Thursday, December 14, 2006

Celebrating The Life Of A Man I Was Proud To Call A Colleague


Originally posted (below) on December 14, 2006 it has now been 10 years since our colleague Dr. Timpf was murdered. I've watched his family pick up the pieces and continue to move forward as best they can. I still can't wait until the day that the murderer (still unsolved) is convicted, sentenced & put to death!  

Over the years, the Dr. Brad Timpf Sports Chiropractor of the Year Award continues to be bestowed on the top sports chiropractors here in Florida. In our profession, his name lives on, especially among the niche of chiropractic sports medicine. As promised many years ago, your his name and his memory will continue to live on.. 

Below I've reposted the original blog post after Dr. Timpf's murder. 

Miss you buddy!

Dr. Narson

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Dr. Brad Timpf was a well respected colleague in the community of Chiropractic Sports Physicians here in Florida. Today, we laid Brad to rest. Only 32 years young when he was shot because someone wanted his car, his parking spot, his wallet or whatever. I'm still in shock.


I met Dr. Timpf about a year before he graduated Life Chiropractic College. He was referred to my office by a mentor of mine because Brad wanted to see how a "sports chiropractor" practiced. At 6'10", Brad was hard to miss when he entered my SoBe office. We spent a few hours together talking while he watched me treat patients. We traded email addresses and I gave him some suggestions on techniques to learn, books to read and he went back to school. We would email each other once in a while just to say "hey" and keep in touch.


After his receiving his doctorate, I would hear from Brad intermittently over the years. I would see him at professional conventions and at a mutual friends parties. Most recently we got a chance to see each other and chat at that friends wedding. What a beautiful day that was. It was one of those incredible days when people all say: "this is why we moved to Florida". I remember, my wife chatted with his girlfriend about many things, including how she and Brad first met. Brad and I would go out of view at these events and adjust one another (it's a chiropractic thing...) because after a long day at the office, nothing is better than a good adjustment to loosen you up and relieve your aches and pains. It was at one of these parties that Brad and I found out we attended the same high school, although I graduated about 11 years prior. We had both grown to have a healthy respect for one another. He had become a physician I was very proud to call a colleague.


Over the last several years, Brad had become extremely involved in the Florida Chiropractic Associations Council on Sports Injuries, Physical Fitness & Rehabilitation. This organization and its members are dedicated to advancing their education & training in the science of sports medicine and dedicate their time toward treating athletes and helping them perform at the top of their game. Brad spend much of his spare time treating local athletes at various sporting events and representing the FCA Sports Council. He was definately making a great name for himself amongst his colleagues.
Well, it was in 1999 when the Sports Council began to give an award to the doctor who in the "eyes" of the sports council and its board of directors, gave the most of him or herself on behalf of the chiropractic sports community. Someone who stood out among the best of the best. The award has been given to only 7 doctors. Yours truly being one of them. As such, I felt it was my responsibility as a friend and as a colleague of Dr. Timpf to put before the current board of directors, a motion to re-name the Chiropractic Sports Physician of the Year award, to the Dr. Bradley Timpf Chiropractic Sports Physician of the Year Award. Along with some help and overwhelming support from my friends Dr. Val Gambina, Dr. Mike Mathesie & Dr. Tom Hyde, the charge was then taken up by the current sports council president, Dr. Joanne Fava who personally called each board member herself to expedite the process. Joanne, you go girl !


In a (very) late night vote last night, the motion easily passed. Dr. Fava called me with the news this morning. Brad my friend, your passion for our profession, your passion for athletes and sports competition, your genuine kind heartedness, your incredible demeanor & spirit will live on forever as the Florida Chiropractic Association's Council on Sports Injuries, Physical Fitness & Rehabilitation officially renamed the award to honor and memorialize you and when given out to a deserving colleague from now on and into the future, the award will now be know as the:

FCA Council on Sports Injuries, Physical Fitness & Rehabilitation
Dr. Bradley Timpf
Chiropractic Sports Physician of the Year Award


In addition to renaming the award, the board also voted him as the recipeint of the award for 2006.
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Brad, we'll miss you. Your patients, your family, your friends, your community and your profession will miss you. But your memory and spirit will live on when we give this award to a fellow professional who embodied what your colleagues have come to know you as; The Best of The Best.

Rest in peace my friend.
Todd M. Narson, DC, CCSP

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Dear Dr. Nelson,
I was forwarded the link to your blog by a beloved family member of Brad Timpf. I was a patient of Dr. Brad for about 2 ½ years. I, much like you, was honored to know him.

I could not help but comment on your humble words. First I would like to say thank you for taking the time to write such wonderful things about Brad and sharing your past experiences, journeys and memories of him. Normally I probably would not have commented on the blog, but I just wanted to let you know that it was another reminder to Brad’s family of how much he was appreciated and loved by so many.

Only speaking for myself, but knowing that many agree, I got the chills when I read your statement about dedicating a well respected award to Dr. Brad:

(“Brad my friend, your passion for our profession, your passion for athletes and sports competition, your genuine kind heartedness, your incredible demeanor & spirit will live on forever as the Florida Chiropractic Association's Council on Sports Injuries, Physical Fitness & Rehabilitation officially renamed the award to honor and memorialize you and when given out to a deserving colleague from now on and into the future, the award will now be know as the:

FCA Council on Sports Injuries, Physical Fitness & Rehabilitation
Dr. Bradley Timpf
Chiropractic Sports Physician of the Year Award”)

Renaming the award after Dr. Brad and the board voting him as the recipient of the award for 2006 is an exciting honor that will continue to live on his name and everything that he loved, especially his passion for healing people. Thanks to all that made that possible.

With the help of Brad’s family, coworkers and even strangers, I organized a fundraiser in Brad’s memory by purchasing memory bracelets which say, In Loving Memory of Dr. Brad Timpf (with a basketball logo) #50. These memory bracelets are in the colors orange, green and white; colors of the University of Miami, his Alma Mater.

So far, together we have sold over 475 bracelets since the end of January 2007 and we are continuing to do so. There has been overwhelming support and enthusiasm in this fundraiser. All of the proceeds are going to the Broward Education Foundation, which in turn will present a college scholarship to a graduating high school senior from J.P.Taravella High School (Brad’s former high school). The scholarship will be formally presented to the chosen student in May at the awards night at the high school.

If you want to purchase any bracelets, you may email me at memorybands@yahoo.com and I can give you more details.

Again, thank you for announcing the renaming of the Chiropractic Sports Physician of the Year award and the mentioning of his receiving the award for 2006. I know that everyone who was lucky enough to know Brad truly appreciates the honor that you and the board have remembered him by.

Anonymous said...

Dear Dr. Narson, Dr. Fava, board members and members at large:

I recently was informed about the honor you had bestowed on Dr. Brad Timpf. It is amazing on how many people he touched and how memorable those greetings and interactions were for everybody!

He had that great ability to be a true gentle giant with patients, family, friends, and teammates. He was also very competitive and would always want to be a winner. On the basketball court he worked hard to meet the challenges required of a scholar-athlete both physically and mentally.

Brad had chosen the perfect career for himself.
Chiropractic and Sports Medicine was a perfect fit. The more he learn the more he wanted to help people and especially the young kids that entered his office. There's no telling how much Brad could have achieved with such a great outlook on life and healing.

It is great that you honored Dr. Brad for his Sports Medicine efforts and for renaming your yearly Chiropractic Sports Physician of the Year Award.

Thank you for your consideration.

I know my son would have been excited and honored upon receiving this tribute.

Sincerely,

Con Timpf

Anonymous said...

i miss brad. its great you keep his spirt alive for us! thanks a bunch!