Culture & Caring

In my last post, I mentioned I would write about the Culture & Caring event which occurred on November 21st.  Well, I'm finally doing it.  Blame Thanksgiving, blame the weather, blame my medications which have left me an unmotivated mess, blame it on the rain...

This card was on every table

Culture & Caring is an annual fundraising event put on by the Maribeth Merrigan Foundation in conjuction with the Family Reach Foundation to raise money for families fighting cancer.  The Maribeth Merrigan Foundation's focus is on young adults with cancer, specifically the financial burdens that these patients are met with.  The money they raise goes to the Maribeth Merrigan Patient Assistance Fund at Dana Farber which exists to ease the financial stress that young adult patients face.  Young adulthood is unpredictable and unstable by its very nature, made only more difficult, stressful, and terrifying by a cancer diagnosis.  

The back of the card, my bio as written by yours truly

When I heard about the event and that it was to showcase art from cancer patients, I shot them an email with a link to my posts with all my paintings.  Soon after, I got a reply that said they would be thrilled if I would donate one to be showcased and auctioned at the event.  I too was thrilled, but not just because people appreciated my art.  Painting is something I started doing for myself, and I am very thankful to have been given the opportunity for it to extend beyond myself, and reach people in a meaningful way.  The event raised over $100,000.

The event itself was hosted at the Boston Harbor Hotel and since I was unable to go because of my restrictions, I had them put my girlfriend and sister on the guestlist.  There was an open bar, appetizers (shown above, don't ask me what's in that bowl), and wine-tasting.  Heather and my sister sampled a $200 bottle of wine, which she deemed "too smooth."  This reminds me of something I once read by some wine authority who said that there is rarely a reason to spend more than $40 for a bottle of wine.  But I digress...

Celebrity chef Ming Tsai brought Heather a glass of white wine.  But her most significant interaction of the evening was with Suleika Jaouad, the keynote speaker and Emmy-winning journalist who became well known for her Life, Interrupted blog which chronicles her fight against cancer, first as a patient, and now as a survivor and figurehead for young adults cancer awareness.  She and Heather bonded over their shared experience, the experience of being ill -- a state of being that affects the caregiver as much as it affects the one they care for, if not more.  They talked about being in relationships with their significant others for barely six months before the diagnoses and the strain their relationships have incurred.  I think in both cases, our relationships have grown stronger in the face of this obstacle, but at the same time it underscores how extremely difficult it is to be a young adult dealing with cancer, patients and caregivers alike, patients and lovers alike.

Suleika & Heather

I'll end this post with Suleika's speech from the event.  I urge anyone to check out her blog that I've linked in the above paragraph and will link again here.  She does a good job articulating the numerous challenges she faced without dwelling on them.

Coming up soon on my blog will be, perhaps, a completely redone site once I can figure out some hosting issues I've been having.  Maybe a Fury of Five Falsetto Scream Megamix.  Thanks for reading.  Take it easy.

Post by Family Reach Foundation.