He wrote every day…essays, pithy quotes, novels, ads for products he liked, and sweet notes that he scattered around the house for me to find. Phil was a published author, his guidebook for presenters based on his experience in advertising, Never Let ‘Em See You Sweat, and the memoir, Damage Control, about his experience as a traumatic brain injury survivor.

Sports were part of his DNA. He loved martial arts, triathlons, water sports of all kinds, and always the gym. The Saturday before he died when he was feeling particularly bad, we went to the gym. Why? Because the gym always made him feel better.

His willpower was legendary. On a beautiful morning in 1993, Phil was hit by a drunk driver in a pickup truck as he was riding his motorcycle to the gym. He suffered massive injuries, numerous broken bones, organ damage, and extensive brain damage. After long, nightmarish months in hospitals, we went home to really start Phil’s rehabilitation.

Over the decades that followed, through sheer mental toughness and endless determination, Phil worked to regain his body and his mind. Though he never fully recovered, he continued to strive until he died. He loved a good book, a great workout at the gym, a run, and a glass of wine with good friends.

Phil is the person who inspired me to keep going in the face of the insurmountable, to push into new realms, to never give up. Ever.

Phil’s legacy is to support, through his Charitable Fund, other heroes who strive every day to reclaim their lives after traumatic brain injury. All of those out there who never give up. Ever.