July 1, 1998. Our softball team had just made the third out, and
we were jogging toward the first base dugout. I remember my
brother-in-law Gary Filice, bat in hand, shuffling against the
inward flow of the dugout-entrance traffic jam.
July 1, 1998. Our softball team had just made the third out, and we were jogging toward the first base dugout. I remember my brother-in-law Gary Filice, bat in hand, shuffling against the inward flow of the dugout-entrance traffic jam. He was headed for the on-deck circle to lead off our half of the inning.
In the confusion, I heard the characteristic “chink” sound of something striking the chain-link backstop and thought nothing of it. “Gary!” one of my teammates called out in an anxious voice. He had fallen against the backstop and to the ground. He never got up.
The people who loved Gary will never understand why one of this earth’s gentlest souls was called home that day. He was 42, slim, and fit. He was not a ticking time bomb. Gary’s heart just quit.
I have played ball with the guys on that softball team for 20 years, but I am a newcomer to the group. Many of them, including Gary, grew up together, and dugout banter often includes stories, usually at someone’s expense, about some memorable grade school incident 40 years ago.
This group could not let Gary’s passing go unmarked. So, we created the Desperado Club (named for our softball team) to raise money to prevent deaths from heart attacks like Gary’s and to donate money to something Gary was passionate about – youth sports.
As the club has investigated heart issues, we have learned about Automatic External Defibrillators. Defibrillators shock a disrupted heart back into a normal rhythm. In addition to being very effective in saving the lives of heart attack victims, they are very easy to use. An electronic voice gives the operator simple verbal instructions. The device then measures the need and applies a shock on its own.
The Desperado Club is supporting the Gilroy Fire Department in a new program called Public Access to Defibrillators (PAD). Their ultimate goal is to have defibrillators readily available, somewhat like fire extinguishers, in public places such as fitness centers, churches, and libraries. So far, the Desperado Club has raised and donated enough money to the Fire Department to purchase two defibrillators.
As a part of that program, the Gilroy Fire Department will teach a number of CPR classes that include training in the use of defibrillators. Look in the “City of Gilroy Community Services Winter Spring 2004 Activity Guide” you received in the mail. In the “Special Interest” section you will see a list of dates when the classes are offered. With ready access to defibrillators, and this kind of training, you or I might save a life.
Through the Gilroy Foundation, the Desperado Club also established the Gary Filice Memorial Fund that for the first time last year was able to give money to underprivileged Gilroy kids who couldn’t otherwise participate in youth sports. Gary would be pleased.
We raise this money through one annual event that is coming up. The annual Desperado Club Valentine Dinner Dance is on Saturday evening, Feb. 21, 2004, at the Coast Range brewery. For a $30 donation you will enjoy a tri-tip steak, pasta, salad and garlic bread dinner served at your table. There will be music, dancing, a silent auction and a great time. We limit the tickets, and we always sell out. If you want to enjoy a truly fun evening and support these efforts, or if you can’t attend and would like to make a donation, call Gabriel Nino at 847-8230 or me at 779-5335.
Gary, you have left us, but you are not forgotten. There was no defibrillator for you at Gavilan Field that night, but in your memory, we will try to have one available for the next person who needs one.
