his honor, but that sounds like a really cool way to keep his memory alive. Got any pointers?

[Tiny]

Incredible story, I remember the gamertag actually which makes it even more personal for some of us that see you guys come through and don't necessarily know the reasons behind participating. Quite frankly it's this kind of participation that makes FLAG the best tournament on the planet in my book. I'm not biased either.

[TheDonWan]

Archon - get in touch with the people at Gamers Outreach, they are a group of wonderful people (and our friends) who hold tournaments for causes like yours. Tell them your story and tell them I sent you. If you need any help, email me (kari@flagtournament.com).

Here's a link: http://gamersoutreac.../gaming4others/

[rawksaur]

Like many of the stories I read from the participants on here, I get really choked up. It's always sad knowing that someone has lost a friend or family member.

After I read Ross's gamertag, it really hit me hard. I not only remember his gamertag from last year's tournament, but I also still have iTz FX on my friend's list. Usually I will remove participants from my list after each match, due to the 100 constraints. But on a few occasions, there are really awesome and super friendly people that I like to leave on my friend's list for a while- and Ross's gamertag is still there a year later. I may have only gotten to know him during those few games I ref'd but his personality had a great impact on me.

Thank you everyone for letting us into your lives and sharing your story with us all. Here is to coming together to fight cancer, in hopes that no one else will have to lose a loved one.

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[ARCHON of RAGE]

Thanks Tiny.

And DonWan I will do that and email you if I need to. Thank you so much, if I could honor his memory like that it would be amazing. And rawksaur, I remember you as well. My gamertag at the time of the tournament last year was iTz Dead Air, and I played with Ross in the 2 v 2. Ross actually gave me the microsoft points to change my gamer tag to ARCHON of RAGE.

I was hustling to get my homework done so that I could play in the tourney but I didn't make it. Learning to make video games is actually a great deal of hard work, lol. My donation will have to do. Thanks everybody, I know this years tourney will help finish the fight.

[TheDonWan]

Let us know if you set up a tournament and we will donate (and probably play)

[masterots]

I can totally play the weakest link in a tourney!

[TheDonWan]

Archon, I see that you both signed up for the play with Bungie last year, who'd you two play with?

Also - do you have access to a nice photo of him? We'd like to put something up on the site.

[Tiny]

Archon, an embarrassing photo would do too, if you don't have a nice one... though a nice one is probably more in line for what we're going for.. was just thinking that its better than no photo.

*Will get over-ruled on this I'm sure... and p.s. Don Wan I dug up last year's schedule