SIG'S STORY
Written in 2016 by Tammy Boysen Wilhoite, former director of the Northwest Sarcoma Foundation and friend to Sig.
A couple of years ago we got a call from a guy named Siegfried. He had been diagnosed with a rare Sarcoma and had heard about our foundation from his doctor at SCCA. First he just wanted to talk...it was still sinking in that he had cancer because he was so active and healthy and young and strong...he wasn't really sure how things were going to go for him, but he was determined to beat his Sarcoma.
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He called again because he decided he wanted to bring attention to the cancer that was "pissing him off" and to the foundation that was in his backyard helping people with Sarcoma.
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He called again because he was going to be participating in an iron man event in Hawaii and he wanted to put our logo on his shirt or whatever we would allow him to do to bring attention to the plight of folks stricken with Sarcoma.
He called again because he had put together a BINGO night and needed our help pulling it off so he could raise money for the foundation.
Fighting Sarcoma AND Helping Others
We heard a lot from Sig over the years. Whenever he got big news--good or bad--about his condition, he would call us and share a revelation. Once he called becyase he felt so lucky to have such an amazing support group of friends and family, and it had occurred to him that not everybody has that.
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He wanted to raise some money for those folks to help them get the assistance they needed through the foundation. Another time it was that he was experiencing the luxury of getting to celebrate another birthday, so he wanted to help do something for the folks that weren't so lucky. The Sig we knew was always gathering his amazing friends and family to rally behind him for others. The Sig we knew always had another idea for how he could help others affected by Sarcoma, even when the doctors had nothing left to help him beat his.
The Sig we knew was ticked that his Sarcoma wouldn't get lost, but told us he was glad it was he who was dealing with it and not someone less fortunate...someone with less means...someone without an amazing family...someone without a huge community of friends who joke with him, work out with him, support him, carry him, love him, and ask themselves "What Would Sig Do?"
The Sig we knew is kicking a rugby ball around in Heaven, sucking on a beer, flipping off cancer, and trying to figure out what he can do to help someone less fortunate, because that's what Sig would do.
We love you Sig and we will miss you. Thank you for honoring us with your friendship, and for sharing your amazing self with us. You have touched us and this world in a way that will leave us all forever changed for the better and from time to time asking ourselves what would Sig do?
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On behalf of the staff, board, and members of the Northwest Sarcoma Foundation, we'll miss you Sig.