"Lastly, I want to end by thanking two people without whom none of us would be here tonight: Krystyna and Henry Sledjeski. Monica one of my great regrets is that I never got the chance to meet either of your parents. I can’t begin to imagine how much you wish they were here tonight. Or just with you every day. But I take some heart in the fact that they are with you every day. They are with you in your appreciation for animals, and the way you treat Blue and Bamako with such tenderness and care. They are with you in the way you can make any plant grow. They are with you every time you spot a rabbit and can’t help but point it out. They are with you in your incredible style. They are with you in your perfectionism. They are with you in your love of travel. And they are with you every time you spot a white butterfly.
Monica, if we can be 1/10th the parents that your parents were then I’ll be a happy man. And I know that you’ll be the most incredible mother thanks to the incredible parents that raised you to be the incredible woman you are today. They would be so proud of you. And I am forever in their gratitude."