My name is Mia Fishman and I’m a senior at Jackson Hole High School. I first need Rad a few years ago upstairs at Moe’s BBQ. From the get go, I could tell he was somebody that would have a tremendous impact on not just my life, but so may others. He radiated positivity, which as a teenage girl, is hard to come by.
We bonded over his alma mater, The University of Georgia, at the inaugural Jackson Hole Bulldawg Club game watching party. He was so incredibly encouraging and made me fall in love with the glory of being a Georgia Bulldog.
I last saw and spoke to Rad on January 10. Georgia was playing Alabama in the National Championship game, and the stakes were ever so high. The Dawgs hadn’t won a national championship since 1980. The Bulldawg Club gathered at The Bird to watch the game, and of course, Rad, being the devoted fan he was, was in attendance.
I informed him of some exciting news: I had been accepted at UGA, and my commitment was pretty much set in stone. His excitement and enthusiasm for my future was something I will simply never forget. He understood my passion for the university and never underestimated my potential. He congratulated me on my success and complimented my lineup of articles in the local newspaper. In my own little way, I felt as if Rad was my #1 fan and I was his.
That night, my dad locked his keys in his car due to the pure excitement of the Dawgs taking home a natty. Rad, being the kindest human I have ever met, offered my dad a ride home. Rad was the most selfless person, and I felt as if he always put his friends and family above himself.
In my 17 years of life, I have never been traumatically impacted by death. Losing Rad was my first real experience of what the “stages of death and dying” are truly like. The unexpectedness of it all was something I can never forget. It seems as if Billy Joel was right when he said that only the good die young.
Rad’s energy radiated through the high school as he was the coach of our lacrosse team. He was such a tremendous mentor and friend.
I hope that my future at UGA will guide me into a life where Rad’s characteristics become my own. I have nothing by kind words to say, for he was truly a really Rad dude.
Thank you for your time in reading these tales about such an incredible human being. I hope to meet you soon and hear a story of your own.