The story of………

Beyond Sun Drenched Skies

To begin at the beginning… The beginning was remarkable only in its simplicity, indistinguishable from any other moment, cloaked in the disguise of routine events. My sister Patricia, needed a break from her task of full time caretaker for her husband who was legally blind and suffering from ever increasing symptoms of Alzheimers She arranged a sort of “girls week”, when I would come to stay with her and attend an art workshop offered by the Old Lyme Art Association. As an additional enticement she would also watch my dog. The offer was odd because I didn’t paint but she prevailed, as sisters do and I went.

So it began…each day I was at the workshop by 8:00 AM for something scheduled to begin at 9:00 and end at 3:00 but rarely concluded before 5:00 PM. At night we talked about the dogs escapades, who was at the beach, horse flies dive bombing into oil paint, an easel that constantly collapsed and the end of the day “critique”. For some reason nothing on the face of the earth was ever funnier and we howled with laughter into the night. Blissful moments for two sisters oblivious to impending tragedy. Yet the basics for the seed that would become the fund were forming.

Patricia’s diagnosis of melanoma was devastating. She battled for nine months but in the end melanoma claimed her life. Her loss left a cavernous, bleak void in my life. My brother was simultaneously struggling with skin cancer and a year later he died of invasive, aggressive squamous cell cancer. As a distraction from sadness, I fumbled along with painting. The distraction became a sanctuary. As the saying goes, “one door had closed and another was opening”. The seed for the fund was being nurtured and I continued to paint.

We belong to a club which runs an annual art show. I held my breath and entered a painting. Now the seed for the fund was about to sprout. Some one offered to purchase a painting. I was thrilled but the concept of paying income tax on this small amount was daunting, Therefore I donated the proceeds to Brighams and Women’s Hospital for skin cancer research. The fund was now taking shape.

As it happened my brother had left me a small inheritance. What better way to honor his memory and my sister’s than to donate these proceeds to skin cancer research. Thus the fund sprouted roots. But what of a name to make it official? Patricia, a high school English teacher, had written an anthology of poetry entitled, “Beyond Sun Drenched Skies”. This was a great name for a skin cancer research fund. What had started slowly, imperceptibly has now grown to a fund. My paintings inspired by my sister’s encouragement proved to be a pathway to providing necessary funds. The seeds are now maturing into a fund which I hope will assist in providing the research necessary to help others to win the battle with melanoma and skin cancer.

From the humblest beginnings there are pathways for seeds to grow.