These snowflakesare truly unique
Children's book illustrators answer a colleague's call and create images to raise money for cancer research
The snowflakes are made of wood, each of them decorated with a different image. There are three-dimensional fish rising from an icy surface, creatures in delightfully bright colors, and winter scenes in the style of a miniature Renaissance painting.
These 150-plus palm-size pieces aren't the work of an obsessive ornament-maker. They've been created by some of the world's leading illustrators of children's books, including Eric Carle (''The Very Hungry Caterpillar"), Chris Van Allsburg (''The Polar Express"), and Ian Falconer (''Olivia"). And for another two weeks, they're for sale by auction on the Internet.
It's all part of Grace Lin's effort to raise money for cancer research and deal with the pain of her husband's condition. Robert Mercer has been battling Ewing's Sarcoma, a form of bone cancer, for two years. ''After a while you don't want to think about sickness anymore or watch TV," Lin says.
The couple, both graduates of the Rhode Island School of Design, had been married less than a year when they found out about the cancer. Lin, a children's book author, and Robert, an architect, were living in Los Angeles, but they quickly packed up and headed to Montreal to live with Mercer's parents while he received treatment.
That winter, cooped up inside, they watched the snow fall. Mercer's doctors didn't want him to go outside because they feared his weakened bones would be shattered if he slipped.
Mercer, 32, who didn't want any sympathy, told few of his friends about the cancer, in some cases simply never returning their calls and e-mails.
Lin, 30, coped in her own way: through her writing. Developing an idea for what would become her 15th children's book, ''Robert's Snow," she turned her husband into a mouse. It lived in a battered boot with its family and wasn't allowed to play in the snow, either.
After chemotherapy, Mercer was found to be cancer-free. Until, that is, last March, when the couple were told the cancer had returned. They were living in Boston by then, and Lin had just finished the final work on ''Robert's Snow," looking forward to closing a chapter on a horrible time.
As disheartened as she was, a tearful Lin listened closely to what the doctors said: Mercer's recurrent cancer was limited and could be kept under control. But her husband's best hope for long-term survival was for a cancer research breakthrough.
So Lin decided to raise money for the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. She would buy the wooden flakes on the Web, recruit artists from her circle of children's book author friends, and auction off the creations online.
''Once the word got out and once some of her friends started contacting people, more and more people heard," says Tracy Gates, Lin's editor at Viking. ''For me, the clincher was when she brought in 20 or so snowflakes. She came down to New York with her husband and displayed them in a conference room for anyone who wanted to come by. They were just so amazing."
Lin wasn't pushy. When she would send a letter or e-mail about the project, she wouldn't even mention Mercer's situation. She felt it would be ''too heavy." She also made sure that if she didn't know the authors well, she would let them know that she was familiar with their books and admired their work.
''I remember being struck by its earnestness and kind of heartfelt appeal," Van Allsburg says of the letter. ''I also don't want to suggest that the contributors weren't moved by the cause itself, but there was something insightful in the proposal of just decorating this small little snowflake. You could make an authentic artistic expression."
Many of the snowflakes have already been sold on
For Lin and Mercer, who has completed another round of chemotherapy and started to feel better, the project has been overwhelming at times. They've organized showings of the snowflakes in Newburyport, Amherst, New York City, and Los Angeles. But they expect to raise as much as $30,000 and plan on doing the fund-raiser again next year.
''It's a lot, and actually, in the middle of it, I said, 'I'm not doing it again,' " says Lin. But she changed her mind after seeing how successful it has been and how much happiness it has brought them.
''We've accepted the fact that cancer is always going to be a part of our lives, even if Robert is cured," she says. ''We're always going to do this if we can. It's part of our lives, too."
Geoff Edgers can be reached at gedgers@globe.com.
