Todd Farrington

THE COFFEE BEAN by Tiffany Farrington
There’s an old fable about a potato, an egg and a coffee bean.
    When placed in boiling water the potato becomes soft and the egg becomes hard—reactions, the story intimates are perhaps self-involved. The coffee bean, on the other hand, infuses the surrounding water or environment to create an aroma, a taste, something greater than itself, to the delight of others.
    That’s where my story begins.
    Todd Farrington didn’t set out to be a coffee bean, he just is. From his first cry on earth to let the world know he had arrived in Hollywood, Florida, in 1969, to the moment I set eyes on this beautiful frame of a man, Todd has quietly, sweetly, effortlessly elevated every space and person he has touched along his adventurous and thoughtful life. Mine is just one of many. I didn’t set out to marry a coffee bean, but I suppose it was inevitable.
    From his water polo days in high school to his recruitment to West Point, Todd’s life story is mostly about his impact on others. His ability to make a difference in their lives gives him great joy in all temperatures of water, especially hot. After graduating West Point, Todd served as a U.S. Army Captain for 6 years, leaving the lives of the nation’s soldiers better than he found them. He then went on to a career in steel fabrication leaving a legacy of commercial offices, airports and other structures in his wake. After a decade and a half in construction across the  US, Mexico and South America, Todd saw a need for helping others achieve their highest financial potential. Todd set out to become a financial advisor. Todd educated individuals and military families on stabilizing their finances in order to achieve their financial dreams, including homeownership and retirement. A coffee bean simply can’t stop being a coffee bean. It must exude I’ve come to discover.
    Todd always loved God, country and family. His faith has been a large part of his inspiration, strength and love, and perhaps the center point of his love of others. After a divorce, Todd became a soccer dad raising his 3 kids full time. That’s where I met my little coffee bean. We were married and successfully blended our family of 7. That would be prayers answered on both sides.
    Todd has always had quiet strength, powering through anything that came his way. But this latest chapter came hard and fast and quite unexpectedly.
    Todd felt dizzy a few weeks back and guessed he might have pre-diabetes. He went to the VA to get checked out. There he was given a CAT scan to cover all the bases. It was March 28 when the tumor was discovered and by the next day Todd was diagnosed with glioblastoma.
   During a 7-hour surgery on April 6, an egg-sized tumor was removed from the right side of his parietal lobe. However, the tumor was found to have infiltrated the corpus callosum.
   It has now been a month and Todd has fought to regain his speech and to walk with the assistance of a walker.
    Chemotherapy and radiation begin next week. God is by our side always and the last weeks are no exception. Your prayers may be the only thing keeping our heads above the water line and we thank you for this. I will do my best in reporting news as it happens. Our family and friends have truly formed a spiritual circle around us and we feel its power and strength at all times.