When I think of my dear friend "Dan Pak," I immediately start running out of adjectives. Dan is my mentor. He is my hero. "Dan Pak" is the very embodiment of eminent courage, of implausible resilience, and of unfathomable faith.

To suddenly encounter an insurmountable blockade in front of everything you were planning and preparing, and to find all of your hopes and dreams now in ashes, is just about outside my grasp. To then pick yourself up, reinvent yourself, and start out in a whole new direction, is almost beyond my reach.

Yet, this is what "Dan Pak" did. And in the process he...