Taekwon-do Master With Terminal Cancer Honored By His Beloved Students
DENVER (CBS4) - The Colorado taekwon-do community on Sunday honored one of their most respected longtime instructors as he battles Stage 4 cancer.
From new students to seasoned black belts, the athletes performed the standard 24 patterns of taekwon-do, all to pay tribute to a master who taught them everything they know.
"Just as a demonstration for him to lift his spirits and make him feel a little better," student Bob Martin said.
Master Barney Montano studied and taught taekwon-do in Colorado for more than 40 years. The Korean art took him across the globe both competing and teaching.
"There are people here today who have third and fourth degree black belts and they were his white belt," Montano's daughter Rebecca Montano Charron said.
But the seventh degree black belt was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer last summer and recently took a turn for the worse. Last week he was sent home for hospice care.
"I was 10 years old when I started with him in taekwon-do ... it has always been our thing," Rebecca said.
Rebecca says a last minute idea to pay tribute to her father swelled seemingly overnight amongst the community.
"What if we could get the taekwondo people there (his home)?" Rebecca said.
So dozens showed up Sunday in full uniform to perform for their taekwondo instructor.
"It's also for his students, to see him one more time," Martin said.
"Taekwon-do has been the world to him and he's been able to influence this many people's lives and touch them," Rebecca said. "He is my superhero and didn't realize he is everybody else's too. He is absolutely my inspiration for indomitable spirit," Rebecca said.