This weekend, Brown University lost another member of its community much too soon. Those who knew Lawrence Rubida '05 remember him as one of the hardest-working members of the football team: always prepared and always loyal. Though Rubida didn't play a single down of football his junior season due to an ACL injury, his teammates had enough respect for him to name him a captain the following spring.
It is human nature to ask, "Why him?" after losing someone of Rubida's character. But those kinds of questions are useless to ask. Instead we need to look at what lessons we can take from his life.
Rubida compared his odds of beating cancer to his odds of getting into Brown, saying if he could beat the 10-percent odds to get into the University, he could beat his 15-percent odds to live. Rubida was not delusional - he realized that once the cancer spread to his lungs he needed to enjoy the time he had left - but his outlook on fighting a disease that had an enormous head start by the time it was diagnosed is awe-inspiring.
On road trips, Rubida's teammates said he would often be off watching film on the next day's opponent while they were relaxing and watching movies on Friday nights. If you want to see the face of a focused man, find a picture of Rubida on game day. This focus helped Rubida earn All-Ivy honors as a sophomore. It also must have helped him get through an arduous treatment schedule that successfully eradicated the original tumor.
After Rubida was diagnosed with Ewing's sarcoma, his teammates and friends wasted no time in setting up the Lawrence Rubida Trust to help pay Rubida's enormous medical bills, which amounted to about $100,000 a month. They organized a bench-press-a-thon during intense summer workouts, raising $25,000. They sold and wore proudly the "Never Quit" bracelets you've seen around campus.
These friends should be lauded for their efforts. Certainly seeing that outpouring of support made Lawrence's last months less difficult. That Rubida moved those around him to such levels of support is further evidence of his importance to those who knew him.
After the death of Rubida's friend Ricky Whelan '04 on Jan. 11, Rubida was understandably shaken. When he attended the NFC championship game in Philadelphia, he apparently spent the entire game happily talking about Ricky with friends. That he could spend time talking about Whelan while his time was running so short shows what kind of friend he was.
Unfortunately, Rubida rejoined Ricky on Saturday morning. To those who knew Lawrence, now is a time to remember the times you had, much like he did that day in Philadelphia. And even for those who did not have that privilege, we can all learn a thing or two about determination from Lawrence.
