My instructor has passed away
I had mentioned in an earlier post that my instructor has been battling leukemia and that he was going in for a bone marrow transplant last week. I’m not completely certain on the details, but I understand that it was his heart that ultimately gave out. The transplant itself occurred without issue, but at some point along the line he contracted an infection, which caused a lot of discomfort as well as organ damage. At the end of Saturday morning’s TKD class, the lead instructor for the class let the black belts know that the Grandmaster was having complications and was seriously ill, but by that point he had already passed. I got the call later in the afternoon, but have had trouble writing this post.
There is always risk involved in treatment of this sort, and leukemia is a difficult disease to beat. Still, it has always felt like if anyone could get through this, he could. He was always upbeat and cheerful even when chemo and radiation were knocking him for a loop. So this has hit me hard, as I’m sure it has for everyone in the dojang. He is survived by his wife and three children, who range in age from (I believe) 14 to 20.
The dojang will be closed until at least the middle of the week, when a service will be held. It is too early to know what will happen to the dojang in the longer run, but I believe it will survive in some form.
Grandmaster Wilson, you will be missed.
