At that meet, none of the competitors knew of the diagnosis for Dennis. Just like I did for my kids when they were young swimmers, I made sure Dennis got entered in his events and registered. And at the meet, I wrote his event numbers and lane assignments on his arm so he wouldn't forget.
All was well until I heard the gun go off and I looked up to see that Dennis was busy talking and had missed his event. And then a flash -- I revisited my occasional thoughts that once Dennis couldn't follow the organization of swim meets, he would be "lost" to our world. Tears just fell down my cheek as I rushed to the other end of the pool. I approached the ongoing conversation with a declaration that he had just missed his event. To his shock, he could see I was correct. We walked back to our seats to regroup. You see -- in this meet if you miss an event, you are out of the rest of the meet. So what was I to do now. Just then a tall (and I mean very tall) man approached us. He asked me what was wrong and I explained.
He hurried off to speak with the officials and Dennis was placed back in the meet. The man who approached us was Bruce. Bruce had swam against Dennis when they were kids in Iowa. Bruce lived in nearby Iowa City but competed against Dennis in the summer and in high school meets. He told me he always looked up to Dennis and wanted to beat him. When we had time, I told him the diagnosis and what we were facing. He said, "Don't you worry about a thing. Denny is my buddy. I will take care of the issues here at meets. And I will do my best to make sure he swims as long as he can. You just relax and cheer for him. I will do the rest." And so that friendship took on a whole new function.
Here is where I say that God walked into our picture. Well you know what I mean. He was always there but I was trying desperately to monitor and be in charge of everything myself. Without a doubt, I knew this was an answer to prayer. Dennis loved this guy. Den had never been one to hang out with guy friends. He was more of a loner or with family. But with Bruce it was different. Bruce cared for him like a brother.
This relationship was so powerful that it was a blessing for both of us. For the next four years, Bruce did all he could to keep Denny swimming. It gave me time for respite and they were having a blast. Bruce picked the meets, the events and made all traveling arrangements. They roomed together as they traveled together. Dennis assured me he could monitor the meds and any other needs Dennis might have while traveling. It was his goal and my goal that Dennis enjoy every bit of swimming that time would allow.
If you look at the bio (SLI), you will see that Dennis and Bruce traveled to Texas Senior Games, YMCA Nationals, and Masters Nationals for an incredibly high performance in swimming. During those years of competition (and with the help of Bruce and his buddies), Dennis was a national champion in all three levels of competition.
In fact, when Dennis was inducted into the Texas Senior Games Hall of Fame for swimming (just a few weeks before his passing), Bruce announced that Dennis was ranked in the top 5 in the World in the FINA ranking for the breaststroke. Neither Dennis nor I were aware of that ranking. For Dennis it was all about swimming, the people that he met and the fun of competing.
Swimming was God's gift to Dennis and his connection that made him an inspiration to others, as a coach; friend; neighbor and family man. Doctors were amazed that he was so strong and did so well. They attributed his athleticism; his engagement with others; his goal setting and his positive attitude for his ability to live a quality of life beyond expectations.
The following letter was written by Bruce Rollins to the TISCA coaches association shortly before Denny's passing:
To all of my friends who I have regaled with stories for years and/or know of Denny Shippey, my Iowa friend and swimming buddy for many years who was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease at the age of 54, please say a prayer or two for him and his family. Denny metaphorically is on his last lap with 3-10 days to live. He has been in and out of hospitals for the past 2 years and it appears that his body cannot fight for much longer all of the things that have taken over his bodily functions. His lovely wife Linda called me this morning and let me know that the doctors who have fought so hard to make Denny comfortable and to continue functioning have recommended hospice care. In a sense, this is merciful for Denny who has had to endure a lot.
Those of you who knew him will remember him as a great and humble swimmer, willing to swim whatever we asked of him on relays, despite the fact that in 2007 and 2008 he was ranked as the 4th and 5th fastest 50 Meter Long Course breaststroker in the world by FINA in his age group. He honestly just loved swimming with all of us at meets and looked forward to them. Others will remember him as a great high school swim coach who was honored by the Texas Interscholastic Swim Coaches Association with their highest coaching award. As late as last summer, he was selected to the Texas Senior Games Hall of Fame, the first single sport swimmer ever selected. Finally, others will just remember him as Bruce's friend who was virtually inseparable from me at swim meets over the past 10 years. It has been one heck of an experience for all of us who knew him and supported him with kindness.
May God bless all of you and look after Denny and his family as he gets ready for his next event. I will let you know when he leaves the blocks.
Keep smiling and pass this on to others who knew Denny (and I regretfully do not have their e-mail addresses).
Bruce
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