Like yours truly, David Andrew Maddan was the youngest of his siblings. Unlike same, he was an incredibly good swimmer, serving eventually as captain for the UC-Santa Barbara Gauchos swim team. At some point in this swimming tenure, someone gave him the Milnean nickname “Pooh.”
In 2005 doctors found cancer in Pooh’s bones. They diagnosed him with osteosarcoma. In the coming year he lost most of his right leg and all of his right kneecap. Then he lost parts of his lungs. Another year passed and doctors diagnosed him with leukemia. He began another round of radiation and chemotherapy, with minimal results. He died in October 2008 at the age of 28.
Pooh’s parents, Jack and Anna, have started a foundation in their son’s name, to assist in the medical treatments of other young cancer patients. Maybe you know someone in this situation, or maybe you’d like to help. You can read more about the David Andrew “Pooh” Maddan Foundation here.
“Pooh”?