Posted: Oct 11, 2009 11:48 PM
Updated: Oct 11, 2009 11:48 PM
Hundreds attended a memorial service today in Oro Valley to celebrate the life of a Tucson man who died from the H1N1 flu.
Cory Carrier, 21, was a student at Pima Community College. He raised money for the Muscular Dystrophy Association. And he was a master at social networking who had Internet friends from around the world.
His mother Jamie Holt says she feared the H1N1 flu from the first time she heard about it because her wheelchair-bound son already was so sick with muscular dystrophy.
Holt says, "With people like Cory who do have compromised lungs, just the regular flu can be devastating."
But this memorial wasn't about how Cory died. It was about how he lived.
His mother remembered, "Cory's life was a fun life. He lived life to the fullest."
His aunt Kathy Spurgeon remembered he never wasted time complaining or worrying. She says, "He taught us to be aware that our days are numbered and to make the most of our time."
Tim Sessanna never met Cory in person, just online. But he was so inspired by his friend, Sessanna came from Pennsylvania to say goodbye.
Sessanna says, "I talked to him every day for years. And it meant so much to me. He was one of the only people I talked to on a daily basis that could consistently make me laugh out loud."
Friends and family say Cory showed others it's not how many years you live that's important. What's important is how you live your years.
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