Community mourns high school footballer’s premature death

Palos Heights, Illinois — “Why are you always so carefree and happy?” said Cadence Jones. “And he said to me, ‘Cadence, life is too short to worry about in the world. You don’t know what will happen tomorrow, so you have to live your life.'”

These were the words of wisdom imparted by Jones, a student of Alan B. Shepherd and girlfriend of outstanding soccer player Ryan Plowman, at an all-night vigil honoring Plowman’s memory Wednesday night.

Family, friends, teammates and members of the community packed the stands of Shepard High School around the field where a 17-year-old boy once played, sharing memories of their youth.

One of Plowman’s teammates, Aidan Wright, said, “I used to play high school football with you for years and listen to Taylor Swift with you in the car.” I have wonderful memories that I would like to cherish and recall in times of great despair.”

Aiden Breslin, a friend of Plowman’s, said, “In the 13 years I’ve known him, he’s never changed.” He was a caring person.”

Plowman died suddenly and unexpectedly last Saturday after being taken to Comer Children’s Hospital where he tested positive for mononucleosis, or Mono for short. Plowman’s parents, a usually non-fatal disease, said the treatment he received for Crohn’s disease had weakened his immune system and made him unable to fight off infections.

a GoFundMe page It was set in Plowman’s memory to help his family cover medical and funeral expenses, among other financial burdens, as they try to recover from his loss.