1990_03 The Daily Collegian March 1990

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Page 2    Tuesday, March 6,1990
The Dailv Collegian
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Loss of a true hero
Gathers was more than a ballplayei
Alcoholism by choice, not fate
Dear Editor.
Mr. Waterhouse. the statements
tn your t Thursday article, on
alcoholism are true. But I cannot
agree with you when you say;
"Alcoholism isn't caused by a lack
'of willpower, or. by .personal
. weakness: it is a1 disease just as
cancer is. How can you possibly
attempt to relate alcoholism to
cancer? Ii is very apparent and
verv obvious alcoholism does not
sneak up on you." From the first
drink, yoii Have a. choice, a
decision to drink: to drink one or
twenty, to use this liquid as a
consolation for any feelings of
insecurity, anxiety or pain.
Unfortunately. most cancer
victims have no such choice. They
do not wake up one morning and
decide to go and buy a malignant
tumor as one canbuy a "Bud."
Experience is a true teacher, and
-J-havehad experience with the real-
disease— cancer. In 1988. June
4th, my 18-year-old aunt died of
untreatable cancer. The baseball-
sized tumor was diagnosed as
malignant in January. She died
in June, a few weeks away from
turning 19. I was there that
Sunday morning when her tired,
worn-out .body collapsed. I held
her white, cold hand and looked
into her lifeless eyes. Her 18 years
were over.
Please, don't try to relate
alcoholism to cancer. My aunt
had NO CHOICE, no say on
whether she would live or die.
Alcoholics have the choice—rehab
cenleW_AA, milk. For my aunt,
there was\io choice. There weren't
any medicines to get rid of the
growing tumors, tumors only her
body controlled.. Alcoholics hold
all the power. Given, once an
alcoholic, the road back to
"dryness" is a long, hard struggle.
Withdraw] is not easy.-for some it
is impossible. Bul their pain can
be rewarded with a "dry life." a life
free from alcohol. For my auni.
when the pain got worse, we knew
the end was near. For her. life
would not. and did not continue.
There is a difference between
holding the hand of an alcoholic
and saying. "Its going to be O.K..
just keep on trying . it's all worth
it in the end." and listening to a
cancer victim tell you she's ready
to die.
I feel compassion for the
alcoholic, but I will not allow
them- to use the sjeapegoat' of-
"disease." They have the power,
choice, and decision. For millions
of cancer, multiple sclerosis,
cystic fibrosis victims, no CHOICE
is given. They must face death and
pain; their bodies have turned
against them. They have not
asked for this, they have not
BOUGHT this, it is not sold at any
nearby liquor store.
The alcoholic is lucky thaf what
has been bought can be returned.
The cancer victim has no receipt.
Sincerely,
Lisa Butler
\
Right-To-Lifers respond
(In response to Walter
Stickler's March 2 letter).
DearMr.Strickler,
Does CSUF require students to
have a brain? As a lifelong right-
to-Ilfer, I am not interested in
banning birth control;, on the
contrary. I should like to
encourage its use so people won't
have to have abortions. I am not
interested in forcing "my" morals
on others, merely enforcing basic
humanitarian   ethics.      Did  yqu
Dear Editor,
A recent letter to the editor
asked for the meaning of Right To
Life, and whether or not It
, required all to be parents. To put
It simply—no. Right To Life does
not "require" anyone to become a
parent. It does ask people to think
before they act and take
responsibility for their actions. It
requires freedom for ALL people at
ALL stages of life.     As far as
know that a fetus is completely
alive at 8 weeks? That It has a
complete nervous system, a
beating heart, traceable brain
waves and fully-formed limbs and
digits? Did you know that over
4,000 abortions take place every
day in the United States alone?
Give me a reason to Justify this,
and I will stop trying -to control
this mass murder.
Aviva Rosenthal
government Is concerned. Right To
Life ask that governments protect
those who cannot protect
themselves. This Is why we have
laws against child abuse, for
example. Unfortunately,    by
allowing legalized killing, the U.S.
government has failed to protect
the helpless, voiceless unborn
child.
Catherine Cash
John Francis
Sunday night I discovered the
problem with having a real-life hero.
Even heroes are mortal.
Hank Gathers was that hero.
When my father called me to tell me
of Gathers' collapse and death, my
stomach became tied in knots. At the
age of 23. my hero was gone and before
he even had a chance to really show
much ofthe world what it was lhat
made him special.
In the morning when 1 was reading
the papers about the death ofthe
Loyolya Marymount University's
seniorcenter.learscametomyeyes. I
felt alossfor someone whom 1 had
never met.
"There was something special about
Hank." said Chris (beast of) Berman
during ESPN's oulsianding and
informative coverage on the incident
shortly after he was pronounced dead
at Daniel Freeman Marina Hospital.
Crowing up. I had several people I
looked up to. I wanted to play second
base like Bobby Grich or be able hit a
ball like Carney I<ansford. bul i never
considered them heroes. I thought
they were oulsianding athletes, but
never saw Ihfem as much more lhan
that.
Gathers was more than just a good
basketball player, much more. He was
anoutstanding*person, that was what
rnadehim my hero-      ■■
Pete Maravich w«s tHpclosest 1 had
to ahero before Galheriv Maravich
was inventive, dazzling and exciting.
He also had the courage to change the
way the sport of basketball is being
played today. He had personal
problems after his playing career and
eventually became a born-again
Christian.
Maravich died last year from a
severe heart defect which should have
killed him 25 years earlier. AMheage
of44, he had al least had the chance to
show the people what he had to offer.
With GajMers. we were just beginning
to scratertthesurfate.
"He wasour guide as a player and as
aperson. Hewasthefioerofwhatwe
are;" stated somber LMU head coach
PaulWesthead.
Last season, Gathers placed
himself 11 th on the all-time NCAA
single season scoring list with 1,015
points.
I never thought he would be the next
Michael Jordan, quite possible the
next Michael Cage. Butwhat makes
his loss so bad is what he could have
done outside dfbasketball.
Gathers had never been associated
with drugs, outside of his medication,
and was very straightforward about
hisdisdainofthelruse. Heandhis
friend and teammate Bo Kimble would
sometimes visit schools to warn kids
away from drugs.
After games it was not uncommon to
see him stay outside the locker room
and sign autographs and talking to the
kids, really talking.
1 saw an interview with him while
he was sitting out a few games after he
fawted on die court m December. He
was asked about his feelings if he were
told he couldn't play basketball.
Gathers very convincingly said that he
wouldn't be devastated, he would
adjust and goon to the next thing; for
him. the next thirig was Journalism.
Gathers truly enjoyed all he coujd in
life. Afteracareer in basketball, he
wanted to become a sportscaster. He ■
. worked as hard at that as he did
basketball, spending time on
internships and in classes.
His education mean t enough to him
to play out his senior year at LMU,
after becoming only the second player
in NCAA history to lead the nation in
both scoring and rebounding, and hold
offon reaching the NBA foroneyear.
That is when I gained the most
respect for him as a person. He didn't
complain about not being named
among the nation's top four players
lastyear. LMU is not exactly a
recognized school in termsof
nationally- televised games.
Gathers and Kimble had revived the
Lions' basketball program and were
veryproudofthat. Thatisa '
dedication which is rare in athletes
today,
Hisapproach lo the game was
refreshing. He literally played.
"Hank represents the little kid in all
of us, because lo Hank Gathers,
basketball was play." Westhead said,
and we all want to play."
One ofthe most amazirig things to
me about Gathers was thai 1 never
hearcta negative word about him. Not
that he played dirty, ever hung around
with the wrong people or didn'lgive
100 percent al anything.
Positive things are often said about
a person after their death. The things
being said about Gathers now were
also being said while he was alive.
The worst thing ever said was that
he couldn't make an outside shot;  ;
making il fitting that his last shot be a
typical dunk.
Lionel Simmons, a standout college
basketball player at La Salle, had to
leave the game he was playing in when
he was overcome by tears after
learning of Gathers'death. He was
reportedly crying in his mother's
arms.
Simmons played basketball with
Gathers and Kimble when they were
together at Dobbins Tech High in
Philadephia.
"That's how Hank wojild have
wanted it, on the court," Kimble said,
indicating that he felt Gathers would
have played the game even knowing it
was his final seconds.
One ofthe things that keeps flashing
through my mind about his death is
the question. "Why?"
"Before the game, in the locker
room, Hank said, 'I feel as strong as
ever.' Wejust don't understand how a
man that strong could leave us so
quickly," reflected LMU guard Jeff
Fryer from behind sunglasses at a
school press conference.
Basketball player Len Bias' death a
several years ago was a sad event, but
he used cocaine and I could at least see
some reason, lean even better
understand a person losing his life In
an auto accident,
See GATHERS, page 7
THE DAILY COLLEGIAN
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