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A Friend with Cancer and a Cubs legend.
Submitted by: Ron Wexler
Chicago, IlI am a married Father of 3, a Real Estate agent in the Chicago area. My life is full of miracles, and amazing people.
I finally received my anxiously awaited copy of “The Secret”. I had to wait to watch it as I was on my way to a “party before I die” gathering at a family friends home. Ron was one of those amazing people who never met a stranger. He was a gentle giant of a man who always had a big smile and something nice to say. Ron had been valiently fighting a form of cancer that was supposed to take his life several years earlier and was finally past the point where medication could keep it at bay. At the gathering I watched 300-400 friends, family and well wishers meet with Ron and say goodbye. I was particullary drawn to one conversation he had where he was outlining the Greatest Chicago only All-star Baseball team ever by position played. When he got to the position of Catcher he said…”the greatest catcher of all time…Randy Hundley” I heard him argue with the person about Randy versus Carlton Fisk and finally the other person gave in. When I left I went home and watched “The Secret” for the first time. A few days later I woke up at 3 a.m. and was thinking about Ron and Randy Hundley. I actually met Randy at his Chicago Cubs Fantasy Baseball camp and thought I could give Ron one of the pictures Randy autographed to me….It says “To Ron” then I thought I bet if I “just asked” him Randy would mail Ron a picture, call him on the phone or something like that. So I got up about 5 a.m found a phone number for Randys office and left a message. I left him my number, Ron’s information including name address and phone number and thanked him for his consideration. Then I let the universe do its part. Around 10 a.m. I got a call in the office it was Randy’s assistant Lorri, she named a suburb and asked if it was near the town Ron lived in, I said its the next town over and about 3 minutes away. She said “Randy lives way up north and is never on the South Side however he had a situation today that caused him to be in that area for the first time ever. Randy wanted to know if he could stop by and visit Ron in person. Randy met me for lunch (he’s one of my favorite players of all time too!) and then we went to visit Ron. I walked in and said “Ron I was telling a friend of mine about you and he wanted to meet you, Ron say hi to Randy Hundley” and without one moments hesitation Ron said “Randy Hundley the greatest catcher in the history of baseball” . We hung out with Ron and his wife Marilyn for 3 hours! We took pictures and we mostly just watched and listened as the two of them just talked and talked. Then when I drove Randy back to his car we stopped and a friend printed out a great picture I took of the two of them for me. Randy autographed it to Ron. I framed it and dropped it off to Ron the next day. Ron called me a few weeks later to tell me Randy had called to check up on him and see how he was doing. Ron had that picture next to his bed until he passed away a few months later. Sometimes all we have to do is “ask” and the universe will take care of the rest.