Passion is everything.
-- David Copperfield, magician
Diane Geppi-Aikens was an incredibly passionate coach. As women’s lacrosse coach at Loyola (MD), she preached passion and she won.
She didn’t let anything get in the way of her passion for coaching lacrosse.
She was diagnosed with brain cancer in her early 30s. She coached her last eight years despite the cancer.
Sometimes from a wheel chair.
Always in pain.
And she won.
She died at the age of 40.
In the book Lucky Every Day: The Wisdom of Diane Geppii-Aikens, author Chip Silverman wrote . . .
She made us close our eyes and hear the singers she was passionate about: Roberta Flack and Aretha Franklin.
“Listen to the joy in their voices,” urged Diane.
“It’s not the words or the music. They sing with such great passion, such heart and soul. You can feel how the singers love what they’re doing. It’s not just a job to them. If you want to excel at anything, you must be passionate. Otherwise, why waste your time?”
Passion wins.
