Two weeks ago, the College of Charleston experienced tragic loss with the death of student, Chadwick Oliver Cooke. Cooke was a junior at the College of Charleston from right outside Chicago in Illinois. He was in the business school and had hopes and dreams for an incredible career, just like the rest of us. 

Cooke was a basketball player, philanthropist, an incredible boyfriend to the sweet and wonderful, Emily Hoisington, respectable, and persistent. Not only was he a keystone to our community, he was a life changer. 

When I learned on Christmas Eve about Chad's death, I almost thought it was a joke. The people writing on his wall about how they miss him were just playing some sort of sick practical joke, right? People my age don't die this early, they don't have seizures -- that's reserved for the old and frail. Or so I thought. It almost seemed unreal. Normal people don't just fool around about these kind of things. That's when the shock slid into harsh reality.

Of course, I have known of people in passing, from high school, who died in car accidents or by suicide, but I only vaguely knew them. This was the first instance where death personally touched me. Chad Cooke was brilliant, a magnificent human being who had so much going for him. We all thought he and Emily would be the first of all our friends to get married. 

I didn't know how to sort through all these emotions on Christmas Eve. I can't imagine the pain his family, his siblings, and his girlfriend are going through right now. I hope they know they have an army of people praying for them.

I met Cooke when he started dating Emily, freshman year of college, at a Superbowl party. I sat him down and grilled him with questions, making sure he was good enough for my friend, attempting to intimidate him. His responses were witty and clever, and he played along with complete graciousness. When I asked him what he wanted to be when he grew up he said, "A really good dad." That's when I knew he was a quality guy. He started becoming involved in Seacoast Church's college age ministry called, The Well, and morphed into the man God designed him to be. He did not give up on people and consistently showed love to those who needed it. I know he is up in heaven right now, shooting lay ups with angels.

Paige Bippus, a good friend of Cooke's, described him as, "the type of guy that lit up the room with laughter and joy, no matter what he was doing or who he was with. Everyone who spoke about him called his contagious joy and laughter, 'the Chad Effect' and I have no doubt the Chad Effect will continue to affect the lives of those around him, as it did when he was alive." 

The Chad Effect does live on. His passing was tragic, and a reminder that life is short and you cannot take anything for granted. I have been inspired to laugh louder, love deeper, and live more fully because of him. I am proud to have known him as my brother in Christ, and I am confident that I will see him again in heaven one day.

A celebration of Chadwick Oliver Cooke's life is occurring in Charleston on Monday, January 12 at 6 p.m. at Sotille Theatre. Everyone is welcome as we celebrate the life and legacy he left at the College.

Rest easy, Chad.