the value of snow
The Robert's Snow Kick off event was a huge success! It actually surpassed my expectations. The snowflakes got hung (10 hour marathon), people came (so many that the gallery owner had to put on the air conditioning), food and wine sufficed (without breaking the bank thanks to my tireless food volunteers) and everyone had a grand time--including me and Robert! I was truly amazed it came together.
The auctions have started and I'm curious about the bidding. At the gallery, I heard an offhand comment after Ki-Ki mentioned how unique the snowflakes were. "I guess that's why they're worth so much," someone said.
But their worth really does go beyond the pretty pictures. In all the press, I emphasize the famous names, the exclusivity, the collectability of these snowflakes. Because that's good marketing. No one wants to hear the depressing stuff. But, the sad stuff is what gives these snowflakes a value beyond their starting price.Bid for everything cancer touches. Bid for the nurses and the doctors who know their words are cold comfort. Bid for the spouses that suddenly realize that "in sickness" and "death do us part" is for real. Bid for the kids who have no hair and are pulled to treatment in a wagon. Bid for the parents who age 10 years in 10 minutes. Bid for the friendships that fade away because people just don't understand or know what to do. Bid for Chad, the boy who lost his father to cancer and flew in from Virginia just to see the snowflakes. Bid for David, an artist that dedicated his snowflake to his brother who died of cancer. Bid for Steve, the volunteer who hand cut all 200 snowflakes with his scroll saw in his garage. Bid for Jon, the computer programmer, who stayed up past 2 AM night after night working on the website. Bid for Robert who sat alone in the infusion center while all the other patients were surrounded by friends and family. Bid for yourself and all the days you'll remember and wish you didn't.
Bid for all of these reasons. Or bid for some them. Or bid for none of them at all. Just bid and know that no matter what you pay, that snowflake is worth so much more.
posted by Grace Lin at 8:02 PM
5 Comments:
Wow, Grace, this posting made me cry. I bid for all of those things, but above all, I am bidding for you and Robert.
the opening was amazing. it really did move me to see how many people were out to support you and the project. and chad's story just blew me away. that kid is a hero. not only did he have his life ripped apart because of cancer, he turned around and is helping others in a similar situation put their pieces back together. chad is a hero and grace is a hero.
it's been a constant honor to be a part of this project. and i wish i had thought ahead to dedicate my snowflake to someone. but i guess it hasn't been auctioned yet, so i will here and now in grace's blog dedicate my snowflake to eric orfao. i met eric when i was 16 and he was 4. i was volunteering at a place called camp sunshine, a camp for kids with cancer and their families and my life would never be the same. he was a brave kid. he loved the red sox and he loved the power rangers. i would visit him at the dana-farber when he would later go in for a bone marrow transplant and would often see he and his family at their home in new hampshire as well.
because of him i stopped worrying about my own problems. because of him i went on to work so many summers at the hole in the wall gang camp. because of him i began to think about using my talents to entertain a young audience.
he lost his battle just before his 6th birthday and a large part of who i am is because i knew eric.
and coincidentally, i used his family's barn (and horses) as reference for "Punk Farm", for which my snowflake is based.
i still think about him all the time and keep a photo of he and his family at the front of my drafting table. so wow- this wasn’t a comment but a blog in itself.
thank you, grace, for helping all of us help the dana-farber and their amazing, beautiful work.
hi guys, thanks for all your help & support--couldn't do it without you. Jarrett-you should post this on your own blog, it's such a touching story that should be known...more people will probably read it on your blog, too...
". . .the kids who have no hair and are pulled to treatment in a wagon . . .the parents who age 10 years in 10 minutes . . . all the days you'll remember and wish you didn't"
Oh yes, you got me there. Of course you had me all along. I was with my son in the hospital playroom during the cancer society's Daffodil Days as he, age 9, played alongside those children; he was the one with hair. For five months, I watched the wagons go up and down the halls. And after the fourth surgery, fortunately NOT for cancer, when our nurse sent me (with my year of experience) to "advise" the parents of a new ostomate -- a tiny bald 3-yr-old just waking up in PICU after a "pelvic evacuation" due to cancer that began when he was one -- I returned afterward to the room of my lucky, comparatively healthy son sad but also with the literal feeling of walking on air.
So, as well as for you, my snowflake is for the children; and for my dad, who at 56 was not so lucky. Your entry, BTW, seems much more powerful than mentioning famous names, exclusivity, and collectability.
How beautiful! Congratulations on all of it...especially on creating such good in the middle of such hardship.
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