For almost five years, Daren Auld has been a fixture at Ocean View Park, shaping players on the Santa Monica tennis courts with the same quiet dedication he brought to every corner of his life. Now, the 48-year-old coach is fighting for that life after a Stage 4 colon cancer diagnosis has left his family facing a medical and financial crisis — and the community he spent years building is fighting alongside him.
Auld, a self-employed instructor and the sole breadwinner for his wife and two young children — including an infant son — was diagnosed after weeks of deteriorating health that he and his family initially attributed to an abdominal tear. He has no adequate health insurance. His sudden hospitalization has compounded an already devastating situation.
But those who know Auld say his legacy on the courts speaks for itself.
"What started as coaching tennis became much more than that," said his younger brother, Brenn Auld, who is helping manage the family's affairs during the crisis. "Over the years he built genuine relationships with students, parents, fellow coaches, and families throughout the Santa Monica community. Many of the people who came to him for tennis instruction ended up becoming lifelong friends."
Brenn Auld, himself a former instructor at Ocean View Park, was the one who connected his students with Daren almost five years ago before relocating out of state, confident they would be in good hands.
"That's one of the reasons the response to his diagnosis has been so overwhelming," Brenn Auld said. "The community isn't just supporting a coach. They're supporting someone who has spent years supporting them."
The extent of Daren Auld's commitment to that community became painfully clear in the weeks before his hospitalization. Despite struggling to breathe, losing what his brother estimated as nearly 30 pounds in just a few weeks, and barely able to walk from the parking lot to the courts, Auld refused to abandon his students.
"The moment I knew something was seriously wrong was when Daren called me and asked for help," Brenn Auld said. "Daren doesn't ask people for help. It's completely out of character for him."
When Brenn arrived at the courts, what he saw stopped him cold.
"I almost didn't recognize him," he said. "He had lost what looked like nearly 30 pounds in a few weeks. This was a man who stood 6'4" with a commanding presence, and now he was struggling just to walk from the parking lot to the courts. What used to take a minute or two was taking more than ten minutes. Every movement looked painful. Every breath looked labored."
For several weeks, Brenn stepped in to physically hit balls with students while his brother coached from a bench — a compromise that allowed Daren Auld to keep working for the family depending on him.
"He was focused on taking care of everyone else long before he knew how serious his own condition was," Brenn Auld said.
The full severity became clear when a text message summoned Brenn to the hospital. Daren had been admitted and needed an emergency blood transfusion.
"That's when he told me the doctors had found a mass in his colon, on his liver, and additional spots on his lungs," Brenn Auld said. "I remember feeling like the air left the room."
He drove to the hospital within the hour and spent the night. What struck him most, even then, was his brother's instinct to deflect concern onto others.
"Even in the hospital he kept asking how the students were playing and how I was doing," Brenn Auld said.
Daren Auld is currently undergoing chemotherapy and recovering from a recent liver biopsy while also managing blood clots and significant physical deterioration requiring physical therapy. The road ahead is uncertain, but his brother believes the same qualities that made him an exceptional coach will carry him through.
"He knows how to lock in," Brenn Auld said. "The same determination, discipline, and resilience that helped him compete as a high-level junior player and college athlete are the same qualities he is bringing into this battle."
For those who only knew Daren Auld as a coach at Ocean View Park, his brother wants them to understand the full measure of the man.
"He's naturally reserved and values his time alone," Brenn Auld said. "He's not someone who seeks attention or wants to be the center of the room. But if you're in trouble, he's the first person you call. He will drop everything to help you."
"This is a community trying to support someone who has spent a lifetime supporting everyone else."
A GoFundMe campaign has been launched to help the Auld family manage mounting expenses. Donations can be made at gofundme.com/f/support-darens-fight-against-stage-4-cancer.