Damian Paul Daniel Dyck
April 23, 1975
February 11, 2010
If you knew Daniel for very long then you would know the answer to this question: Why do blond nurses carry red markers? And the answer of course is “In case they have to draw blood.” Don’t remember that one? I’m sure if you think back you will recall at least one of the many jokes he loved to tell.
Daniel was born April 23, 1975. He has an older sister Tawny and two younger brothers, Justin and Cory. He went to school in Derby, where he graduated in 1994. After public school, he completed a course in independent living in Topeka, Ks. He tried out his newfound skills when he took up residence at the Timbers in Wichita and then several different apartments after that. Before leaving home he found work by starting his own businesses, one called Scoop-a Doo, and the other was Washing Windows. Once he was out in the workforce the jobs he held included Metal Fab, Center Industries, Goodwill, Ottaway Amusements and just about all of the fast food franchises. He became a father when his daughter Hailey was born on March 30, 2004, which was about the same time he took up residence in a nursing home for the first time.
The disease Daniel dealt with all of his life is called Neurofibromatosis, also known as NF. NF causes tumors to grow anywhere there are nerves in your body. Daniel was 3-years old when his condition was diagnosed. At that time we were told children born with the disease would not live past 2 years old. This is the first of many times Daniel went against the odds he would be faced with. Every new tumor presented its own unique challenges to his abilities and his life. Daniel met each of one those challenges head on. At the age of 13, radiation treatment on his optic nerve affected his eye sight, but Daniel enjoyed the drawings on the side of his head and his new medically induced mohawk. 12 years later another tumor resulted in the amputation of his left leg just below the knee, so Daniel would turn his prosthesis around and have one foot facing each way. In 2007, Daniel had the tumor on his spinal cord removed. Even with the possibility of paralysis, Daniel was joking with anyone who walked into the pre-op room. In January 2009 Daniel had one last surgery to remove the tumor on his cerebellum, which after 2 pathology reports, we were told it was cancerous. The prognosis of 9 months to 2 years did not affect Daniel’s determination to live each day the best that he could.
In spite of the many challenges Daniel faced and all that he accomplished as mentioned before, these things do not truly define the Daniel we all know. The Daniel we know always had a smile on his face. What he loved was life, people, and telling jokes to make people laugh. He was ornery and not afraid to try anything. Daniel was the little boy who lit a fire in Grandpa’s garage, in the trash can behind the shed out back and on the dining room table. He took a hammer to dad’s fifteen year anniversary watch (to fix it), and pumped up his bike tire so far it exploded. Even though he COULD NOT swim he loved to be in the water and would have a smile on his face the whole time he was going under. You may have answered the phone at 6 o’clock in the morning on a Saturday only to hear Daniel singing Happy Birthday to you. He managed to get himself and his bike to Moline, Kansas (a trip of about 86 miles) to visit a friend. Some of you may not be aware of the summer he joined the circus and visited 3 cities in southern Kansas. When asked by the circus if he would like to continue on with them to Florida, he respectfully declined saying, “My mom would not be very happy if I went that far.” He would go just about anywhere and was always open to new adventures, but at least in this instance he knew where to draw the line. I’m sure each of you could tell me of a time when you turned around to find Daniel in the least likely of places. We never knew what was next or where each day would lead us where Daniel was concerned.
But Daniel was also the guy who stopped in the middle of the race that he was winning at Special Olympics and went back to help his fallen opponent get up so they could both cross the finish line. He finished that race in last place, behind the runner who fell. He was the guy at church who passed out candy, gum or graham crackers to all the children. His junior year in high school Daniel earned one of his prized possessions, his school letter jacket, when he served as the girls basketball team manager. He was always ready to give a hug or tell a joke to make someone smile. He would be at the doctor’s office to learn about the severity of his latest tumor and what the treatment for it would be and Daniel would start the visit out by telling the staff all of his jokes. When the visit was over what he left behind were smiles on the faces of those he met.
Over the last few days the thing about Daniel that has been mentioned the most from those who knew him was his Smile. Here‘s another one of Daniel‘s jokes to leave you with: Why do the nurses tip toe past the medicine cabinet? “So they won’t wake up the sleeping pills.” It may seem Daniel did not have a lot to give, but he gave what he had without reservation. We hope the memories of Daniel leave you with a smile.
