Ibby Caputo
In August of 2007, Ibby Caputo of Montgomery Township, NJ was diagnosed with AML just after her 26th birthday. After several months of treatment Ibby’s doctors at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute in Boston performed a Stem Cell Transplant on November 30. Ibby has been making steady progress and will return to New Jersey on May 15 to continue her recuperation.
Ibby graduated in 2003 from Princeton University with a degree in Art History and in 2007 graduated from Columbia University’s Graduate School for Journalism. Before she became ill she worked in broadcast journalism for Atlantic Public Media and WCAI in Falmouth, Massachusetts.
“I think ignoring other people's suffering is like ignoring the inevitability of death. Blink. It's still there.”
Previously, Ibby worked in New Orleans where she established the Pediatric Art Therapy program at the Oschner Clinic. She established a program to expose first year Tulane University medical students in the “Healing Arts,” showing them how to interact with pediatric cancer patients, many of them with leukemia. After the floods she returned as a founder of the New Orleans Kid Camera Project and volunteered for several months.
She has traveled extensively. As a winner of Princeton’s prestigious Martin A. Dale Sophomore Award Ibby spent the summer in Calcutta, India working with Mother Theresa’s nuns in a leper colony, Home for the Dying, and an orphanage, and doing a photo essay on the humanity of India.
“I realized how lucky I am: I'm suffering in a hospital, where people are nurturing me, where they are fighting for my survival, where I can get drugs like Valium, where I'm consistently being loved and supported by family and friends. I thought about all the other people in this world who are also suffering - experiencing intense claustrophobia in their pain. Most don't get the perks I get.”
An accomplished, nationally ranked fencing athlete, Ibby was Princeton’s first First Team All Ivy women’s saber fencer as a freshman. She earned All State First Team honors in epee in high school and fenced in the N.J. state high school championships all four years.
She is a passionate photographer who has exhibited her photos of China, Italy, and India and is also an accomplished writer of fiction and nonfiction. She has studied Italian and Renaissance Art at the University of Urbino in Italy, and has visited China, Spain, and Venezuela.
Ibby attributes her recovery to the many prayers and the caring of her friends, family, and lots of total strangers who have taken up her cause.
Last year, Ibby’s family and friends formed "Team Ibby" and walked in Light The Night. Lead by younger sister Sarah, Team Ibby raised over $35,000 for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Ibby learned that her stem cell specialist at Dana Farber is funded in part by a grant from LLS and is grateful for that support.
“Thank you so much for the love and support you have all been sending my way. I feel it, and I do believe it's going to heal me.”
Rowen Fricke
Rowen is the light of our lives. He is full of energy and loves performing for people, whether it be dancing or making everyone laugh. He is a great big brother to his 2 year old sister Maeleigh. Rowen loves watching movies and playing video games. He has been so brave and strong through all of his treatments. He is currently doing great in his maintenance phase. We look forward to April, 2009 when he will have completed his chemotherapy treatment. Until then Rowen continues to inspire and leads us by example. We are so proud of him.
The above was written by Danielle Fricke, Rowen’s Mom. She is the eldest of two daughters my wife Linda and I were blessed with. Danielle has described our grandson Rowen well, but I would be remiss if I didn’t add to her paragraph. She didn’t mention how Rowen can walk into a crowded room and within minutes have everyone smiling. She didn’t mention how he takes his meds with M&M’s every day, or how he goes to St. Peter’s (God bless everyone there) every month to get his chemo dose through his chest port, or how every three months he gets a spinal there. She never said a word about how Rowen’s Dad Billy has been there with her through all of the trying times God saw fit to give them. She would never think to say how hard they work at giving Rowen a strong foundation to build the rest of his life on. I marvel at the happiness the entire family exudes whenever we see them.
Rowen is a beacon of light to many people. Rowen has eyes you can swim in, a heart of gold, an infectious laugh, and above all the courage of a lion. Danielle, Billy, Maeleigh and of course Rowen are all my heroes. This dreaded disease will be defeated in this instance, and within our lifetimes in all instances. We must never forget though, we must never allow our good fortune to allow us to become aloof to the despair of others. Rowen has taught us all to smile and love more than imaginable.
Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote:
“To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty; to find the best in others; to leave the world a bit better whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded.”
God bless you Rowen.
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