Not everyone in Marshall knows who Carter Joseph Boerboom was. I would guess many probably have never heard his name. Most likely have never met him. After all, he didn’t have a lot of time on this planet to make an impact large enough to affect an entire town.

Or did he?

Boerboom, who through his fight with cancer became an inspiration to so many in Marshall and the surrounding area, died Tuesday morning at the age of 14.

A student at Holy Redeemer in Marshall and, by all indications quite a sports nut, Boerboom battled Ewing’s Sarcoma, a rare bone cancer that mostly affects children and adolescents. He was diagnosed in December 2013.

Cancer and kids what a horrible combination.

But there was strength in numbers in Marshall. A large fraction of the community rallied passionately around Carter and his family in recent months – both at events in town, as well through social media. And even though he was “just a kid,” one look at his father’s Facebook page will show you just how many people he touched. While there are other things one would want on their Facebook page than an index of condolences, the outpouring of support on the morning of Carter’s death was touching and hopefully has brought some comfort to the family.

There’s no denying this kid’s impact.

Recent events in my life have changed the kind of person I am – for the better. I lost my brother in November at the age of 45. I knew it was too soon for him to go, and I bet the Boerboom family along with all of Carters’ friends – and he had tons of them – share that sentiment today. And, like me, I’m sure they’re thinking, “It’s not fair.”

And they’d be right, it’s not. It’s hard. As one Facebook post reads, “It sucks.” A rather elementary thought, but it’s so true.

But loss also can open our eyes and teach us to appreciate, really appreciate, what, and who, we have in our lives.

So to Carter’s family and friends, I give this advice: Be strong – Carter Strong – and be there for each other. You need each other.

Time will do its part in healing you to a point, but until the day comes when you are feeling good again, live in comfort knowing that Carter is in a better place where suffering just doesn’t exist. You were blessed to have this little man in your lives – the whole town was.

And don’t stop sharing stories. One of the things that got me through my brother’s death was the stories we shared about him and those we got from his buddies in the Twin Cities. I learned it’s OK to laugh.

Teenagers shouldn’t die, but when they do, we’re wrong if we choose to focus on all the life they had left to live and won’t get a chance to; we should focus on the life they did live and those great stories inspired by their acts.

These are just words in a newspaper, but I’d like to think that somewhere down the road they might help someone who knew Carter, even if it’s just a little bit.

I didn’t know Carter, but I know a lot of kids about his age, and as a parent I know what they mean to us. They bring joy to our lives with their goofy smiles and quirkiness, they give us reason to do what we do every day, they take us out of our comfort zone by opening our hearts and our minds to new and different things.

And, yes, when they’re taken from us, we realize they made an impact that will never go away.