Mark Blum, an unforgettable man

It is with great sadness that I read of the passing of Mark Blum and feel compelled to share my own personal story.

In an age where there are many false role models and some people measure their worth by what car they drive, the brands of clothing they wear and acquiring the latest and greatest technological gadget, it was like a breath of fresh air the morning my path crossed with Mark Blum.

In 2004 I was on my regular early morning walk along Lake Lindero Drive but this morning was different. I was deeply engrossed in my own personal pity party because I had just been diagnosed with breast cancer and was still reeling from the news. Dawn was just breaking, and I heard a friendly voice calling "Good morning" from across the street. It was like a magnet, and I walked across and saw a man in a wheelchair sitting in his garage with a big smile on his face and surrounded by bicycles. We struck up a conversation, and he told me with pride about his bicycles, and I, for reasons I still don't understand, blurted out my fears to this total stranger.

Each morning, no matter how early, he was sitting in his garage, and we would talk, laugh and share stories. I hope he knows what a great inspiration he was to me, and I learned that sometimes the best medicine doesn't always come in the shape of a pill.

Here was a man who had every reason to indulge in self-pity but chose instead to follow a different road and in so doing has left the world a better place than when he entered it.

I know the angels have already given him a very special bicycle, and as I write this letter he is riding with the wind, pain free and still with that unforgettable smile on his face.

Thank you, Mark. May you forever ride and rest in peace. Louise Ingram Agoura Hills