Thaddeus and his guide dog, Hobbs.

Memories of Thaddeus
September 2004 - Submitted by Margaret Medlock

I've known Thaddeus since I was fifteen years old. He weighed 95lbs soaking wet—if he was lucky! He was so tiny! But he always had a smile on his face and was such a sweet person. And I have to say that he absolutely never changed either of those beautiful attributes the entire 27 years that I was privileged to have known him. I have so many memories of Thaddeus that it would take me days—weeks even—to sum them all up. He was fun, kind, patient, sweet, ALWAYS LOVED to have a good time, forgiving, loved God TREMENDOUSLY, had a VERY strong faith, loved his friends and family, he was loyal, giving, generous, funny, positive, upbeat, encouraging—I could go on and on. But personally, the thing I'd like to talk about the most is Thaddeus' capacity for forgiveness. He is my hero. Always has been. Here's a guy who, facing some of the most defeating circumstances a human being can face, and he turned it into a positive experience, living EACH AND EVERY DAY to the fullest! Anyway, I think we can all remember that when Thaddeus first lost his sight he was pretty depressed about it. I won't bore you with excuses and circumstances in my life, but at that time in his life, when Thaddeus needed me the most, I turned my back on him and walked away. If I live to be 100 years old I could never be sorry enough for doing that to him. I'll always regret it and feel shame for it. A couple of years later I saw a WJLA channel 7 news special report about him and called our mutual friend Kerrie Moran to tell her about, and also to see if she happened to watch it. Anyway, I can't remember if she did or not, but she strongly encouraged me to give him a call, saying that she thought he'd like to hear from me. I was just so ashamed of my behavior that I didn't know what to say. Sometime later I did call, and as wonderful as he is, he actually forgave me! And we were friends again. Thaddeus taught me about the capacity of forgiveness by forgiving me. If he could do that for me, how could I POSSIBLY NOT forgive anyone else who wrongs me?? I'll ALWAYS be grateful to him for that. And I'm glad I had the opportunity to share that with him many, many times. I think that's what's so remarkable about Thaddeus' life. I think he probably taught each and every one of us something special. Because he WAS something special. He was one of those rare gifts that God blesses us with but once in a lifetime, and I will miss my friend for the rest of my life. BUT, I will do my UTMOST to celebrate life for the rest of my life because I KNOW that's what Thaddeus would have wanted—for all of us.

God Bless,
Peg