What Impact Are You Making?

I read last week that Miles Levin died of cancer, six days before his 19th birthday. I didn’t know Miles, and didn’t even know of him, until I read the story in the newspaper. He lived in a suburb of Detroit, though, not far from me.

Miles received national publicity, because he has been blogging about his journey since 2005, when he learn he had been stricken with a pediatric cancer called alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma. His writing ranged from adolescent topics such as school, his girlfriend and prom, to hope, dreams, life and death. By this summer, 15,000 readers read and responded to his blog entries. When he was too sick to write, and on the eve of his death, his mother updated the blog.

The entry that really stood out for me was written a few months ago, when Miles knew that his high school graduation would probably be his last milestone. “I can rest assured that even if I succumb to the rogue cells, I will leave behind a legacy of victory. Dying is not what scares me; it’s dying having had no impact. I know a lot of eyes are watching me suffer; and—win or lose—this is my time for impact.”

Wow. What a powerful, wise thought from this 18-year-old young man.

That part of the story caused me to think about my own impact, the legacy that I am leaving. How about you? Have you thought about your impact the world, about the legacy you’re leaving?

For all of us, this is our time for impact. Some of us, like Miles, will have an early indication that our time on Earth is coming to an end. For others, death will occur suddenly, with no warning.

We don’t know if tomorrow will come. But we can make an impact in the world, starting today!

P.S. You can find the article at www.cnn.com/2007/HEALTH/08/20/obit.miles.levin.index.html. To see Miles’ blog, go to www.carepages.com. You have to register, then type “LevinStory” in the page search field.