Art With a Heart - March's Award Recipient
| Elena Desserich and Her Dad: A Day with the Hot Air Balloons |
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Elena Desserich: A Story of Inspiring Others
Anne Frank once said, "How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world." Another little girl whose life was also too short didn't waste any time making a difference.
In her six short years of life, Elena Desserich changed the world. Her smile illuminated her home and classroom, her artwork hung in the Cincinnati Art Museum next to Picasso, and her spirit continues to inspire others.
She battled a rare form of cancer called diffuse brain stem glioma for over 250 days and courageously dealt with the side effects, which included total paralysis and double vision. She passed away at home with her parents by her side on August 11, 2007.
Elena's life has taken on new forms. She is the color pink. The kindergarten survival guide she made for her sister. Her non-profit foundation to cure cancer. The love notes she hid all over the house for her family to find. The sunsets she paints for her family now. A journal that changes lives. The extra hug a parent gives her child at night. She is all of these things and more.
When Elena was diagnosed with cancer in November, her parents, Brooke and Keith, decided to create a daily journal to record the family's experience for Elena's four year old sister, Grace. What started out as humble reflections has turned into a phenomenon with a cult-like following as people all over the world read Brooke and Keith's insights into life, often prompted from simple encounters with their daughters.
The family enjoyed our July Art with a Heart package, which included tickets to the Mid First Ohio Challenge Festival. Although Elena could not actively participate due to physical limitations, the day provided a diversion for her. She was able to make a happy memory with her family, especially with Grace.
Brooke wrote the following about their day on their web site:
Day 234: July 21, 2007
We made it just in time to watch three skydivers jump from a plane and gracefully land on their mark. Gracie instantly found her calling! The jumpers gave the girls their own skydiving trading cards and let them check out their gear.
Then we were whisked off to see a cold air inflation of a balloon on the ground. Grace became their VIP and she grabbed the volunteer's hand without hesitation to walk through the inflated balloon to the other side. Then she was allowed to jump on top of the deflating balloon. The people around us marveled at Gracie's fearlessness, they don't know the half of it!
This is about as far as we got before the sun and activity was enough for Elena. So Elena and Dad sought quiet and cool in the car while Gracie and I hit the rides for a few minutes. She cast the festival rides aside and opted for the potato sack slide. White hair flying in the breeze with the biggest smile on her face, she squealed as she hit each bump and slid to a stop.
On the way home from the trip, Gracie proclaimed she would be a doctor in the day, a skydiver at night and a police girl on Tuesday (apparently this is a high crime day). I am not sure whether this activity was to help Elena to break the monotony of our days, or if it was an ideal way to reward Gracie for being so perfect during an imperfect week.
