In Memory of Matthew Renn

This page is dedicated to the memory of Matthew Renn, who left us on May 22, 2008 after a brief but courageous battle with cancer. Matt was born January 20, 1965. Tuesday would have been his 44th birthday. Anyone who knew him, remembers his strong personality, his sense of self-determination and his sense of humor. In a complex world, Matthew broke everything down in the most simplest terms. "Why can't they just take it out?" he once said to me, right after entering the hospital in February.

I want to share a dream that I had about Matthew about 6 days before his birthday. I was at Matt's house - although it wasn't really his house - and he was there. He didn't have his hearing aid, he was normal weight and he was wearing a white gown. To me, it was a miracle that he was alive. We talked, and I told him that he needed to call his mom right now to let her know he's ok. Matt said that he couldn't do that, and wanted me to tell her. After a brief back-and-forth about the situation, in the way that Matthew always did, Matt insisted that I call his mom to tell her he's OK. Soon after this, I woke up and realized it was all a dream. Matt wasn't alive.

But I knew that this wasn't just any ordinary dream. I knew that there was a message there for me to deliver. I pondered the dream all morning as I was exercising, having breakfast, and getting ready for work. Finally, in a moment of clarity, it all came together. Matthew wanted me to tell his mom that he was OK on the other side. That's the message I was to deliver. So I began to compose an e-mail to Aunt Rachel as well as Matt's sisters Veronica and Cecelia. I told them about my dream and that I felt very strongly that this was a message from Matt that I needed to deliver.

Veronica e-mailed me to let me know that she had read my e-mail to Aunt Rachel and that it made her feel much better even though she was crying. What an amazing sense of relief I felt. I felt like I had finally said goodbye to Matt and honored his memory. Matthew fought his whole life to overcome challenges. He never gave up. Even though cancer ultimately took him from us, his memory will live on, and we can all learn from his courage and determination. On this, the week of your birthday, I just want to say..........we love you Matthew, and we miss you.