https://fbcdn-sphotos-a-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/t1.0-9/9032_149525993208_2344404_n.jpg
He is the guy on the bottom left.
My brother was 14 years older than me. He lived in Rotterdam, working for IBM, and later for AT&T. His parents are divorced - my father now lives with me and mother in Brazil. M big bro didn’t grow up so much with me. He was busy working in Holland. on 2009 I went to Rotterdam, Netherlands to study at TU/e. It was quite an experience, and a great chance to bond with him. We saw eachother a few times - a memory I have from him is waiting for him at the airport. He gave me a copy of Roller Coaster Tycoon that I still have somewhere. I still build parks the way he taught me - adding a yellow/white Merry-go-round a few blocks away from the entrance, and add 3 queue lines. I still build them like that. We also played piano together a few times. Later, when I went there for my studies we started to hang out. Go to indie concerts (which helped me to mold my musical taste) , drink a few beers, listen to some great music (that I still LOVE!) and after that go have a huge plate of Kapsalon - traditional Dutch meal consisting of a base of lettuce, french fries, shawarma, garlic sauce and cheese. This is the perfect cure for hangovers. We also liked to cook together, play some games and nerd about computers, interwebs and watch Top Gear. We were more friends than brothers, maybe because we lived so far away. It was always nice to see him.
Ten years ago his first son was born. Thomas. I was really really happy. His first word was in theory “oom” - Uncle in Dutch. It could also be baby gibberish… who knows! Anyway. Few years ago came Yort, his second son. I renember pushing Thomas at top speed on the sidewalk. We had fun.
in 2009 I went to Eindhoven, as I mentioned. We started to hang out. Cook together, go to the concerts, go to the movies and have a few beers. It was cool. We discussed everything. I finished GTA Vice City on his computer. And helped him with furniture, one day. He was, in fact, one of my only friends in Europe. I had two amazing room mates, but… family is family. One day we went to a concert, had a few too many beers and we tried to ride a bike drunk. It was… interesting.
One day bad news came. He was diagnosed with Glioblastoma. It all started with headaches. Went to the doctor and found it. It was about the size of a marble. Week later it became a golf ball. I went to the hospital to visit him with my dad. The train we caught to go to Rotterdam had to stop mid way. We had lunch, as we were starving and took a train to Rotterdam. We went to the hospital and couldn’t see him. He was going through a biopsies. Later that day he went home. The tumour was bigger. It doubled in size in less than one week. He came home on a hospital bed.
We visited him often. I wanted to do a video for him on an assignment at uni, but it got a bit too emotional for me, as I was already depressed on those days, even before the tumour. Brother went every day to the sidewalk on his wheelchair. He even could play some facebook games, which I recon I could have played more. He slurped his beer with a straw. Old habits are hard to break!
On may 14th, at 6 am he passed away at the age of 40. Surrounded by wife, dad, sons and cat. He didn’t suffer.
Michiel Scheepstra was one of my best friends. He taught me a lot about IT. He made me become a geek. He sowed me soem amazingly great bands. Thank you, big bro. You rock.
Thank you guys, really… I am happy.