Ground Breaking Mrs. Knapen's speech

Good afternoon dear friends,

The last couple of weeks, we were working very hard towards this event. From morning ‘til evening, even during the night, I was thinking and dreaming of chairs, tables, mikes, don’t forget this, don’t forget that... You probably know how that feels: planning, planning, planning, moving on, and on, and on, mind focused on all materialistic things.
It was only when our friend Debbie announced the groundbreaking at church, that the true core of this story came to me again. I got tears in my eyes, and felt forced to sit down and reflect…
“Isn’t it wonderful that the ultimate dream of your child is about to become a reality?!” I was thinking. “Do you realize, Anne Marie, that the things that have happened to your family during the last couple of years are just extraordinary, simply out of the ordinary?!” Let’s face it, who would’ve ever thought that our lives in the United States would have moved into the direction they are taking now? What were the odds that Jan-Willem and Doctor Wong would meet and become friends? That Doctor Loftus would fall in love with their dream? That JW’s music teacher, Barbara Mount, and her friend Helen Owen would give their hearts and their time to help him? That his friend’s mother, Debra Weed, would stand up and never quit? And what about JW’s close relationship with Vicky Prapong, his child life specialist? Who would’ve ever thought that Jan-Willem Knapen would make the front page of the Rose Garden Resident and become friends with Paul Lukes? That he would receive so many – most treasured! – rewards? Or that Father Cobb would be honored and happy every time JW rubbed the bald top of his head? Or that the Bishop himself would visit us?
The one and only question that pops up in my mind – over and over again – is: why? Why do people love Jan-Willem? What did he do to start this movement of the heart?
My question brought me to some words of wisdom I learned from Buddha: “Thousands of candles can be lit from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared.”
The candle Jan-Willem Knapen was born prematurely and therefore very small and vulnerable. But from these early days on, our little boy started spreading the light. Jan-Willem loved to laugh and see people happy. He was grateful to those who took care of him from the first day of his life: at least twice a year, he insisted on visiting the neo-natal care unit of the Sacred Heart Hospital in Leuven, Belgium.
Life was not easy for him: on his fourth birthday, doctors diagnosed JW with leukemia. I honestly think that this disease kneaded him into the person he would become growing up. During those years, Jan-Willem felt how nice and warm and comforting the sparkling candle light of others can be and he decided to let his light shine over his small piece of the world.
He started thinking of fundraisers for his oncologists in Belgium and when his twin sisters were born, his little princesses, JW became little daddy. He always cared for them, especially when they weren’t feeling well or when they were sick.
And the shining went on… In 1998, after we moved from our native Belgium to the States, Jan-Willem started visiting people in convalescent hospitals. Not because he had to; just because he loved to and because he understood what a difference it makes to these people when they feel that they are still loved. Also by children.
November 2000 was another milestone in his candle life: on the 30th of that month, JW not only became Alexander’s big brother but also his godfather. I can tell you: Mister Alexander got the best godfather a child can dream of …
At school, things were going well; JW loved Los Gatos Christian and became good friends with another beautiful candle, named Suzanne Westwood…
March 2002. Life was great and sooo promising when Jan-Willem learned he was accepted at the school of his dreams, Bellarmine! At the end of August, JW started his high school life and added Saint Clare School to his volunteer list.
Only three months into his freshman year though, life was about to change forever. A series of seizures turned out to be the results of a relentless brain cancer.
But exactly then, during what we would consider the darkest days of his life, Jan-Willem’s light flared up. JW managed somehow to understand extremely well what the outcome of his disease would be BUT he never ever sat down to let things happen. He loved the world, he loved people, and he loved life. He was so grateful for all the beauty in it, the kindness, the help. And he wanted to give back. Just like in his younger years, Jan-Willem was thankful for everything the doctors did for him and this time, he decided to help his oncologist at Kaiser, Dr. Wong. Doctor Wong and JW became real close and, for some reason, Dr. Wong got caught into the ban of JW’s wild imagination and plans.
I still can’t tell you why this happened, why everybody decided to jump on board or just why people loved him. Jan-Willem never became loud and he most certainly wouldn’t have made it into the speech and debate class. In his own quiet way, he just managed to guide us… He made us do what some – for a very understandable reason – may have questioned but, hey, it worked!
The other day, Mike Henry, JW’s homeroom teacher at Bellarmine, wrote this to me: “I know JW must be laughing and saying, “I told you so!” to anyone who ever doubted that JW House would be built. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!... for sharing your son’s life (and dream) with all of us. His faith continues to be remarkable.”
--- What else can I say?!
Thank you, thank you, thank you, everybody, for running lemonade stands, for inviting us into the synagogue, for wearing your blue Never Ever Give Up-bracelets, for the beautiful way you covered Dr. Wong & JW’s dream in the media, for giving JW his Art Show and the Christmas Concert; thank you, for the love and attention you gave to Jan-Willem and to our entire family, for making music with him, and for spreading the word. Thank you all for your support, for dreaming with us, for lighting your candle, for everything!!! --- And for this day, thank you, Bernadette & Brian; thank you, Bev, Melissa, and Kaiser Permanente; thank you, Tony, Dan, Susie, and the whole TBI-crew, and thank you all for coming, and for celebrating this milestone with us! --- And especially, thank you, dear Sunshine up there; we love you!