JohnA Passaro Quotes

I guarantee that tomorrow there will be something that will happen, that has never happened before.
That is something to look forward too.
And the best part of tomorrow is that there is another one just a day later.

In a proud fatherly sadomasicisticly way, I am thrilled when I get hit. As every deep purple bruise on my body represented a perfect swing.
If I were to lift my shirt at any time there would be 4-5 bruises on my body ...
As soon as I was able to, I would throw batting practice again from the short distance, and take another shot if necessary to keep the boys in the zone.

I have felt things that no one should ever have to feel.

I have seen things that no one should ever have to see.

I have heard things that no one should ever have to hear.

I have been beaten down so many times that It is reflexive to get back up immediately without any hesitation expecting another whack to come instantaneously.

I have got up off the mat more times than what should be necessary.

I know I will need to continue doing so many, many more times.

I am prepared to do so and more without complaint or regret.

It is outright exhausting.

I keep experiencing this pain because 1 life is worth it.

Life is awesome and is worth fighting for. Even 1 life is worth it.

For 1 life to experience life is my mission.

To quote JFK:
"We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win."

So I will continue to feel, see and hear things that no parent should ever have to in order for 1 life to be able to experience this awesome life again.

Sometimes life is your opponent and just showing up is a victory.

It is at this moment that I realize the best thing I ever did in my life was to marry this woman.
She is willing to give up her life for her child. I know most parents would do the same. But how many mothers would give up everything that they love, everything that they will ever be able to do in the future for the "possibility and not the guarantee" of getting their child better.
Now reduce the odds of success to less than 1%.
How many mothers are still standing?
She is.

September 14th, 2009

I know the answer to improving Jess's condition doesn't lay in tears the answer is in sweat.

When your dreams are big enough the odds just don't matter.

Water boils at 212 degrees.
At 211 degrees it's just hot.
Every degree is needed.

If we do not feel grateful for what we already have, what makes us think we would be happy with more?

There is a club in this world that you do not join knowingly.

One day you are just a member.

It is "The life changing events club."

The fee to join the club is hurt beyond belief, payable in full, up front for a lifetime membership.

The benefit of the club is a new found perspective on life, and a deep understanding that you may not be happy about your current situation, but you can be happy in your current situation.

The only rule to the club is that you cannot tell anyone that you are a member.

The club does not provide a directory of its members, but when you look into a member's eye, you can tell that they too are part of the club. Members are allowed to exchange that brief eye contact that says: "I didn't know."

Being a member of this club is the last thing that anyone initially wants in their life.

Being a member of this club is the best thing that ever happens to a person in their life, and there is not a person in the club that would ever give up their membership.

If you really look and know what you are looking for you can spot the clubs members; they are the ones that provide a random act of kindness and do something for someone who can never repay them for what they have done. They are the people spreading joy and optimism and lifting people's spirits even when their own heart has been broken.

I have paid my dues; my lifetime membership arrived today, not b

There will never be "the right time" in your life to do a great thing.
You must create that time and greatness will follow.

We spend 8 hours a day, for 10 months a year, for nearly 17 years sending our kids to school to prepare them for life.
In all of that time there is never a course in overcoming adversity, goal setting, sacrifice, perseverance, teammates, or family.
I guess that's what wrestling is for.

A dear friend of mine recently asked me how did I find happiness after all that i have been through?
After thinking about it for a while I realized that you don't find happiness, it is not hidden, it's right there out in the open.
Happiness is a decision not something that is lost.
You just have to recognize all that there is to be happy about and decide to be happy because everything in life is miracle.

There was no way possible that I was going to have a life and not live it.

I love my mother.
My mother loves my dad.
Those two facts are undeniable.
I want my father to live.
I want him to fight to live as long as he can.
My mother wants to let him pass.
She does not want him suffering anymore.
She says that I am not there in the middle of the night at home, when he begs her to let him die.
I say that he should not be taking the medicine that the doctor is prescribing, that it made Mike Tyson want to eat his opponents young.

Yesterday while I was on the side of the mat next to some wrestlers who were warming up for their next match, I found myself standing side by side next to an extraordinary wrestler.
He was warming up and he had that look of desperation on his face that wrestlers get when their match is about to start and their coach is across the gym coaching on another mat in a match that is already in progress.
"Hey do you have a coach." I asked him.

"He's not here right now." He quietly answered me ready to take on the task of wrestling his opponent alone.

"Would you mind if I coached you?"

His face tilted up at me with a slight smile and said. "That would be great."
Through the sounds of whistles and yelling fans I heard him ask me what my name was.

"My name is John." I replied.

"Hi John, I am Nishan" he said while extending his hand for a handshake.
He paused for a second and then he said to me: "John I am going to lose this match".

He said that as if he was preparing me so I wouldn't get hurt when my coaching skills didn't work magic with him today.

I just said, "Nishan - No score of a match will ever make you a winner. You are already a winner by stepping onto that mat."
With that he just smiled and slowly ran on to the mat, ready for battle, but half knowing what the probable outcome would be.
When you first see Nishan you will notice that his legs are frail - very frail. So f

The key to this world is to be loved by your fellow man and to be liked by yourself.

Mr. Passaro, let me teach you about how medicine works." He starts out.
"One of two things is going to happen. Either the Doctors are going to say I told you so, or they are going to say that Jess was the exception. What you believe will determine who gets to say I told you so to whom."
"Never stop believing." He begs me.
"Doctor, you are on the team". I say.
He smiles.

It has taken me four years to figure this out.
If we live long enough, we all will experience this.
Don't ever predetermine how you think that you should feel on an anniversary of a tragic event in your life, such as a death of a loved one, or on a holiday after such an event.
Each year starts out with 365 days, and I will be damned if I am giving up even one of them to misery.

Just do the next right thing.
Then repeat indefinitely.

There is a very good organization called "Make a Wish Foundation" that helps make a dying child's wishes come true.
People go out of their way and work together to create an unbelievable lasting memory for a deserving person.
What just dawned on me was:
Why do we wait until someone is dying in order to do that?
We have the opportunity to do this everyday for many, many, many people over our lifetime.
It doesn't have to be a really big wish, small wishes add up fast.
Imagine how much better the world would be if we all granted each other small wishes that came true every day.
Find someone today and implement the "Make a Wish" concept in your life.
Watch what happens.

A diagnosis is not a prognosis unless you let it be.

I believe there are no coincidences in life, only subtle signs that when you inspect them, will lead you to where you need to go.

The best thing you can say to someone going through a tragic loss is not that
"It's going to be alright"
It is:
"Hold on tight because this is going to hurt like hell".

There is an open circle."
This mantra is what my high school coaches would say to me during wrestling practice when they knew that I was physically exhausted and was about to rest for a moment. There was an open circle on the wrestling mat, and if I was interested I could get out there and do more.
"There is an open circle."
Meaning there is still more that you could do. Don't rest now; this is where the difference is made. To work when you are mentally and physically exhausted gets you to the next level.
"There is an open circle.

When you decide that you are going to do whatever it takes for as long as it takes, sometime during your seemingly infinite journey the weathervane will just change direction and the new winds of positive change will blow at your back instead of into your face and things will just get easier and you will start to see progress right out of the blue.
When that day happens you will know that it is just a matter of time.
And time is what I have.

I need to dream.
I need to believe.
I need to know that I have some control in my life.
That if I work hard, that I will be rewarded.
That life is not arbitrary.
I need to believe that bad things happen to good people, for a greater reason.
That dedication, sacrifice, hard work, discipline are all worthy attributes that will eventually produce extraordinary results.
That if I live a certain lifestyle, that my family will be better for that.
That there is a direct link between my actions and my results.
That If I prepare properly that I can face the insurmountable foe and look him in the eye and say "Bring it on, I can take whatever you can dish out."
I need to keep living in order to save my daughter from dying.

Went to bed with a dream.

Woke up with a purpose.

There is something special about baseball that goes far deeper than being a game. It is the father-son relationship that is built, the life lessons that are taught in the process of playing a game and the ability to overcome not succeeding all of the time and still considering yourself a success.

There are a few things in life that occur, that you don't ask for, that are just dealt to you.
These things can define you or you can define yourself through them.
I elect to define myself through overcoming what has been dealt to me in my life.
It took thirty-one years and two generations of tweaking to get my first perfect ending.
Now I am going to work on my next one.

You are closer to victory than you know, when you feel you just can't go on any longer. It is what makes champions who they are, the ability to muster up a little bit more when everyone else would give in. It is at that moment a tipping point usually occurs.

Find a way.

It is that simple.