i***@gmail.com
2016-10-04 15:01:57 UTC
At the age of 32, Tero Sand has succumbed to a mortal illness on
Tuesday, 30th April 1996, after a long string of exhausting but less
fatal illnesses. As one of the very few 'outsiders' to know him well
I feel I owe it to him to write some sort of memorabilia.
Without doubt, if there ever was a Go player be a special case, Tero
was it, even without considering his irrepressible nature and his
happy-go-merry nature. Tero had mixed fortunes from the very child.
At the age of 4, he was run over by a car in Israel, and was paralyzed
from the neck down for life. However, he was extremely strongly
supported by his parents and his brother, most especially by his
father, who spared no effort in giving him whatever normal life was
possible. Also, being a citizen of Finland, a country with high
standard of social security, he received whatever material support he
needed.
Since he was thereon quadriplegic and tied to a breathing apparatus,
he was never really able to move on his own, and was tied to hospital
bed. He did get an electric wheelchair, one that he was able to
control much the same way he used computers -- using a stick in his
mouth -- but his use of that became gradually less. I don't think he
in his later years, those that I knew him in, really remembered what
it was like to be able to do things physically. Nevertheless, Tero
was able to use his mouth, and using a stick to enter keys on keyboard
slightly modified and set on a cleverly engineered frame by his
father, he quite happily made his way in the electronic world.
When not yet a Go player, Tero took up the duty of secretary of the
Finnish Apple Users' Group, and quite happily acted much the glue that
held the community together. He later gave up the office, and pretty
much the contacts, but he never gave up his computer hobby -- his was
probably the only Apple // gs in Finland -- and up until a few weeks
before his demise he still had grand plans for his computer use.
But not only hobbies, Tero's education was taken good care of. Quite
a few years ago he made the matriculation exam, and thereon he would
have been eligible for university student had that been feasible in
other respects. He also took good care to subscribe several different
scientific and computer magazines, Byte and Scientific American for
decades, and Science in his later years.
Almost 15 years ago when I had barely started my Go career, Tero's
father contacted our club with the request that we play with Tero. Up
until then Tero had learned the rules, and quickly bested all the
opponents available. Infrequently at first, some players, including
myself, visited Tero and brought him the first contact with the way Go
is really played. Soon he became a person to never give up the game.
Gradually, Tero and I became friends, us playing Go, computer games,
and verbal games with ever increasing frequency. In retrospect, but
not regretfully, I find myself having spent much more time with Tero
than was good for my school, my work, and many other things...
nevertheless I find myself considering it well spent; we had fun and
achieved many things, most of which seem totally useless to me now.
Alas, in the recent year or two I have found myself too tied up at my
job...
I was ever stronger than him in Go. I was already around 8 kyu when I
first visited him, but he never let that disturb him. Eventually he
became one of the strongest kyu players in Finland: he made 2 kyu, an
incredible achievement considering his handicap. Many arrangements
were made for him. Several professional players were brought to him
during the years, and not infrequently he was included in the local
tournaments, and some of the strongest players in Europe without doubt
remember him. While of sound mind, his physical condition made the
tournaments extremely exhausting, and sorely tried his physical
stamina. In the last few years there were very few Go tournaments he
did not fall ill amidst, but still nobody wanted to refuse him the
chance to play -- and he probably didn't even seriously consider not
playing where possible.
About five years ago, when the Internet was not yet such a hot issue
it is today, Tero was granted access to the University of Helsinki
computers by arrangements made by the dean of the Faculty of Science.
There were no strings attached, and he was granted full use of the
Internet as a by-product. This opened to him a whole new world to
explore when there were no commercial providers yet, and he spent much
of the time thereafter connected.
Very soon after its establishing, Tero found the Internet Go Server,
and became one of the regulars almost overnight. Now it no longer
mattered that the others were too busy to visit him that often. He
also played several e-mail games. I suspect very few of those who
were in contact with Tero in the 'net were aware of his handicaps, and
no doubt many will be surprised to hear of it.
Notwithstanding all else, Tero will be best remembered by his
irrepressible mental activity and happiness. He never let things
bring him down, and he never gave up. In the end, his physical
inactivity was probably his worst enemy; after weeks of battling
multiple illnesses, including one that even normal people have dismal
prognosis with, Tero finally died.
Recquiescat in pace, Tero Sand.
--
Olli, 4 dan ! Blame me only for any opinions expressed.
X.400: /G=Olli/S=Lounela/O=helsinki/A=fumail/C=fi/
.sig still under construction ! Never you mind, I don't either
meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeTuesday, 30th April 1996, after a long string of exhausting but less
fatal illnesses. As one of the very few 'outsiders' to know him well
I feel I owe it to him to write some sort of memorabilia.
Without doubt, if there ever was a Go player be a special case, Tero
was it, even without considering his irrepressible nature and his
happy-go-merry nature. Tero had mixed fortunes from the very child.
At the age of 4, he was run over by a car in Israel, and was paralyzed
from the neck down for life. However, he was extremely strongly
supported by his parents and his brother, most especially by his
father, who spared no effort in giving him whatever normal life was
possible. Also, being a citizen of Finland, a country with high
standard of social security, he received whatever material support he
needed.
Since he was thereon quadriplegic and tied to a breathing apparatus,
he was never really able to move on his own, and was tied to hospital
bed. He did get an electric wheelchair, one that he was able to
control much the same way he used computers -- using a stick in his
mouth -- but his use of that became gradually less. I don't think he
in his later years, those that I knew him in, really remembered what
it was like to be able to do things physically. Nevertheless, Tero
was able to use his mouth, and using a stick to enter keys on keyboard
slightly modified and set on a cleverly engineered frame by his
father, he quite happily made his way in the electronic world.
When not yet a Go player, Tero took up the duty of secretary of the
Finnish Apple Users' Group, and quite happily acted much the glue that
held the community together. He later gave up the office, and pretty
much the contacts, but he never gave up his computer hobby -- his was
probably the only Apple // gs in Finland -- and up until a few weeks
before his demise he still had grand plans for his computer use.
But not only hobbies, Tero's education was taken good care of. Quite
a few years ago he made the matriculation exam, and thereon he would
have been eligible for university student had that been feasible in
other respects. He also took good care to subscribe several different
scientific and computer magazines, Byte and Scientific American for
decades, and Science in his later years.
Almost 15 years ago when I had barely started my Go career, Tero's
father contacted our club with the request that we play with Tero. Up
until then Tero had learned the rules, and quickly bested all the
opponents available. Infrequently at first, some players, including
myself, visited Tero and brought him the first contact with the way Go
is really played. Soon he became a person to never give up the game.
Gradually, Tero and I became friends, us playing Go, computer games,
and verbal games with ever increasing frequency. In retrospect, but
not regretfully, I find myself having spent much more time with Tero
than was good for my school, my work, and many other things...
nevertheless I find myself considering it well spent; we had fun and
achieved many things, most of which seem totally useless to me now.
Alas, in the recent year or two I have found myself too tied up at my
job...
I was ever stronger than him in Go. I was already around 8 kyu when I
first visited him, but he never let that disturb him. Eventually he
became one of the strongest kyu players in Finland: he made 2 kyu, an
incredible achievement considering his handicap. Many arrangements
were made for him. Several professional players were brought to him
during the years, and not infrequently he was included in the local
tournaments, and some of the strongest players in Europe without doubt
remember him. While of sound mind, his physical condition made the
tournaments extremely exhausting, and sorely tried his physical
stamina. In the last few years there were very few Go tournaments he
did not fall ill amidst, but still nobody wanted to refuse him the
chance to play -- and he probably didn't even seriously consider not
playing where possible.
About five years ago, when the Internet was not yet such a hot issue
it is today, Tero was granted access to the University of Helsinki
computers by arrangements made by the dean of the Faculty of Science.
There were no strings attached, and he was granted full use of the
Internet as a by-product. This opened to him a whole new world to
explore when there were no commercial providers yet, and he spent much
of the time thereafter connected.
Very soon after its establishing, Tero found the Internet Go Server,
and became one of the regulars almost overnight. Now it no longer
mattered that the others were too busy to visit him that often. He
also played several e-mail games. I suspect very few of those who
were in contact with Tero in the 'net were aware of his handicaps, and
no doubt many will be surprised to hear of it.
Notwithstanding all else, Tero will be best remembered by his
irrepressible mental activity and happiness. He never let things
bring him down, and he never gave up. In the end, his physical
inactivity was probably his worst enemy; after weeks of battling
multiple illnesses, including one that even normal people have dismal
prognosis with, Tero finally died.
Recquiescat in pace, Tero Sand.
--
Olli, 4 dan ! Blame me only for any opinions expressed.
X.400: /G=Olli/S=Lounela/O=helsinki/A=fumail/C=fi/
.sig still under construction ! Never you mind, I don't either