Hundreds gather to celebrate the life of Daniel Giffin, the boy who unicycled up Pikes Peak
Mackenzie Stafford
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – On Monday, June 30, hundreds filled the stands at Weidner Field to celebrate and honor the life of 17-year-old Daniel Giffin. Giffin is a Colorado Springs native who was battling a rare form of brain cancer for six and a half years.
Giffin is known for his unicycle ride up Pikes Peak. At 11 years old, he accomplished the 14er feat on one wheel. Aside from his skills on wheels, his radiating joy and gratitude have left a lasting impact on so many lives.
Our team joined Griffin’s celebration of life, noting that there was not a dry eye in the stadium. Daniel’s mom tells KRDO13 they were talking about having his celebration of life at their church, but they couldn’t fit everyone, so they held the ceremony at Weidner Field. Giffin, a switchbacks superfan, signed the final beam as the stadium was being finished.
Only a few years later, the stands were packed and overwhelmed with a feeling of gratitude that each person there got to feel Daniel’s love during his life.
“I feel like I got a gift in having him, and it’s not that I lost something, but I really gained something. I got to have this beautiful boy in my life,” shared Daniel Giffin’s mother, Torie Giffin. “It was just like a love bomb, and he would hug me and tell me how much he appreciated me and thank me for the smallest things. He was grateful for the little things, but he always told me, I love you. And so I just want all the boys out there to know you guys still hug your mommas. You guys still tell them you love them. You’ve got to hug your sisters, and you know, because life is precious and you don’t know how much time. Fortunately, we knew and we had lots of time to enjoy every minute to its fullest. But you don’t always know, and it’s important.”
Now Torie Giffin is being held by the hundreds who loved Daniel.
“He had such big faith, and he never complained about a thing. You know, everything that happened, he just really took it in stride and chose happiness over sadness and to focus on what we had versus what we didn’t. And so I really just grew in my faith and my strength because of my son being just so courageous in his battle. And I got to see it firsthand. He is a pretty amazing kid,” shared Giffin.
She finds peace in knowing he’s graduated to a better place.
“The hardest thing was really just watching him struggle and suffer and, you know, be in pain for so long, and he just put up such a valiant fight. I mean, six and a half years and, you know, seven brain surgeries, 58 days of radiation, all the treatments, all the MRIs, all the clinical trials, you know, 50 pills a day just to try and not have seizures. It was really tough,” explained Giffin.
Daniel’s mom said he really took it in stride and chose happiness over sadness. He was selfless and lived his 17 years to the fullest, becoming an example for others, family said.
“There’s so much goodness in Colorado Springs, and there are so many great people. And if Daniel’s story could bring more of us together, and we could worry about the really important things in life and people you know, and not what separates us or our differences, but focus on the good. We have a lot of good here in Colorado Springs,” shared Daniel’s mother.