Dino Ghilotti graduated from the University of Miami on Friday May 10th, 2013 and in the early hours of Sunday morning – Mother’s Day, May 12th – he was gone.
In the the three months since Dino’s untimely, unthinkable passing, the Ghilotti family has kept the memory alive in a way that is almost impossible to fathom.
The public outpouring. The heartfelt tributes. The customized hats. The sticker assaults that have taken over the Lake Tahoe area and other sections of Northern and Southern California.
It’s the kind of scenario that plays out in a movie, but rarely translates to real life.
Amongst the pain of losing this beloved young man, it’s been a show of love and life celebrated in a way rarely seen.
That doesn’t mean the gut-wrenching loss and hurt doesn’t exist, but this has proven to be a group of people – friends and family – who are abundantly full of life and were touched by a young man, who “only had twenty-two turns around the sun”, but made an indelible mark and seemed to change everyone who knew him.
The Ghilotti family has set up the “Canes Care For Canes” in Dino’s honor and this is truly a cause for the U Family to get behind. Any of you who can donate, please do.
I’ve ‘befriended’ the Ghilotti family members via social media over the past few months and have seen the most incredible, heartwarming and beautiful images and words in my news feed. It’s been very surreal and consuming.
The grace in which this family is handling this dynamic is superhuman and inspiring – but on top of that, the love that these special people have for the University of Miami, the administration, the student body, the city itself, the sports franchises and the reverence in which they view the time their son, brother and friend spent in Coral Gables — I only wish all Canes fans could see what’ve I’ve seen from my little perch these past few months. They’re the real deal on every level.
These are truly beautiful people and though I never met Dino, seeing the reaction to him being taken too soon — we should all be so lucky to have made such a mark, touched so many and sparked such a mini-revolution. This was a very special human being and one of those burn out, not fade away moments. Dino packed more into two decades than most pack into a lifetime. It’s painfully obvious.
Spread the word about this scholarship, keep this young man’s memory alive, embrace the Ghilottis into The U Family and help make something good out of something too tragic for words.
Lastly, there is a desire to get the University of Miami to have a moment of silence or something special to honor Dino at one of the seven home games at Sun Life Stadium this upcoming season.
I heard from a few friends of Dino’s via Twitter soon after he passed, but the conversation never went any further.
Those who knew Dino and are on a mission to get a pre-game tribute or moment of silence on the books this upcoming season, please reach out to me – and for those Canes who have pull, connection or know anyone who could help make this happen, let’s find a way.
Dino loved his Canes and both his family and friends would love nothing more than his life to be acknowledged during a game this upcoming season. Let’s create a little groundswell amongst our little U community here and see if we can shake things up.
Hope you’re smiling down, Dino. You have an army that’s working tirelessly to make sure your legacy isn’t forgotten.
#IStandWithTheU
#LivDinoStrong