Christmas Party--Yonsei Severance Hospital (2014-12-17)

Two words that don't go together--"kids" and "cancer." Yesterday HOPE (Helping Others Prosper through English) hosted a Christmas party at Yonsei University's Severance Hospital in the Childrens' Cancer war. It was the second year in a row, first inspired October 2013 when my buddy Nick Adams visited South Korea. Jungah Ji joined us last year, as she did for the Christmas Party last year and then again this year! Some of you may recall that I decided to hold a Christmas Party at the hospital in late 2013. I wrote about it here (with photos).
http://caseylartigue.blogspot.com/2013/12/inspiration-from-lousy-visitor-korea.html

The man of the day: Edward M. Robinson. He is the one who really pulled it together. He is really busy, doesn't have much free time, but he found the way to get it done. I will add the names of the volunteers when I get the complete list.

Thanks to all of the volunteers who made yesterday's party at the kids' cancer ward at Yonsei's Severance Hospital. 

But there were two scene stealers. Volunteer Nevada Rhodes and one of the children. Scroll down below to view the photos.

In one corner: The young boy was the first to arrive. He was running around, entertaining himself. His mother was loving every minute of it. The kid was so active, I had the feeling that no one has told him or he doesn't understand what it means that he has cancer.

Then he began to engage our volunteers as they arrived. he was challenging me at one point in a balloon contest.

In the other corner: Nevada Rhodes. A big, tall American who has been living in South Korea since c. 1996. He speaks fluent Korean, is constantly kidding around, and bringing energy to the room.

Then, the two encountered each other when Nevada was blowing up balloons. Of course, they then began a long balloon battle. Finally, the young boy fought through Nevada's defenses, landing a fatal stab.

Of course, Nevada didn't go easily. He then had the longest death scene in history, much to the delight of the boy, his mother, and everyone else in the room who had the misfortune to witness it. 

They continued bonding, but the boy also battled with another young cancer patient, with Jungah Ji, all the while laughing and running around.

His mother loved it, she couldn't stop taking photos. It is a reminder how short life is, and I guess that having a son with cancer she doesn't need to be reminded, she is enjoying every moment with her son. He may be rambunctious, but considering the context, it was a truly beautiful thing.

The staff warned us when we visited from room to room that we should be careful, no joking around. Thankfully, Nevada didn't listen. He was light-hearted, unable to stop being himself. And the kids and their parents clearly enjoyed it.

The Casey Lartigue Show

Guests scheduled for May NOTE: Check here for updates on Memorandum 46! Future Shows Thomas Sowell of the Hoover Institution This is my first attempt at putting together my own promo , it was rejected because of the sound quality May 19 edition of the Casey Lartigue Show We had a great show yesterday, probably the best so far. The topic: Malcolm X. The occasion? Anniversary of his 82nd birthday. Eliot Morgan and I had a great time talking with the callers. Deneen Borelli called in on our special guest line. You can download the file here. We posed the question: What did Malcolm X do? We contrasted the viewpoint and legacies of Malcolm X and Thurgood Marshall. The one mistake I made was not to focus on the question that Marshall asked: What was the one concrete thing that Malcolm X did. In segment 3, callers begin to get personal with us. May 12 edition of the Casey Lartigue Show Featured guest: Don Boudreaux of George Mason University Promo for the May 12 show May 5 edition of the C...

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