This past Thursday Will graduated from high school.

 

The Early Birth

The invitations had been sent. We were all eagerly waiting for the birth of our first grandson. But God had other plans.

After a routine checkup with her OB-GYN, Jenny’s water broke on her way to the elevator. Will was due in early March, but on February 13, 2007, he came into the world via C-section at St. Joseph Hospital. Thank God Jenny’s sister Amy was already in town for the shower — she would become Jenny’s rock through everything that followed.

Mikos and I stood at the window watching as a nurse treated baby Will like a routine birth. But something was wrong. At four pounds eleven ounces, his tiny lungs needed more than routine. I turned to Mikos and said, “Something is not right.” As the father, his instincts were on fire — he could see his baby struggling to breathe. He knocked hard on the window to get the nurse’s attention, but she ignored him. Finally, he’d had enough and called a doctor in. We could actually hear the doctor reprimanding the nurse for her negligence. By then, Mike had arrived — and we all stood there watching little Will fight for his life.

Will was immediately transported to Children’s Hospital of Orange, where he spent two weeks in the NICU. Because Jenny had undergone a C-section and was still under anesthesia, she had no idea the trauma her son was enduring.

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I dedicated you, a prophet to the nations I appointed you.” — Jeremiah 1:5 (NABRE)

The Love of a Mother

Every single day, Jenny was at her baby boy’s side — watching over him, staying until Mikos arrived to take his turn. The two of them formed a circle of love around Will, and by the time he reached his proper birth weight, he was finally released into the arms of his family. In the meantime, little Maddie was in the loving care of her Aunt Amy and me. We took turns so Jenny could be where she needed to be — with Will.

two weeks. Because Jenny, had undergone a C-section and was still under anesthesia, she had no idea the trauma Will was experiencing.

Fighting to Live

When life begins with a battle, it can only mean one thing — God has a special plan for you.

Will has always been a fighter, and he has had to prove it more than once. From the very beginning, God gifted him with an athletic spirit and the physical ability to match. He played soccer, baseball, basketball, and picked up surfing and snowboarding along the way. He excelled at every one of them — but basketball became his true passion.

He didn’t just show up and play. He sacrificed weekends, put in the hours, and gave everything to his craft. For years he committed to a Club Team, competing at a level that demanded real dedication. By his sophomore year of high school, his teammates recognized what everyone around him already knew — they voted him captain of the Junior Varsity team.

Some boys are born into ease. Will was born into a fight. And he has never stopped fighting.

Sports and Politics

A coach can make you or break you.

Shaquille O’Neal was cut from his high school team — too slow, too clumsy, his coach decided. It took a different coach at Louisiana State University to see what was really there and develop it. We all know how that story ended.

Will’s high school was serious about sports, and that meant winning came first — sometimes at any cost. Suddenly, six-foot nineteen-year-olds began showing up on the varsity roster. These are what people call “holdbacks” — kids whose parents chose to give them an extra year to grow, develop, and gain a competitive edge, both athletically and academically. They’re often bigger, stronger, and sometimes two full years older than the boys they’re competing against. Will could read the room. He knew the odds had shifted, and rather than fight a battle that wasn’t his to win, he made a smart, graceful pivot — to golf.

He never missed a beat. Because that’s who Will is. A fighter doesn’t quit — he adapts. And he has never lacked for people in his corner. He golfs regularly with his grandfather Mike now, and true to form, he’s excelling at that too.

“I will instruct you and show you the way you should walk, give you counsel with my eye upon you.” — Psalm 32:8 (NABRE)

Work Ethic

Will once told me something that stopped me in my tracks: “You’re not always going to be the best, and you’re not always going to get picked to play.” For a young man still in high school, that kind of self-awareness is rare — and telling. It’s the kind of lesson that can only be learned from the inside out.

His parents have worked hard to pass something even more valuable than athletic talent down to Will and his sister Maddie — a genuine work ethic. Following in Maddie’s footsteps, Will started working at Porky’s Pizza at sixteen. For two years he was the dough boy, putting in the unglamorous hours that no one sees. Now that he’s eighteen, he’s out delivering pizzas — showing up, being reliable, doing what needs to be done.

Maddie, for her part, is carrying a full-time internship and still finds time to deliver pizzas too. These two didn’t fall into that by accident. They were raised that way.

So to all the Porky’s Pizza customers in Yorba Linda and Anaheim Hills — please be kind, and please be generous. You just might be opening your door to two of the finest young people we know.

Will said that he learned a great lesson during his high school basketball seasons. “You’re not always going to be the best, and you’re not always going to get picked to play.”

Will graduated with a 4.2 grade point average — and yes, we are proud. Deeply, genuinely proud. Not just because of the number, but because of everything it represents: the early mornings, the late nights, the dough-covered hands and the weekend tournaments and the quiet determination that has defined this young man from the very beginning.

He was accepted to the University of Utah. Snowboarding in the winter, golf in the spring — for Will, it might just be the perfect fit. And knowing him, he’ll find a way to excel at both while keeping his grades exactly where they need to be.

Before he even sets foot on campus, he’s already lined up an internship with Harbor Distributing as a merchandiser. One week away from a brand new chapter, and he’s already preparing to show up and work.

That’s Will. That has always been Will.

From four pounds eleven ounces in a NICU bassinet to a 4.2 GPA and a university acceptance letter — the boy who fought to breathe is now stepping into a life he has quietly, faithfully, and stubbornly earned.

 

A Family Celebration

Jenny’s family made the long trip from Minnesota to be there — all seven of them. That kind of love doesn’t need explanation. You pack a bag, you buy a ticket, and you show up. And show up they did, filling the room with the particular warmth that only family can bring. Our entire family was there as well, gathered together around this young man who has given us so much to celebrate.

My Prayer

Dear Heavenly Father,

Please watch over Will. Protect him — guard his heart and his mind, and lead him always toward what is right in Your eyes.

Lord, I pray not just for Will but for all who are graduating — for every young man and woman stepping into a world that will pull them in a thousand directions. Direct their paths toward holiness. Do not let them be swept away by every wind of doctrine, but anchor them to You — the King of Kings, the One who knew them before they were formed in the womb.

Amen.