Tom McKay's 82nd Birthday Party - 2016

Tom McKay and his wife Leticia McKay celebrating Tom's birthday party at Mac Adoo's. Tom McKay is about the size of a junior welterweight. Maybe a full-fledged welter on a day when he eats well. And not because of the cancer or chemo that sometimes gobble up his strength. Judging by the gaggle of photos that saturate local boxing programs — collections upon collections he often carries around with him from place-to-place — McKay has always been a slim jim. Thin and wiry, with a West Texas drawl and enough raw enthusiasm to make a child jacked up on sugar look subdued — McKay is an uncontainable force of nature. It’s hard to believe he’s 82 years old. But he is. At least, he will be on Sunday. To no one’s surprise, he’ll have a party this weekend. And he invited the world. Because, when you’re Tom McKay — and if you have any connection with El Paso boxing whatsoever, you know who Tom McKay is — there’s only one way to live life: thoroughly. HEART AND SOUL If this sounds at times more like an obit than a birthday tribute, maybe that’s appropriate. Because, frankly, Tom McKay should’ve been gone a long time ago. He has been suffering from an aggressive form of prostate cancer for 20 years. He was told he didn’t have much time left, and that he’d have to start chemo immediately. It’s hard to imagine this man depressed about anything, but odds are he was depressed on diagnosis day. Afterall, he is human. At least, that’s the assumption. But, as many of his fighters possessed the intangibles necessary to overcome adversity, so, too, did McKay. And his ability to shake off the cobwebs, pick himself up off the canvas and move forward with almost zero effect on his sunny disposition or his amazing productivity is a case study in courage. Matthew Aguilar, Special to the Times http://www.elpasotimes.com/story/sports/2016/09/30/el-paso-boxer-study-courage/91323330/