For Danny

Anyone who knew Danny Yang would agree on a few things about him. He was always full of positive energy and his smile brought warmth to any occasion. He had the confidence to take on any challenge, and fought relentlessly for what he believed in and for those he loved. Most importantly, Danny truly cherished the time he spent with his family and friends. After unexpectedly discovering in mid-2019 that he had an extremely rare form of cancer, Danny not only continued to take on as much of a his job as possible to provide for his family, but he also valiantly fought to try and overcome his condition to be there for his beloved wife, Ada, and their beautiful 2-year old daughter, Madi. Sadly, despite all the courage and effort he could muster to beat the odds, Danny passed away on November 14, 2020.

Our dear friend, loving husband and amazing father told me countless times in the conversations over the past year that he was never worried about his painful condition, possible untimely death, or even his own wellbeing, instead he was always deeply sorry that he would need to leave behind his precious girls without someone to take the kind of care of them that he would have provided himself. All of us as family and friends, including myself, always reassured Danny that we will be there to make sure his family is watched over and cared for because this is what he wanted most.

With such a young daughter, it is a tremendous financial burden for Ada to bear alone. While we cannot bring Danny back, we ask as his best friends that we please all help chip in however possible and provide some relief for the people Danny treasured most. We appreciate your thoughts, prayers and generosity, and thank you for taking the time to read this.

A Message From Danny To All of Us:

Dear friends,

I’ve never been great with writing letters. It’s taking me sometime to read what others have written in their ‘farewell letters’ I hope you don’t mind but I’ve used some of their words along with mine to write the following.

I've had the opportunity to travel the world, experience love at many levels and meet incredible humans I was fortunate enough & incredibly lucky to have the privilege to call you, my friend, brother, sister, aunt, uncle.

I am very happy you came into my life.

Friends sometimes seem like a given, like a gift that needs no appreciation because everyone has them. However it is in this life, this life in which we don’t get to choose much, we must remember that we choose our friends every day. We choose who we let into our lives and we choose to love them. It is a conscious decision — one that should be considered with reverence and gratitude. We must cherish in our friends because they are the ones that give us perspective, give us strength, and give us life.

This is a huge thank you to anyone who has ever been my friend. Thank you for putting up with my bullshit, dealing with my short temper, ensuring that everything would turn out okay, laughing with (or at) me, supporting my dreams and decisions (good and bad), and being right by my side through the highs and lows. You each truly have a special place in my heart. You always will.

I met the girl of my dreams and had a wonderful daughter that hopefully grows up more like her mom than myself. It’s a strange thing to realise and accept your mortality at 35 years of age. I’ve always imagined myself growing old with Ada and watching Madi grow up. Taking her to school, threaten the boy of the consequences if she came home a minute late on her first date, walking her down the aisle and playing with my grandchildren.

There was more a chance for me to win the lottery than to contract this cancer, I am lucky that I was given more time to sort out my matters, choose how I wanted to live in my final days, and most importantly say my goodbyes.

Life is fragile, precious and unpredictable and each day is a gift not a right. I’ve been incredibly blessed with mine. Please don’t despair over my death. I want you all to know that I’ve lived a full and good life. While I might not have been ready to leave, I was glad to have lived. Let that be of solace to anyone I’m leaving behind.

My last wish is that you take a few minutes each day and acknowledge the fragile adventure that is this crazy life. Don't ever forget: every day matters.

Now, go have a drink and run a bar tab that would make me proud!

Love you all & Thank you again for the incredible memories.

Danny