Hi there,

I am writing this letter in hopes that you can help me. It is challenging to admit when you cannot do something on your own anymore, however when knowing my health is declining rapidly it is about time I did. My name is David Martin and in April 2020 I was diagnosed with End Stage Renal Failure, Stage Five CKD and Heart Failure. What this means is I have a terminal illness that has made my life expectancy shorter than I would have ever anticipated.

In 1990, I moved to Portland, Oregon where I met my beautiful wife, Sharon. We have been married for 31 years and together have three sons: Lexington (29), Dominic (22) and Noah (19). As our sons grew up, I was given the privilege of coaching all three of them through the City of Gresham and recreational youth sports organizations. Throughout my 20+ years as a coach, it solidified my passion for mentoring many young athletes to not only give them a foundation of sports knowledge but also improve their character beyond the field or the court.

When I wasn’t coaching, I enjoyed being part of the planning and anything involving the community outreach. I was an active board member for Gresham and Reynolds Little Leagues for 10+ years, was a member of the Youth Referees/Umpires Association and actively fundraising and volunteered for Gresham High School’s athletics department in any way I could. Before getting diagnosed with my complications, announcing for the football and basketball was such a fond memory. Overall, being part of these organizations and committees gave me something to look forward to. It was honestly a distraction as things back at home were often more challenging than I would like to admit.

As a husband and father, all you want to do is provide for your family. I wanted to give my family the world they deserved. The fact is, I just was not able to. The hand I was dealt, made it tougher to achieve this goal but I would be damned if I didn’t try. That meant working multiple jobs, making sacrifices on my health to truly ensure my wife and boys had what they needed. If it meant I had to work longer hours, so we didn’t have cloths from thrift stores, I did. If it meant taking a temporary job so my boys had food in the cabinets when they got home from school, I would do it. I just knew it was what I needed to do to provide for them in any way I could.

Having a terminal illness brings me a kind of sadness I wish no one would bare. It is not my personal unhappiness that hurts, it is knowing my family is hurting from this. They don’t deserve this. Their love and support has been unmatched. I just want to celebrate the time I have left with them. I need to give them a memory before I leave. My wife have always dreamed about renewing our wedding vows. My boys always wanted to go on a family vacation like their friends did growing up. I want them to feel how much I love them and the warmth to sustain them years when I am gone.

My dream is to take them to Hawaii. Something as simple as watching the sunset or taking family photo with leis on around necks. I just wish we could finally make a simple dream reality. I have never been able to take my family on a plane ever. I was never able to afford anything like this. I made sure when they looked down at their feet, they had new shoes for school and went to bed with full tummy’s. For my wife, I want to show her how truly thankful I am to have her by my side.

This year marks 32 years of marriage. One thing my wife and I have always said and done is showing our boys the best example of love. Loving my wife has changed me into the best person I could be. I want my wife to know even though I am leaving on God’s terms, I cherished every vow and every moment with her. I want to renew our vows to lesson her broken heart when I gone. I want to leave her knowing it was truly thirty two years of love I never knew existed. A love I can take to heaven. A vow renewal on the beaches of Hawaii during a sunset is something I would love to give her.

I need of help in making this wish come true. I can no longer tie my shoes, have lost all feeling in my hands and feet. I have to have help getting dressed. I know in my heart that my body is slowly shutting down. I have faith, God willing on November 11, 2022, I will be able to look at my wife and children with love and pride one more time, sharing that moment as a family. I am desperate and want to give my family memories they deserve. Thank you for taking the time to read my story. God bless.

Love,

Coach Dave