Randy Pausch Passes Away

Randy Pausch, Ph.D., was one of these rare people who could face an extremely grim diagnosis (pancreatic cancer) with a hopeful perspective. He was not in denial about his terminal condition, but rather, chose to live every day he had to the fullest, always keeping in mind the wife and three small children he would inevitably leave behind.

He is most well-known for his “Last Lecture,” a talk that summed up his childhood dreams and his thoughts on life and death. He was only concerned about his “audience of three”—his kids—when crafting the words that would go on to move many others. The lecture was both poignant and funny, humbling and uplifting. The video spread through the media, and suddenly Pausch was thrown into the limelight, doing interviews with Diane Sawyer and eventually writing a book.

His lecture, and overall message, can really be accurately summed up by one direct quote: “The brick walls are there for a reason. The brick walls are not there to keep us out. The brick walls are there to give us a chance to show how badly we want something.” Pausch was driven by this idea in pursuing his future wife, in pursuing career dreams and in contemplating what matters most in life, which for him, was his family.

Although he leaves us today, his optimistic, heartfelt, honest and inspirational words never will. Here at First30Days, our thoughts are with his family. [ABC News]