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ISSAQUAH | SAMMAMISH
Friday, October 26, 2012
www.issaquahreporter.com
Bells of hope Woman donates symbols of final cancer treatments to SwedishIssaquah BY LINDA BALL
Sammamish artist Bill Proby stands in a hallway at the Issaquah Pogacha restaurant where several of his pieces are on display.
LBALL@ISSAQUAHREPORTER.COM
ready to go to auction. Proby’s paintings raised a significant amount for rowing organization, but it was the praise he received from dozens of people at the auction that ignited a spark within. “They asked, where do you show your work
Anita Cox of Snoqualmie retired in June 2011 after teaching for 36 years. The last school she taught at was Christa McAuliffe Elementary in Sammamish, where she worked for 16 years. Unfortunately, the joy of her retirement was thrown off balance. One month later she was diagnosed with stage IIIc uterine cancer. Cox finished her treatment in March this year. Cox, 63, had all of her treatment — chemotherapy and radiation — at Swedish Issaquah. She wanted a symbol for patients who were completing their treatment to mark the occasion. How about ringing a bell to celebrate the last treatment? “A very dear friend who was diagnosed with breast cancer had heard about the idea and donated a bell to the hospital in Georgia where she had received her treatment,” Cox said. “Sadly, my friend has recently seen a recurrence of her cancer. That makes the donation of the bells even more significant to me.” The bell-ringing tradition is now widespread. It was introduced in 1996 at MD Anderson Cancer Center when U.S. Navy Rear Admiral Irve Le Moyne, a patient with head and neck cancer, installed a brass bell at the main campus radiation treatment center in Houston and in Albuquerque, N.M. Cox said she went online and saw that several hospitals throughout the country had bells used for cancer patients to ring as a symbol of
SEE ARTIST, 17
SEE BELLS, 2
KEVIN ENDEJAN, Issaquah & Sammamish Reporter
FOR THE LOVE OF IT Sammamish retiree returns to his childhood passion — art
BY KEVIN ENDEJAN KENDEJAN@ISSAQUAHREPORTER.COM
W
hen Bill Proby retired from a high-ranking position at a pharmaceutical company three years ago, he envisioned spending most of his time golfing, fishing and traveling.
Those dreams quickly faded for the near 30-year resident of Sammamish — but not in a negative way. Once a young man who dabbled in art, Proby hung up his paint brush years ago. “After college I pretty much had to put art aside and focus on my career,” said Proby, 60. That all changed in 2009, when his wife, Marilyn, unintentionally directed her husband back to a childhood passion. In desperate need of art for an auction at the Sammamish Rowing Association, Marilyn volunteered Bill for the task. “My wife said, ‘Well, my husband is artistic, maybe he will paint a picture for the auction,’” Proby said. Bill was surprised, but gladly took the chal-
Examples of the wide spectrum of styles Sammamish artist Bill Proby uses. CONTRIBUTED
SEE THE ARTWORK See Bill Proby’s artwork now through Nov. 9 at Issaquah Pogacha and Nov. 10 - Jan. 5 at Cafe Pogacha in Bellevue. More information: www.pogacha.com. lenge. “I said, ‘I haven’t painted a picture in 35 years, I have no idea what to do and I certainly have never painted any rowers.’” Using his primary medium, oil canvases, Proby began painting. He quickly finished one piece before he anticipated. He started on another, and before long, had four paintings