Remembering Cody Dennis

We were saddened Monday to learn the news of Cody Dennis’ passing. He was 14 and a freshman at Houston High School when he died Oct. 10 in Washington after a long battle against bone cancer.

It’s never easy — nor should it be — to write about the death of a person, especially a child. But Cody’s death hit us especially hard.

As adults, there’s a certain order we hope the universe follows; parents aren’t supposed to bury their children.

But sadly, sometimes that is the order of things.

We first learned of the Dennis family around graduation time this May. We heard then that Houston Middle School had placed a Skype call to the family during the eighth-grade promotion ceremony so Cody could share in the experience.

We crossed paths with the family again in June when Cody’s Houston classmates organized a car wash fundraiser for his family. Their efforts — combined with Houston basketball coach Dave Porter’s — raised about $3,000 to help the Dennis family keep their home.

And that effort sparked an industrial-sized fundraiser organized by the owners of Northern Industrial Training, who know Cody’s dad Brian Dennis from his days selling heavy equipment for NC Machinery. The July 9 fundraiser generated more than $20,000 for the family.

Cody’s fight brought us together as a community. It gave us a chance to display what’s best about living in the Mat-Su Valley: We take care of each other.

The Dennis family tried several different types of chemo, two experimental treatments and even naturopathic care. But still the bone cancer marched on, spreading from his bones to the tissue in his lungs.

None of it was enough to keep Cody here with us.

Ever a Hawk, mom Misty said her son fought hard until the final buzzer.

“His body was working really hard to keep breathing,” she said. “It was hard to watch. It just seemed like he wouldn’t let go. That he wanted to stay for us.”

We can’t imagine the pain of burying a child. We can’t fathom the strength required to continue living.

But we are confident that the same care and concern our community showed the Dennis family during his illness will continue during this time of grieving.

Cody’s life serves as a light that illuminates life’s truly important parts — love, family and community.

Hug your kids. Spend time with them. Make sure the kids in your life know they are the most important thing. Tell all the people in your life they matter and why.

Remember Cody.