INTRODUCTION

Sudden death is unexpected and is either instantaneous or occurs within minutes from a certain cause. It is a tragic event, one we all hope will never happen to us. We try to secure that outcome by living our best life. We focus on what we want in life, and we take action to achieve it, always being prepared, however, to change the plan as life throws difficult things atus.

We look after our bodies with activities, exercise, and eating nourishing foods. We try to make someone’s day by showing kindness. We relish the simple things and are grateful for what we have, never resentful for what we do not have. It is, by definition, the American dream that we seek to attain. Although it alludes millions of people, amazingly enough, one person is well on his way to mastering it to achieve his best life, when suddenly tragedystrikes.

His name is Malik Shepard, a young man who grew up in a small town in a single-parent home with his mom, Karen, and younger sister, Angel. He vowed to ease the pressures of life on all his loved ones—be it financial, emotional, or mental. He is a perfect role model by anyone’s standards. With no father or father figure in the home, Malik beat all the odds against him and became a pillar in the community. Young and old people alike admired him for his strength and courage to push through every obstacle he encountered. Approaching the end of his last week of college, his days and nights are filled with excitement and anticipation of the man he is becoming as a college graduate and will become as a future computer scientist. His amazing storyfollows.

At the onset, on his last day of college, Malik (dressed in jeans and a T-shirt) nervously stood knocking on the door of Chancellor Weber—the college dean (who had asked him earlier to stop by his office before leaving campus). Mr. Weber answers the door, inviting Malik in to have a seat, and immediately spelling out how Malik’s records had come across his desk at various times over the four years of his attending college. Nervous and worried, Malik wondered what waswrong.

Chancellor Weber smiles and gives an explanation of Malik’s achievement of his degree in computer science,