Walk 4 Rebecca
The Story Behind Walk 4 Rebecca
On Friday 22nd June 2012 my sister Rebecca, went to bed with hopes and dreams, excited for the future. Sadly, this was for the last time as she died in her sleep of an epileptic seizure. She was 28.
6 years on from that date I will be seeing the Foo Fighters play in London and I have set myself the task of asking the Foo Fighters to dedicate their song “Walk” to Rebecca during their set, as a fitting tribute on a poignant date to a wonderful girl.
We’d often listen to the Foo Fighters Album – Wasting Light during car journeys to her college. She wasn’t able to drive herself after her seizures returned, years after being free from them. I’d take her each week so we’d get to hang out and there was one song that was our favourite – Walk. I guess you could call it our song.
Rebecca loved it so much that when it came on, conversation was BANNED! All so she could rock out to the whole song, uninterrupted! This was typical of her, when it came to life, she was all in.
I still hear from people I have never met telling me what a wonderful free spirit she was and how she was admired and adored. For me, not only was she a sister and a friend but also the most influential person my life, shaping the very man I have become.
She played on pots and pans to my dad’s Queen videos so he bought her a real drum kit, setting it up in my room. I never had any interest in playing music until this point but my interest in drumming grew and I went on to drum full time. Through music I have made wonderful friends, shared incredible experiences and get to do something I love for a living. I attribute all this to her and I’m grateful everyday.
Terry Pratchett said something along the lines of no one ever truly dies until the ripples they created in life fade away.
Those ripples live on through me and others that she influenced and inspired and it is my mission to ensure they have as much impact on this Earth as possible.
Everyday, whether I am teaching a future drumming hopeful, drumming for fun or sharing moments onstage with my bandmates as we entertain a crowd, I know that the privilege of enjoying those moments is all thanks to her.
It inspires me to be my best in all I do so that I can impact people in the most positive way, knowing that so much of what I do comes from a spark that she created.
Through this campaign, I hope to achieve a few things:
In the run up it gives me a platform from which I can share the good work of the charity SUDEP Action who were there to support us and other bereaved families.
It enables me to promote their message that epilepsy can be better managed and that they are working to bring down the number of epilepsy deaths, at least 3 per day here in the UK.
Plus I get to share stories about my wonderful sister with a larger audience, keeping her memory alive.
Finally, if it happens, it would simply be an epic way for those that knew and loved her to hear Rebecca’s name said in a way that is befitting of the superstar she was.
If it is not too much trouble, please share the link and tags below on your social media for maximum exposure! Simply copy and paste the bottom line straight into a Facebook post or tweet.
For reading, sharing and being part of her legacy…Thank you so much!
Boyd x
https://youtu.be/Ym1ICtt1h6w #Walk4Rebecca #FooFighters