To the memory of Michael Edge (08.08.1981 - 21.12.2007)

GetALife

Dear friends. I'd like to tell you something and I'd like to ask you for something. Thanks in advance to anyone reading and responding...

This thread is dedicated to the memory of Michael Edge and therefore it is dedicated to his family.


Mike and me met in September 2006 in Oldenburg, Lower-Saxony, (north-western) Germany at the Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg, where I was studying special needs education.

Mike was raised in Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA and finished his bachelor's degree at the University of Chattanooga in summer 2006. He visited Germany for starting his master's degree in the studies of renewable energies. We met on his first day in Germany and soon became friends. We really had a great time, sometimes together with other people from his class - a multinational party time - He was a very powerful, joyful person, very open to all people he met but still very shy concerning his own ego. He was very into renewable energies and ecology, for him it was not just a profession to learn, it was like a mission for him to work as hard as he can to educate himself and other people in this topic, fight global warming, etc. and the policies behind it. In the States he was very involved in Earth's First-activities. But still he wasn't a man with a mission to talk about every time and force other people to talk and think about it. It was his personality that made a convincing impression, convincing concerning his opions AND his authentic, hopeful and strong personality. He lived for what he stood. He had a good sense of humor, we laughed a lot and I enjoyed being able to practise my english with him and teach him a little German.

Mike left Germany in Februar 2007 for Athens, Greece, beginning his specialization in wind energy - in Germany he told me about his intended future work, building offshore-windparks. We kept contact by emailing - not that intense as the contact we had here - emailing can't replace that...but every contact was as warm and humorous as we experienced it before. Mike was also a good friend to talk about serious things and since I had a hard time during spring and summer last year, his words were a great help and encouragement.

In August Mike wrote an email to all of his friends. After he went to Dublin, Ireland for finishing his master thesis there, he'd been diagnosed suffering from terminal malignant cancer. The doctor told him that he'd have 1,5 to 2 years left to live.

...

After returning to Chattanooga Mike received 5 chemo-treatments in the following months. What he suffered most from, as he told me, was, that he couldn't eat properly. I remember him being enthusiastic about some food we ate together here - just simple things like whole-grain-rolls and gouda and 100% apple juice - but he LOVED it (he said it was way cheaper and better than home).

I talked to him a few times on the phone, but always very shortly because he wasn't in the state to chat that long - concerning concentration and sickness. The last time I could call him up was November last year when he was in hospital, but 'quarantined' for his own protection so after that I couldn't reach him. I had a very good contact to his older brother who told me in the midth of December that the doctors sent him home after five cheno-treatments didn't succeed - the cancer had grown and the necessary radioation was supposed to kill him.

His brother told me about alternative treatments his family was planning to look after. A small plant of hope...but I felt very helpless being so far away...

...

On December 21st 2007 I made a little recording session for Pearl Jam fans
I got to know in the internet - a 'Thank you' to people who helped me
extraordinarily with collecting live recordings and rarities...
In the txt-file that describes the sessions I wrote the line "This session
is dedicated to Michael Edge" ... I didn't write "to the memory of",
because I supposed him to be still alive. I felt so sad and helpless about
him that I wanted to let other people know his name and the dedication.

The strange thing is, that when I recorded these songs, he'd passed away
just a few hours before...


Michael Edge died on December 21, 2007 in the early hours of morning at his home in Chattanooga, TN.


I learned about his death on January 6th when after the holidays were rushing by and I actually was afraid calling up his familiy (as if I felt what I will be told), I finally took the courage to call Mike's mum. We had a good, long an warm talk and she really appreciates this musical dedication. That encouraged me to do what I can and what I do here now.

...

Mike wasn't into Pearl Jam as a fan - he really liked the "Do the
evolution"-video and the Anti-Bush impact of the appearances of the band
in the last years. A very clear memory is that I played him one song I
recorded for this session once - "Inside job"...and he seemed to like it
... that's what I had to think about when I recorded it. The song meant a
lot me and I really appreciated how patiently he listened to it.

Since it's for him I will share the music and the dedication with all of you folks. You can get the music here:


rapidshare.com/files/78226209/C._F._-_Pearl_Jam_for_friends__mp3_.rar.html
(mp3)

rapidshare.com/files/78222964/C._F._-__Pearl_Jam_for_friends__m4a_.rar.html
(m4a)


On February 1st there will be an open stage in the University of Oldenburg,
which is regularly organized by music students. I play there every time I can.
There I will honor Mike and dedicate "Long Road" to him. I'll try to make a
recording of that.

It's not a big thing - it's the best I can do from my side...I truly dedicate this to him because I felt I had to do it, spread his name and honor a true friend. Maybe the response will strengthen his family and friends. Spread the word about Michael Edge!

Any word of condolence, any posting of a song, any thought you want to share concerning your own experiences with the passing away of your loved-ones will help his family and his friends and will be grateful appreciated. This thread will be a present of hope to the familiy and friends of Michael Edge.


THANK YOU.

GetALife

...I can't solve one problem with the links, typing it new and copy+paste won't do it ... in "rar" of the mp3-link there is a space ("r ar") which leads to an invalid URL...just delete the space and you'll get it.

InHiding19

Sorry to hear that....hang in there

meme

Thanks for sharing your story with us.
I can't figure out rapidshare, but it is very moving that you made this choice to honor him. A good friend of mine lost her teenage son a few years ago. I know that being surrounded by his friends constantly was what ultimately pulled her through, so I recommend you keep in touch with Mike's family.

Also, I will devote a "green day", a day filled with little acts aimed at the conservation of energy and resources, to his memory

i like matt.c

I am sorry for your loss. I will play a song to honour your friend.

tie-dye lady

Sorry for your loss. That happened so fast. It's amazing how we can create a connection with someone while spending such a seemingly small amount of time. He touched your heart and that is an amazing gift.

My dad passed away a year and half ago.
What kept me going through the whole thing - late night phone call, rush out to be with him, four days in the hospital, pulling the plug - was to find beauty and peace in everything and everyone. I opened my heart to making the situation into a beautiful possbility and I received so many gifts, spiritualy. Gathering with my family who I haven't seen in years to discuss his fate, our own beliefs, really getting to feel their hearts...it was amazing. After he died we visited this beautiful rose garden decorated with plaques of poems about peace and serenity and nature writen by local school kids. Here's a picture of one of the roses that we saw that day.

http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d166/tie-dyelady383/100_4718.jpg

Songs...
Release
Long Road
Given to Fly

Peace and joy to you!
Keep your friend in your heart...

mdigenakis

http://youtube.com/watch?v=faIBaoc5DYg


http://youtube.com/watch?v=H4oDUPdhWGg

http://youtube.com/watch?v=lxewzqqeI_A

http://youtube.com/watch?v=6S1Rh0MQSdA

God bless.

GetALife

A big warm THANK YOU to all of you who responded so far! This thread became precious already with the first reply...

I just have an idea for some lines...Mike really liked riding bike...since he experienced a not very supportive environment for bike-riders at home, he was very delighted about the mass of bike-ways and bike-riders here in Oldenburg...



My "Untitled"

Got a bike - it'd be a gas
when we got outta here, got outta here - but not too fast.
Everyone's way too fast - they're all stuck in their roads,
I wanna ride, but I don't want to ride alone

Mike, I hope you get this message
'though you're not home...
...I could be there in a light-second or so.
We would have to pack no things,
we got it all, as long as we move on...
...when I have to leave, I don't want to leave alone...

...I'm alone...
...you're alone...

...we are not...
...we are not...
...will be not...alone.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r3N1_MVkJz4

pearljamgirl07

GetALife wrote:

Dear friends. I'd like to tell you something and I'd like to ask you for something. Thanks in advance to anyone reading and responding...

This thread is dedicated to the memory of Michael Edge and therefore it is dedicated to his family.


Mike and me met in September 2006 in Oldenburg, Lower-Saxony, (north-western) Germany at the Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg, where I was studying special needs education.

Mike was raised in Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA and finished his bachelor's degree at the University of Chattanooga in summer 2006. He visited Germany for starting his master's degree in the studies of renewable energies. We met on his first day in Germany and soon became friends. We really had a great time, sometimes together with other people from his class - a multinational party time - He was a very powerful, joyful person, very open to all people he met but still very shy concerning his own ego. He was very into renewable energies and ecology, for him it was not just a profession to learn, it was like a mission for him to work as hard as he can to educate himself and other people in this topic, fight global warming, etc. and the policies behind it. In the States he was very involved in Earth's First-activities. But still he wasn't a man with a mission to talk about every time and force other people to talk and think about it. It was his personality that made a convincing impression, convincing concerning his opions AND his authentic, hopeful and strong personality. He lived for what he stood. He had a good sense of humor, we laughed a lot and I enjoyed being able to practise my english with him and teach him a little German.

Mike left Germany in Februar 2007 for Athens, Greece, beginning his specialization in wind energy - in Germany he told me about his intended future work, building offshore-windparks. We kept contact by emailing - not that intense as the contact we had here - emailing can't replace that...but every contact was as warm and humorous as we experienced it before. Mike was also a good friend to talk about serious things and since I had a hard time during spring and summer last year, his words were a great help and encouragement.

In August Mike wrote an email to all of his friends. After he went to Dublin, Ireland for finishing his master thesis there, he'd been diagnosed suffering from terminal malignant cancer. The doctor told him that he'd have 1,5 to 2 years left to live.

...

After returning to Chattanooga Mike received 5 chemo-treatments in the following months. What he suffered most from, as he told me, was, that he couldn't eat properly. I remember him being enthusiastic about some food we ate together here - just simple things like whole-grain-rolls and gouda and 100% apple juice - but he LOVED it (he said it was way cheaper and better than home).

I talked to him a few times on the phone, but always very shortly because he wasn't in the state to chat that long - concerning concentration and sickness. The last time I could call him up was November last year when he was in hospital, but 'quarantined' for his own protection so after that I couldn't reach him. I had a very good contact to his older brother who told me in the midth of December that the doctors sent him home after five cheno-treatments didn't succeed - the cancer had grown and the necessary radioation was supposed to kill him.

His brother told me about alternative treatments his family was planning to look after. A small plant of hope...but I felt very helpless being so far away...

...

On December 21st 2007 I made a little recording session for Pearl Jam fans
I got to know in the internet - a 'Thank you' to people who helped me
extraordinarily with collecting live recordings and rarities...
In the txt-file that describes the sessions I wrote the line "This session
is dedicated to Michael Edge" ... I didn't write "to the memory of",
because I supposed him to be still alive. I felt so sad and helpless about
him that I wanted to let other people know his name and the dedication.

The strange thing is, that when I recorded these songs, he'd passed away
just a few hours before...


Michael Edge died on December 21, 2007 in the early hours of morning at his home in Chattanooga, TN.


I learned about his death on January 6th when after the holidays were rushing by and I actually was afraid calling up his familiy (as if I felt what I will be told), I finally took the courage to call Mike's mum. We had a good, long an warm talk and she really appreciates this musical dedication. That encouraged me to do what I can and what I do here now.

...

Mike wasn't into Pearl Jam as a fan - he really liked the "Do the
evolution"-video and the Anti-Bush impact of the appearances of the band
in the last years. A very clear memory is that I played him one song I
recorded for this session once - "Inside job"...and he seemed to like it
... that's what I had to think about when I recorded it. The song meant a
lot me and I really appreciated how patiently he listened to it.

Since it's for him I will share the music and the dedication with all of you folks. You can get the music here:


rapidshare.com/files/78226209/C._F._-_Pearl_Jam_for_friends__mp3_.rar.html
(mp3)

rapidshare.com/files/78222964/C._F._-__Pearl_Jam_for_friends__m4a_.rar.html
(m4a)


On February 1st there will be an open stage in the University of Oldenburg,
which is regularly organized by music students. I play there every time I can.
There I will honor Mike and dedicate "Long Road" to him. I'll try to make a
recording of that.

It's not a big thing - it's the best I can do from my side...I truly dedicate this to him because I felt I had to do it, spread his name and honor a true friend. Maybe the response will strengthen his family and friends. Spread the word about Michael Edge!

Any word of condolence, any posting of a song, any thought you want to share concerning your own experiences with the passing away of your loved-ones will help his family and his friends and will be grateful appreciated. This thread will be a present of hope to the familiy and friends of Michael Edge.


THANK YOU.

I'm sorry to hear that .It's a nice story,I hope you are ok kisses

GetALife

Hi there!

On February 6, I took part in a church concert of the protestant students community of my university in Oldenburg...they have a gospel choir, mainly singing south african gospels. I played "Inside job" for my friend Mike, wishing to get him to us with the song (referring to the story above here)... the program sheet said

"Inside job
T.+M.: Pearl Jam
Dedicated to the memory of Michael Edge (08.08.1981 - 21.12.2007)"

I know it's Mike McCready's song...nevermind...

Here's a recording of my performance ...

http://rapidshare.com/files/99544243/05_Pearl_Jam_-_Inside_Job__Christian_.wma