I don’t know where to begin this tribute. This man defied all odds and lived a life that would be fulfilling for anyone.

Darren Carr had a weekly request show podcast. He would play requests that were sent in, no matter how off the beaten trail the music was or sometimes despised by a fair section of the audience. What made the podcast a must-listen part of your Friday, however, was Darren. You see, Darren was a quadriplegic who was completely aware of his physical situation but there was never a doubt that he was the life of the party.

I don’t recall how I heard about Darren but being a paraplegic myself, I was intensely curious as to how a quadriplegic could pull off producing a weekly podcast.

He explained that with help, he had his room transformed into a studio where despite being bed ridden and on a ventilator, each week he would dutifully play requests and tell some of the lamest jokes I have ever heard. And I treasured every minute of it.

We would have DM sessions were he explained to me how he could operate everything himself. At the beginning of each show he would matter of factly state that he was on a ventilator and apologized if there were any extraneous sounds or the cadence of his speech was occasionally a bit off during the program. Honestly, I never noticed any of it.

Once you were five minutes into his program, all of that was gone from your mind. One of your best friends was with you in your living room making sure you were in good spirits and began your weekend with a cheerful knees-up.

Ironically, Darren passed not from complications do to his quadriplegia but due to another disease which snuck in under the radar. But Darren faced all obstacles with every fiber of his being.

Darren, I never met you in person but you’ll always be deep within my heart and my thoughts. And a day won’t pass where I won’t try to summon up at least half of the courage you demonstrated.

Ta, mate.

©2021 Frank Petrie