By my former NBA colleague Greg Economou...
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| Sweet Music |
As I sat in the living room of the Ronald McDonald House seeing a
myriad of kids and families in very difficult, if not dire, situations
come and go, I couldn’t help but ask the questions: why am I so lucky
while others are not? Why can I get through life relatively unscathed,
while others must take on such unfair and in some cases, unimaginable
circumstances?
Why does my beautiful and amazing niece,
Ariana, have to
endure such a struggle – with pain, suffering, and lack of normal
teenage kid stuff – while others go on with life without a care in the
world? Why do my brother and sister-in-law have to take on such an
enormous and extraordinarily difficult challenge, while many, if not
most people simply take life and living for granted?
As the
questions bounced through my mind, I didn’t have any answers. As much
as I pondered and thought, I couldn’t find any immediate or concrete
rationale. As the day passed, I asked these questions of few others –
there and over the phone – and found no one who had any insight either.
I snuck into the chapel at the RMDH and knelt down and talked to God
and tried with all my might to hear His response – but perhaps needed
more time or intelligence to fully grasp it. I prayed and wished for
every family I saw that day – and especially for my niece and brother’s
family – that I could have at least gotten one clue. Perhaps knowing
would create some peace of mind.
But then, late in the day,
it hit me. And although it hit me like a ton of bricks, it was in the
form of the most beautiful music I had ever heard. Ariana had invited
me to Music Room in the basement of the Ronald McDonald House – which is
more like a world-class studio than a typical music room one might see
at a school or community center. As I eased her wheelchair through the
door and toward the big keyboard in the corner, I could feel her inner
peace beginning to set in. As she positioned herself behind the piano
keys and started to noodle, I knew this was “home” for Ariana.
You
see, Ariana has been a music lover from as young as I can remember –
takes after her Oma, my mom, who is a magnificently talented musician
and artist. Piano lessons, voice lessons, dreams of Julliard and
Broadway, filled
Ariana’s time and imagination from the earliest days of
her life. Despite being in New York City for the worst possible
reason, Ariana has relished the idea of being so close to Broadway and
the heart of the greatest musical theater in the world.
It
started with a few simple notes. More notes rolled into and out of my
ears and mind – and as I gazed at her I could see she was entering a
deep and passionate musical bliss, forgetting completely – if only
momentarily – about her cancer, chemo, radiation, transfusions, etc. As
I focused on her playing the music, I saw a joy, a purpose, a sense of
self, perhaps even the precise motivation that is getting her through
her most difficult of journeys. As she played on, I fought the urge to
break down and cry. I fought the urge to run over to the piano and grab
her and hold her and try to “make it all better” like any good uncle
would want to do. I fought the urge to scream back to God, “Why?"
But
something stopped those urges. As my angst subsided and my wonderment
increased, I began to realize she was teaching me something about myself
and any one else who could fathom the circumstances. She was
unknowingly showing me that her ability to withstand such pain and
discomfort – to have to endure endless tests, needles, scans, drugs,
side effects, etc. – yet still find her essence and courage is proof to
me that a person’s soul and spirit are more powerful than anything else.
Moreover,
if she could do that in the condition she was in, I should stand up and
do more and be more of a human being in any and every way. If she
could find a happiness and peace in the context of her suffering, it
showed me that I needed to never forget the blessings I have and my
family has – and try to pay that forward as much as I possibly can for
as long as I am lucky enough to do so.
We’ve all tried to
be there for
Ariana in every way. Little does she know she is there for
us in greater and more profound ways than anyone could have predicted
or understood going into this dreaded journey. I don’t’ think I will
ever know why she was chosen to be the example she is – perhaps because
God knows she could withstand and overcome. I wish with every fiber of
my being that she didn’t have to suffer to teach me anything – but that
is something in God’s hands and not mine.
In the end, I
hope I never take for granted what I have – health, happiness,
opportunity, potential, accomplishment, joy, experiences, history,
newness, etc. I also hope I never stop trying to find my happiness and
inner peace – especially considering there isn’t much stopping me from
doing so, relatively speaking. My admiration for Ariana and my
determination to help her overcome this insidious enemy, will never
waver – she has taught me and so many others that have come in contact
with her marvelous self more about what is really important in life than
I/we ever knew possible, especially about perseverance, resilience,
hope, joy, and love.
As the music ended, I walked over to
Ariana and hugged her and thanked her for playing me such a beautiful
song. Little did she know she just changed my life forever. I hope and
pray I get the chance to remind her of that every day for years to
come.
To help, see this ...
Ariana Economou
