Godspeed, my dear friend.
Man. It’s amazing how you get to know someone so well on the intertoobz and you don’t even have to meet them to love them.
Kip Kelly, otherwise known as “SpecialKinFlag” here on Daily Kos, was just such a person to me. Kip was a loud-mouthed staunch leftist, and our political positions were allied almost 100%, so of course — we bonded. :)
I can’t remember the first time I talked to Kip privately, but it was probably six or seven years ago. He contacted me through Dkos, and we got to chatting, and I just came to love the guy. Kip was unbelievably caring and loving, very much a family man who really dug coaching soccer and spending time with his wife and kids. Yet he would always reach out to me if he thought I wasn’t doing well, or was depressed, just to check in and say “hi”. Kip’s degree was in social work, and his compassionate nature shined through in pretty much everything he did.
About an hour ago, a mutual Kossack friend of ours let me know Kip had passed. I have been crying on and off since — geez, life is so short. Kip was diagnosed with stage four pancreatic cancer in September 2016. He passed away on April 2, 2017, just shy of his 56th birthday.
I don’t even remember the last time Kip and I spoke. Maybe a year ago, maybe more. I didn’t know he had cancer. Nothing happened, really, but that’s just how life rolls sometimes, isn’t it? And now I’m regretting that I didn’t know, and wasn’t there for him in his last days, and I never got to say “goodbye”. I didn’t get to tell him that I thought he was a good friend and an excellent dad. Oh, Lordy, here come the tears again.
Before he died, Kip’s sister Lisa started a GoFundMe page for his four children. Kip was a Desert Storm vet, a huge lover of animals, a punk music fiend, a kefir connoisseur, a former foster parent, and he and his wife adopted one of their children from Ethiopia, a girl named Tigist.
The story of how Tigist came to be with the Kelly family is so bittersweet. In her own words:
"I was adopted from Ethiopia at a very young age. I don't remember a lot from that time, but what I do remember is my dad picking me up from the airport. I remember screaming my head off not wanting to go with. I was scared and unaware of what was going on. I was unaware of what was going to be. Little did I know that I was going to be a part of a family; a family with three brothers and two parents. My dad turned out to be my best friend. He cheered me on during soccer games and coached me through many more challenges. My brothers and I all share a love for soccer thanks to our dad. Looking back at what I have faced in my life, I realize how grateful I am for my family. I'm grateful for the memories I have shared with them. I have an endless supply of love and gratitude for my family."
This man embodied all the very best things we cherish about being progressive. Kip really walked the walk. I will miss my friend dearly.
If you can spare a few dollars to help out Kip’s wife and children, please do. If not, that’s alright — someone just sit here and cry with me.
And go hug your family. Do it now, even if they’re sleeping. :)
