I used to run D&D organized play games at my local stores (LFR, Encounters, D&D Next, and Adventurers League). I started at one store, and moved to another when it opened up close to my work.
We had this one kid, Alexander, who was super nerdy, but dedicated. It was rare for him to miss a Wednesday night game. He was in his late teens, and worked at the Disney Store. He was a bona-fide nerd, through and through. Gentle, funny, and he always came to the games.
When he started playing with us, Alexander struggled with the math. I don’t know if this was a lifelong challenge for him. I just know that after I asked for a roll, I would need to give him more than a few seconds to add it up in his head. He’d get it right, but it took a while.
We were patient, the GMs. We were patient because we knew Alexander wasn’t dicking around or cheating or anything. He just had a math problem.
The last time I gamed with him, he was adding numbers pretty much as fast as anyone at the table. I was on my way out as coordinator– he took over coordinating the organized play for that store a few months later.
He was also a cosplayer, known locally for his steampunk Boba Fett costume.
He died in January from a previously-unknown brain defect. He was 25 years old and had spent the previous day sledding with his family.
His mother arranged a memorial for him at the local game store, and everyone went. They came in costume and grieved with his mother (also a cosplayer) and family. At the end of the night, they crossed light sabers in an honor guard as the gamers carried his Boba Fett armor out to his mom’s car.