Preston Grant holds tight to many memories of the teammate he’d grow to call a brother.
His laugh. His unique sense of humour. His spirited play on the football field.
But above all else, Adam Malki is remembered for a giving spirit that knew no bounds.
“Adam showed us all how easy it is to be kind,” said Grant of his 17-year-old best friend, taken in a car crash in rural Milton Saturday (Dec. 7). “Adam was so much more than the headline on a news article.”
Speaking on behalf of Adam’s close circle of friends – and with the blessing of his family – Grant shared how their friendship was forged on the Milton District High School gridiron, where a glimpse into his good nature and generosity was first witnessed.
But those virtues extended well beyond competition.
Said Grant, “There was nothing he wouldn’t do for those he cared about. But his kindness was not limited to just the people he loved, it was to everyone.”
Case in point was a Grade 9 student whom Adam encouraged to go to lunch and meet new people. Two years later, that same teen texted Grant this week to express her gratitude and appreciation for his buddy’s inherent kindness.
Noting that Adam lived by a ‘Family, Friends and Football’ creed, Grant and his friends have banded together in recent days to share both their grief and heartwarming stories.
Part of that healing process involved a quick, meaningful message to their lost friend related to hopes that will now, sadly, go unfulfilled. These – with permission given to share – read as follows:
One day, Brother, my children will call you ‘uncle’.
Love, Preston
One day, Brother, we’ll catch trout in Algonquin like we planned.
Love, Aidan
One day, Brother, we’ll run and hide from rogue fireworks again.
Love, Alastair
One day, Adam, we will sit around a campfire and listen to the country music that you loved.
Love, Laura
One day, Adam, we will see Zach Bryan on our road trip to South Carolina.
Love, Lily
One day, Adam, I will teach you how to snowboard like I promised.
Love, Evi
One day, Pumpkin, we will use our full names to say ‘I love you’ again.
Love, Calli
Grant stressed that Adam exemplified the time-honoured belief that a football team is a brotherhood, and carried that spirit once the helmet and pads came off.
“From now until the end of the world, we and it shall be remembered, we few, we lucky few, we Band of Brothers, for he who sheds his blood with me shall be my brother.
“Adam lived these words. Adam is these words. To me, he wasn’t just a best friend, he was a brother. He is a brother. He will always be my brother.”