As we prepare to take stock of the things for which we’re thankful, we also need to remember those who are currently facing serious challenges. In NFL circles, few challenges are more daunting than the one currently confronting Browns executive V.P. Bryan Wiedmeier.

Patrick McManamon of FOXSportsOhio.com writes that Wiedmeier was diagnosed last month with Stage 4 brain cancer, where in the course of one day he went from not feeling right to having surgery to remove a tumor.

Wiedmier explained his current mindset to McManamon. “Take the haymaker,” Wiedmeier said. “You reboot, focus, and then you’re proactive. You’re not a victim. And you do everything you can. It’s either helping or hurting. There’s not a middle ground. If it helps then we’re gonna do it.”

A long-time executive with the Dolphins, Wiedmeier made a big impression on one of the most legendary figures in football history. Said Hall of Fame coach Don Shula: “I’ve always felt that if I left the Dolphins and started somewhere else in the league the first person I would hire would be Bryan Wiedmeier.”

Wiedmeier and his wife of 27 years have five children. They’ll all be together for Thanksgiving.

“This thing has happened,” Wiedmeier. “It’s tough news, but if we can create a positive out of a negative, that’s what we want to do. I don’t want a mystery about what it is, or a pity party. There’s an opportunity here, no matter what happens, to make this circumstance into a positive. That’s the good that’s going to come out of it.”

This blurb can’t do justice to McManamon’s story. We recommend reading it all, saying a prayer for the Wiedmeiers, and admiring the perspective that he is applying to the fight of his life.