Annette John-Hall: In death, Eddie Lewis still inspires

God knows it couldn't have been easy.

But time and time again, Eddie Lewis bounced back from myriad health problems resulting from years of abuse at the hands of adults who were supposed to protect him - whether they were foster parents or his relatives.

Eddie suffered from obesity, depression, and kidney disease, among other ailments. He had hung on even when both kidneys failed him a couple of years ago.

Yet when I spoke to Eddie last summer, he seemed to be in a good place. Eddie's House, the namesake transitional program that provides support for young people who have aged out of foster care, was in its second year and making a difference.

And although he endured dialysis three times a week, five hours at a time, Eddie tried to get his health in check. His doctor told him he needed to lose 100 pounds to become eligible for a kidney transplant; he shed 125. His name was put on the list.

But his time ran out.

When Eddie died in his sleep last week at 34, it came as a shock to everybody - everybody, I think, except Eddie. Because deep down, he knew his days were numbered.

Which was why he left a final, prophetic admonishment in the form of a poem that Sharon McGinley, the Ardmore philanthropist who became his surrogate mom and founded Eddie's House, read at his funeral Thursday.

Typically Eddie, the poem pulled no punches. It was so jarring that it caused a couple of Eddie's relatives to flee the funeral in tears.

Whether those were tears of grief or guilt is anybody's guess, but one thing was clear: Even in death, Eddie got his point across.

Unemotionally titled "To Whom it May Concern," the poem spoke for its author:

I am just a fact among many,

a name you have never

known

I am a child that's been

abused, kindness hasn't

been shown . . .

It went on:

You said you didn't see and

you know you lied

Because you look away some

of us have died

Help came too late for me to

escape

I was murdered after I was

raped

But I know you did your best,

no more beatings or rapes

I am finally at rest . . .

Despite the unspeakable abuse Eddie endured - beaten and starved by his stepfather; beaten and who knows what else in his foster home; kidneys shut down by internal injuries by the time he turned 21 - his life served as a testament to his resilience and, yes, his love for others.

The young man, who went by the childhood nickname "Quilong," loved movies, music, and video games. But most of all, he loved children. Really, he was like a big kid himself, with an even bigger heart.

"For all of the people who might have hurt him or forgotten about him, Eddie never got harsh," said Frank Cervone of the Support Center for Child Advocates, a Philadelphia nonprofit that does pro bono work for neglected and abused kids. "He could have justification in finding retribution. But never did he do that."

Instead, helping children, especially those who had suffered in foster care, became Eddie's mission.

He spoke to bar associations, members of Congress, and schoolchildren, all to raise awareness of the stigma and shame that prevent many foster kids from progressing.

Nightline was even following Eddie's progress for a future show.

But that kind of exposure didn't impress him.

"I would rather it be about the kids," he told me last year. "I want to be the voice of the kids, but not so much the face."

Now, they'll be his legacy.

His colleagues have vowed to continue the work of Eddie's House, which finds and provides apartments, furnishings, and money for young people after foster care until they can establish themselves.

After the funeral, McGinley did something very Eddiesque: She hosted a lunch for his family and friends at Dave & Buster's.

"I think Eddie would have enjoyed it," McGinley said. "He's probably mad because he can't be there."