Penguins by Keilan
My friend Kristina Joyce gives art lessons to a talented middle schooler who has brittle bone disease.
Henry Schwan wrote about young Keilan Hughes in the Concord Journal last April, reporting that he was “one of several students whose art [was] on display in the children’s room at the Concord Library. Joyce had them focus on nature in the Middle East, and Keilan drew a bird titled, ‘Yellow Wagtail from the Holy Land.’
“ ‘It’s relaxing, it takes my mind off things,’ Keilan said of his art.
“Keilan’s talents could take him in a number of directions. He dreams of being a doctor one day, but also has a backup plan of becoming a residential architect. …
“He was diagnosed with brittle bone disease the day he was born. ‘I don’t mind,’ Keilan said. ‘Most of the time, I forget that I even have [it].’ …
“Currently, there is no cure for brittle bone disease, but Keilan and his mom hope for a breakthrough. …
“ ‘It’s important to look at the bright side and look to the future,’ says his mother.”
Kristina tells me Keilan’s mother, who is from Trinidad, the family as a whole, and the school district have all been extremely supportive. One well-wisher made a website for Keilan to show his art. Others have given him specific requests for drawings. “Everybody loves Keilan,” she said.
More at the Concord Journal, here.
Photo: Ann Ringwood/Wicked Local Staff
Keilan Hughes is submitting yearbook cover art that his teacher said was so good she didn’t suggest a single correction.
Suzanne's Mom's Blog 
I love this kind of uplifting story–it amazes and inspires me to know how bravely people face up to the hard aspects of their lives.
A point made in the book “The Fault in Our Stars” is that when you have no choice, you just do what you have to do. These folks show us that maybe we could rise to the occasion, too, if we had to.