More Than Our Story
Daniel Hight
Where to begin. But really, where do I start…
Daniel is one of the most vivacious, determined, adventurous and stubborn people you will ever have the pleasure of knowing. He is wildly intelligent (do NOT play trivial pursuit with him, he has mastered the genius edition), very loyal and loving. He also has one of the most genuine and contagious smiles, hands down.
Over his 40 years Daniel has lived all over the world starting in the land down under where he was born, the big apple and spent many years in British Columbia and Quebec. He is a man of many athletic talents including snowboarding, swimming, cycling, running which is why he has crushed two half IronMan races to date.
His athletic weakness? Golf. That is something I would challenge him to a round of anyday!
His secret athletic talent? Bowling. He has a mean spin and we had to play 5 rounds in a row so he could get his highest score. Ask him about his ‘bowling finger’, it’s a thing and I dare you.
Daniel spent years DJing in clubs and at epic house parties and his taste in music is very eclectic. From drum and bass to soul to acid jazz, I think the only genre he doesn’t dabble in is country but there is still time.
In December of 2020 Daniel’s life immediately changed. He was on a Zoom call with his colleagues and suffered a severe seizure. He was rushed to the hospital where he was diagnosed with a brain tumor and it was confirmed to be cancer. He was told that in a matter of weeks he had to have brain surgery AND because the tumor is on his motor cortex, he was going to have to be awake for the majority of it to ensure they didn’t render him without the ability to move or speak. I cannot even imagine the spiral of thoughts going through his mind.
Speaking about my experience with a friend, he was taken back when I said I would not change a thing, even if I could. I thought about that. My experience was truly a gift in disguise. It has given me two things people often struggle with, knowledge, specifically about my own mortality, and purpose.
Knowledge: Most people will never come face to face with death. For those that do, the experience is often freeing, and formative - to come away from a near death experience unchanged would be unusual. I now know how I may die, and there's a sense of comfort in that, an inner peace granted through knowledge, and embraced through acceptance. The release I felt from fear of the unknown was truly a gift in disguise.
Purpose: My initial diagnosis forever changed me. I knew that I wanted to live life to the fullest, never taking anything for granted, and being the best person I could. I knew immediately that I wanted to give back, to share my story, and to help others. I didn't know it then, but More Than Our Story was born that day.
Daniel was fortunate to have one of the best surgeons in North America and within 3 days he was home to recover. And what a journey that was going to be. The first 3 weeks he spent in bed, resting and struggling with the sounds of all of the hardware settling in his head underneath the 50+ staples he had.
On February 18, 2021 Daniel’s life changed yet again. After 17 years of being apart, I reached out to him on Facebook with the lamest excuse saying he had popped up as a friend recommendation which was completely bogus. We had dated for a few years after university and life took us in different directions but when he saw my message he said to himself ‘here we go again’. And from that moment, the start of forever began.
Over the next few months I was right by his side through his recovery and was reminded yet again about how determined, and stubborn, he is. He started walking for hours a day on the treadmill which then evolved into walking on the treadmill with 40lb dumbbells over his head. It most certainly took its toll on his energy levels for the first few months but there truly was no stopping him. I tried. Relentlessly. He then said he was joining a crossfit gym which absolutely terrified me but I also couldn’t have been more inspired. This time instead of trying to stop him, I simply joined him – so I could keep one eye on him.
He started signing up for open water swims (I was without a doubt the craziest person there cheering him on) and then, he casually told me he had signed up for a half IronMan in La Quinta, CA in December 2021. Yes, you read that correctly. He had brain surgery in January and he had signed up for a 1.9K swim, 91K bike and 21K run only 11 months later. Without hesitation I said, I’m coming. I have never been more proud, more inspired and more scared when he ran into the water from the beach to start this 8hr race but he persevered as he always does. I was lucky enough to run beside him for the last leg of the race as he crossed the finish line and got his medal and it was nothing shy of waterworks (from me) for what he had accomplished.
2022 has already amassed 2 open water swims, 1 olympic triathlon and 2 half IronMans. The only difference this year is that I am doing all of these with the man who has, without knowing it, completely changed my outlook on life. Daniel always says that you don’t have to do something monumental or have an incurable disease to be a hero, but to me he is at the very least that. And yes, I recognize that I am completely biased.
I will leave you with this. It is not Daniel’s athletic accomplishments that are the most inspiring but it is this endeavor of More Than Our Story. This isn’t about him, it is about celebrating the big and little ‘wins’ we each have everyday. Uplifting each other, challenging each other and supporting each other. Our journey is far from over.
Denise
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