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Mary Ann Urbaszewski
Darryl C. Didier (April 29, 1966–October 31, 2007) was born in Brookfield, Wisconsin, and grew up in Lincolnshire, Illinois, with his parents, Albert F. Didier and Jean E. Didier, and his sister, B...view moreDarryl C. Didier (April 29, 1966–October 31, 2007) was born in Brookfield, Wisconsin, and grew up in Lincolnshire, Illinois, with his parents, Albert F. Didier and Jean E. Didier, and his sister, Brenda S. Didier.
Darryl attended Holy Cross Catholic Grade School and Carmel Catholic High School for Boys; he was highly active in baseball and football. Darryl received his BS degree from Indiana State University. Upon graduation, Darryl attained his series 7 license and began his career as a stockbroker at Merrill Lynch in Northbrook, Illinois. Darryl had it all—a job he loved, a red sports car, a beautiful girlfriend, friends, family, and a future that looked very bright. On July 17, 1990, at the age of twenty-four, he had a mild headache that turned into a severe headache. His sister, Brenda, drove him to the ER, where tests discovered a malignant brain tumor. Darryl’s parents were in Maine and made the journey back to Chicago for the twelve-hour operation, radiation treatments, numerous surgeries, and years of rehab.
His prognosis was bleak. The medical teams told Darryl and his family that he might not survive the surgery. If he did survive, he could end up in a nursing home the rest of his life, unable to walk, talk, or think. Darryl’s outlook on his situation was positive and his attitude upbeat, which puzzled many doctors who thought that he was in denial and not taking his diagnosis seriously. Darryl fought back and announced that he did indeed know what he was facing, but made the decision to fight with faith, hope, love, and humor. That attitude is what kept Darryl going, surpassing all the doctors’ expectations and living in remission for seventeen incredible years.
Darryl did walk and talk again and even drove with some restrictions. His dreams of returning to work, getting married, and having children did not happen. Darryl dreamed a new dream for himself. He wanted to give back and help others. He wrote a memoir entitled Force a Miracle published in 2002. He became an active motivational speaker in grade schools, high schools, prisons, and various companies and charities. He taught CCD to second graders and gave of his time to various charities. His message was always one of hope: Never give up. Keep going. Don’t ever let anyone tell you “no.” This applied to cancer patients and anyone going through life’s hardships. Darryl connected with people of all ages, and they responded to him.
Darryl’s last dream was to write a children’s book to help children diagnosed with cancer and their families, offering them his message of hope through faith, love, and humor. Darryl’s cancer returned after seventeen years. He passed away peacefully, surrounded by family and friends, on his favorite holiday, Halloween, October 31, 2007.view less
Books by Mary Ann Urbaszewski
Sammy Hits a Homerun: A Story of an Eight-Year-Old Boy with a Brain Tumor