AN OPEN LETTER FROM SUE LAWLER
Founding Patron

My 6-year old granddaughter Amanda is a beautiful, happy child with a smile that lights up the sky. Since birth, she has endured more than most of us do in a lifetime. Amanda has Tuberous Sclerosis, a disease that causes tumors and tubers to form on every organ. In her case they were found in the brain and heart. Amanda had to have surgery to remove a tuber from her brain at the age of two, and she went through night after night of seizures until her doctors were able to find the right medication to alleviate them. The disease has impacted Amanda’s development. At age two, she began therapy for hand and eye coordination and speech development, and at three she started school at a preschool for children with special needs. Although she now attends a regular kindergarten class, she receives additional speech and motor therapy.

My son and his wife lived in California when Amanda was born. Shortly thereafter, my son’s job brought him back home to New York and he and my daughter-in-law were once again faced with the task of seeking out the best doctors to treat Amanda. High on the list of recommendations they received for our area was Dr. Michael Gewitz, the Chief of Pediatric Cardiology at Westchester Medical Center, who quickly won Amanda’s confidence and who Amanda still sees. When Amanda’s heart rate dropped, Dr. Lester Permut, a pediatric cardiac surgeon at Westchester Medical Center, placed a pacemaker in Amanda’s chest. On every occasion when I accompanied Amanda to Westchester Medical Center, I was deeply impressed by the abundance of compassion and warmth despite the busy and crowded facilities.

These are the events that led me to involvement with the development of the art collection and program at the Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital at Westchester Medical Center. As someone who has been involved in the arts for a lifetime, from being an artist to directing Condeso/Lawler Gallery in New York for over fifteen years, I am greatly aware of the role that art plays in inspiring and comforting those who include it in their lives. Art can free one from the confines of their reality and give one the opportunity to express oneself in many different ways. One evening Amanda and I made Valentines; we were both so absorbed in creating them that Amanda’s bedtime slipped away long before we noticed. One after another, Amanda created Valentines that reflected her imagination and observations, each one unique, each one done with purpose. Amanda, like most children, loves to draw and paint, loves putting on a show, and loves expressing herself in any way she can. Anything that allows her imagination to fly takes her away from the day-to-day reality of doctors, medications, and the limitations of her physical self.

Art is more than simply a luxury. For many, it is a necessity. Art has been proven to play a very important role in healing. The art program that we are developing will enable the children at the hospital to open the doors of their imagination and creative needs. It will provide a comforting and less institutional environment in which to spend necessary healing time. The art that surrounds the children and their families will help them focus less on their fears and more on their wishes and dreams and will make their time at the hospital pass quickly and more enjoyably.

Our vision is ambitious, and philanthropy is our sole means to make it happen. I encourage you to read on and share our interest in helping to make this plan a reality by contributing as generously as possible. Be assured that the benefits you will receive will greatly outweigh the amount you give and that your generosity will brighten the faces of many children for years to come.