Liam Tamayo

Liam was born March 16, 1996 in Sacramento. He was only 6 when his beautiful spirit flew July 24, 2002. Although his nine month battle was difficult and at times frightening, in Liam's last days on Earth he was at peace and he knew that he was deeply loved by his family and many others. He was born into the loving arms of his parents, lived his life surrounded by love, and left his body in the embrace of his loving family.

Liam was an exceptionally gifted athlete, dribbled a ball at 18 months, hit jump shots at two, smashed pitched balls at 3. He had a rifle arm, and was a crazed leaper, and a future stuntman, police officer, and major leaguer. Liam was a loving, tenacious, active, and robust little boy. He was Zorro, a Musketeer, a swordfighter. He loved his Blue Jays T-Ball team and was passionate about playing baseball, hockey, rollerblading, bike riding, doughnuts and mocha. On May 2, 2002, Liam realized one dream by becoming a Sacramento Police Officer, Badge # 1234. He had an infectious smile and a jubilant laugh. He could win your heart in a matter of minutes with his enthusiasm for life. He took delight in camping and climbing rocks. He would spend hours looking for the right sticks to use as guns, swords or spears. Although he loved weaponry, he was a tender and loving cutie pie. He loved his Mommy and his velvet bunny Baby with sweet devotion. He always wanted a hug and a kiss when Dad left for work and shouted for joy when he came home. When he had a goal, he was unyielding in his determination to achieve it. He could not be distracted! Liam attended preschool at Bethany, Centennial, and Gloria Dei and kindergarten at Leonardo da Vinci School where he was loved and nurtured by his teachers and adored by his friends. He was happiest when he had a large area in which to run, jump and practice stuntman falls.

Liam died after a courageous fight against a brain tumor called a pontine brain stem glioma. Liam leaves a legacy of hope for other children. His tumor tissue was donated to a national tissue bank for research. The Liam Foundation is dedicated to promoting a greater commitment by society to conquering childhood cancer. send contributions payable to The Liam Foundation/SRF at 555 Capitol Mall, Suite 550
Sacramento, CA 95814 Donations are tax deductable (Tax ID 94-2891517)

Please honor Liam by supporting activities to find ways to prevent and cure childhood cancer. Check out the links to Chilhood Cancer Month to see what you can do to help.

Journal

Thursday, July 5, 2007 2:03 PM CDT

Once again, our journal writing has taken a back seat to busy lives, procrastination and of course, healing. Jan has graduated from nursing school here in Sacramento and is working at UC Davis Med Center right down the street. Dave continues to work for the County of Sacramento, writing storm water policies. Emma is a sophomore at a terrific high school close to home and Coby is entering his sophomore year at the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, WA. Liam wold have been starting 6th grade in the fall. The house is more quiet than it should be.

The Childhood Cancer Resource Center at UC Davis is still in the planning stage. There is some funding but still a need for more.

We think about Liam daily and continue to struggle with the aftermath of losing such a beautiful boy. Doesn't he have the most radiant smile? We laugh about his temper tantrums-we still have marks on the bathroom door from his kicking it with his cowboy boots on. We still have Baby, his stuffed rabbit he slept with every night. We think of him when we see little kids playing baseball. He was especially passionate about those three things. Baseball, Baby and boots. We miss his energy, his enthusiasm (Dave used to call him "Mr. Enthusiasm") and his presence.
He loved to fight the bad guys and would sword fight them complete with sound effects and falling.

Because he was so active, it was the worst that as the tumor grew, Liam had less control over his body. Eventually, he couldn't walk (his wheelchair was delivered to his 6th birthday party at Chuck E.Cheese) manipulate his hands or hold a sword. A month before he died we had trouble understanding his words. A week before he died he couldn't swallow. He aspirated some liquids and contracted pneumonia.

We are still trying to recover from the devastating loss, and incorporate into our lives all the positive things Liam brought to us. After five years it still hurts and we still cry. We are able to talk about him more often with smiles than tears. And he is always with us in our hearts.

We hope to have a fundraiser for and amazing organization called Okizu this Sept during Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. Okizu has a camp that hosts separate weeklong camps for kids with cancer, for siblings, weekend camps for families whose kids are still with us and for those who aren't. It's an amazing place for people to heal, and to feel less alone. Visit http://www.okizu.org/ to learn more about this amazing organization.

Please leave a message in our guest book. It helps to know Liam is remembered and that we still have the love and support as we continue to heal.

Look at past journal entries

Email address  : tamayo2@sbcglobal.net

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