In March of 2009, I was priviledged to meet Susan Rizzo Vincent, Andréa's mother at the New York Art expo. We were both there to view the art of actress Jane Seymour. We spoke of Jane's involvement with the Rizzo Foundation and how Jane had reached out to a young cancer patient in 2007 helping her to experience the joy of dance. As I spoke with Susan, I realized what an incredible gift "Drea's Dream" is and wanted to learn more. Susan offered to answer all my questions and the result is the following online interview with one of the most amazing women I've been honored to meet.
An Interview with Susan Rizzo Vincent
Your only daughter Andréa had cancer as a child. How old was she when she was stricken and can you share a bit of what that experience was like for you?
At 18 months of age, Andréa seemed to be a healthy, chubby and cheerful little girl.One night at the dinner table I noticed her hand tremble. Within 24 hours she lost all of her motor coordination so that she could not sit, crawl or stand. I was 27 years old (really just a kid myself...when I look back) and we rushed her to the neurologist and she was admitted to the CT Children's Medical Center with a diagnosis of viral encephalitis. After a week of tests we were ready to be released and Andréa became uncharacteristically irritable. An intern entered the room and began to examine her. She immediately felt something in Andréa's abdomen and she called for many more tests which led to an xray that includes an IV drip with dye while Andréa's tiny body was strapped to a board to keep her still. That was when the tumor (neuroblastoma) that was wrapped around Andréa's kidney was discovered. I was alone in the xray room when a doctor came in to bluntly tell me that it was cancerous and that she would require surgery to remove her kidney and chemotherapy, etc. Luckily, my mother and sister were still in the hospital and I summoned them to the xray room so that the doctor could explain it to them as I was unable to process what I had just heard.
What helped you to get through that period? Would you say like Jane Seymour feels, that the survival instinct runs in your family?
My family is very close. Even though I lived 2 hours from them, Andréa being the first grandchild was the center of everyone's life. They immediately contacted our family doctor in NY and he urged us to take Andréa to Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center where this kind of pediatric cancer would be treated with state of the art medicine. I would say that it was the support of family that got me through that period. We relocated to NY from CT for the 4 months that Andréa was treated. Round the clock vigilance on the part of my parents, grandmother, sister and brother kept Andréa distracted with gifts and hours in the playroom, while I kept waiting to wake up from this bad dream. None of us had ever faced a crisis of this magnitude. I was convinced that through the sheer power of the love I felt for my only child that I could pray hard enough to turn this around; just dealing with the neurological side effects that the tumor had caused was so painful to see. Watching the children around us who were back in the hospital for recurrences was what shook me to the core. But God was good and my fervent prayers were answered. Andréa's coordination slowly came back and her once a month check ups became less frequent and she was cured.
Do you think that surviving cancer instilled in Andréa a desire to help other children from the start?
Most definitely!!! Andréa was so very compassionate. Especially toward those with special needs. I do believe that that is the gift that comes from having suffered or struggled yourself. You appreciate every day and you open your heart to others in need because you recognize their pain. Andréa had a irrepressible love of life....because she knew deep inside how precious hers was.
When she was only 8 years old, the two of us began volunteering to help a family whose small child had experienced brain damage. The child had lost their coordination due to a high fever and needed round the clock "patterning" techniques to help regain some of what was lost. This was a way for Andréa (who already had a deep love for young children) to see exactly how far she herself had come. It was a concrete way for me to show her what a miracle she was. She knew she wanted to be a Special Education teacher from a relatively early age....and w hen older, she found that dance therapy was a profession that she would like to pursue as well as a way of sharing the impact that dance had on her life with the lives of others.
While in college, she requested all of her records from Memorial Sloan-Kettering and included research on neuroblastoma as well as her own journaling and poetry to do a multi-genre project on childhood cancer. She even "dragged me" back to Sloan-Kettering so that she could see the room she was in and re-visit the playroom. We both just stood there and sobbed.
Can you tell me what Andréa herself was like as a child? Did you see anything of yourself in her? What did she enjoy doing the most?
Andréa was a very loving and affectionate child....and remained that way. She loved to dance from a very young age and I can still see her in her pink leotard and tights, blonde curls bobbing as she danced at 3 years old in her first creative movement class. There was a one way wind ow for parents to peer through and it was so amazing to see her coordination come back as she skipped and spun to the music. Dance and music were her lifelong loves. She once said, "I live to dance." I know it got her through the challenges one faces during the teenage years.
I danced as a young girl as well and had hoped to major in dance in college. A bad knee kept me from that but it was always a part of me...and then a part of her. I certainly understood her passion for dance and encouraged and supported it in anyway that I could. And of course, we went to see the Nutcracker together every year from the time she was small until her last Christmas when we went to Lincoln Center.
Can you share one special experience or moment you had with Andréa you will never forget? What was your relationship like?
Truly, we were so close that there are too many special moments to pick just one. Due to all she had been through medically, Andréa had to overcome learning disabilities. Being a teacher myself, we worked together every night of her school years so that she could achieve whatever she wanted to. She graduated college with 3 teaching certifications: Elementary Education, Early Childhood Education and Special Education. I guess I will always remember the day that she asked me to go along for the ride as she was being interviewed by the Superintendent of Schools for her first teaching position. It was a rainy day and I sat in the car finishing up a photo quilt that was a gift for her college graduation. When I looked up and saw her running toward the car through the raindrops and puddles with the hugest smile....arms and hands waving, full of papers...I knew she had gotten the job. We both cried as she had worked so long and hard to achieve her life's goal...and it had come to be. Every minute and hour that we had spent "over the books" during her school career was all worth it in that one moment.
How did dance become so important to her? What do you think it was about dancing that so appealed to her? Did she have a mentor or someone in particular she admired in that field?
Because school was a struggle and dance came naturally, I think it just made her feel good about herself. Her dance teachers were also an inspiration and role models for her. They had the biggest impact in boosting her self confidence...which made her a better dancer and spurred her on for more.
As a teen, was Andréa involved in any dance therapy groups or with organizations involving children with cancer?
Andréa worked in an Easter Seals camp for disabled children for many summers. She also worked for Special Olympics before and during college.
There was never an opportunity to have any hands on experience with dance therapy or children with cancer. She would have liked that.
Most mothers would be so overwhelmed with grief at the loss of their only child they would be unable to think of helping anyone else. What helped you through that pain and how did the idea for the Andréa Rizzo Foundation come about? Was it a difficult process to find support?
Rabbi Kushner wrote "When Bad Things Happen to Good People. " In it he says that "people are God's language." I do believe that is true. It has been the love and caring of Andréa's friends, my friends and family that has gotten me through. It was one of Andréa's colleagues who suggested starting the Foundation. This got me out of bed and I have not stopped since. I would not have been so presumptuous to have thought of doing this on my own and would not have known where to begin. But surrounded by Andréa's close college friends, her colleagues, my friends and family...I found the strength to keep moving toward that goal. I should say I was driven. When someone says "let's do this for your daughter".....you don't pull the covers over your head and say "I can't." The support has not wavered since the day we wrote our mission statement, two months after Andréa's death.The love that pours forth is astounding. Whenever I have needed someone to lean on ..... they are there. To this day, almost seven years after her death, I still receive cards at my doorstep from friends who want me to know that they will never forget.
I believe that when you are doing something from your heart and soul, the energy that is created draws people to you and together you can make dreams come true. On Mother's Day each year, Andréa's college roommates send me a big bouquet of sunflowers (Andréa's favorite) with a note that says..."Love, from all your girls." I have been blessed.
Have you been surprised by how much the organization has grown since its inception? AMAZED!!!!
Do you find at first parents are skeptical of the idea that ‘dance’ therapy can help theirchild who is most likely in constant pain?
I think that the parents are open to anything that will distract their child from the daily monotony of the hospital routine. They are also happy to have new ways of interacting with their child while many times the entire family participates in the session. They are pleasantly surprised by the impact that dance therapy has when it comes to calming their child through painful procedures....requiring less pain medication in some cases. One child at CT Children's Hospital was about to be placed in ICU because pneumonia had set in. The dance therapist worked with the child and got them moving to the point that when a chest xray was performed after the session, the congestion had broken up and the child improved immediately....not having to be placed in the ICU.
What IS dance therapy and how does it seem to help these young patients?
The best way to describe dance therapy is to think of Acess R=Release T=Transformation. The dance therapist is trained to use techniques that ACCESS emotions (like fear, anxiety, anger....or joy) through movement. The emotions are RELEASED in the process and a positive TRANSFORMATION takes place.
The official definition of dance therapy as stated in the American Dance Therapy Association's brochure is"the psychotherapeutic use of movement to further the emotional, cognitive, physical and social integration of the individual.
How does the foundation find these therapists? Do you train them through the foundation?
The Foundation uses the American Dance Therapy Association's List Serve to contact dance therapists and then we get references as well.
Dance Therapists are registered only after receiving a Masters Degree in an accredited Dance Therapy program at one of the few universities that offer these programs and have to complete hundreds of hours of interning before they are licensed. Many have their doctorates as well. For anyone interested in becoming a dance therapist they can go to The American Dance Therapy Association's website:
www.ADTA.org
What is Dance Across America? How can someone become involved?
Dance Across America is a fundraising initiative designed to unite dancers for our worthy cause. Dance Schools and Dance Companies hold dance-a-thons and benefit performances that benefit The Andréa Rizzo Foundation. Dance Across America brochure.
Hundreds of dancers have participated and only need to email us and we provide them with a kit to get started. We also garner press for their compassionate efforts and send press releases to their local newspapers. When a dance school or company raises over $5000 for the foundation (some have done this over the course of years)....we like to give back by providing the gift of dance therapy to children with special education needs in their local public schools. The dancers feel that they have accomplished something for their own community in this way....by doing what they love to do best...DANCE! Many wonderful long term friendships have been created amongst myself and the dancers. I try to attend as many of the events as I can. Each year I fly to Indiana to attend the Purdue University's HUGE benefit performance.
Over the last 3 years they have raised close to $25,000. All proceeds go to the Foundation.
How did you become involved with Dancing with the Stars, and specifically can you share a bit about how Jane Seymour became involved with the foundation. Did you know when you first approached her about her involvement with City Hearts?
Two years ago I asked my Work Study Students to try to find an address for Dancing With the Stars so that we could send them info on our mission. They searched online and found the address and I sent 2 informational packets over the course of a month.
About 3 months later I received an email saying that they get requests from hundreds of organizations but they were very excited about the work we were doing through....dance therapy. They offered us 4 VIP tickets to possibly raffle to raise funds, but we felt it would be more meaningful to escort a pediatric cancer patient and their parent to the show. We needed to find a way to pay for the airfare and Jane Seymour was dancing during that Season. We found that she had an art gallery and one of our Board Members contacted the gallery and Susan Nagy Luks was kind enough to allow us to send a packet for Jane to look at. Jane was deeply moved and generously offered to donate a "Healing Hearts" painting. We organized a special fundraiser and held a silent auction. The painting brought us enough funds to fly both the 16 year old patient and her Mom to the show.....from NYC to LA. Myself and 2 Board Members paid for our own travel and escorted this lovely girl to our front row seats right next to the judges stand. During the commercial breaks the audience MC interviews guests and he came right over to our patient. She spoke into the microphone and told the audience her story of having participated in Dréa's Dream, our pediatric dance therapy program at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. During the next commercial break, Carrie Ann Inaba came to us and asked about the Foundation. She took all of my contact info and said she believed in the healing power of dance and wanted to help us! In the process I met many of the staff of Dancing With the Stars and they have continued to give us VIP tickets each season so that we can escort pediatric cancer patients to the show. We get to go back stage and take photos with all of the stars and dancers. A dream come true for these young patients! I had no idea that Jane was involved with City Hearts and h ave only read about it on her website. Susan Nagy Luks and I continued to keep in touch as this gift was so heartfelt. The next time I went to Dancing With the Stars I visited Jane's Los Angeles Art Gallery and spent time with Susan....finally getting to meet her in person. She has continued to think of me and send tickets for the Art Expo which led to my meeting Jane for the first time last year .... and giving me the chance to thank her in person for setting in motion this amazing turn of events. Look at our website's Home Page for the ABC Newscast about that trip to Dancing With the Stars....as they mention Jane's involvement at the end.
Have you considered writing a book about your experience or ever been approached about a movie, if so would you be interested?
Ha...I didn't see this question before, but I was already considering sending you my file of "Our Book." Andréa wanted us to write a book together. She had entitled it: My Teacher...a Mother and Daughter's Journey. We had just begun...I have continued to work on it....gradually. Mostly I keep refining what I have so far. There is so much about these last years that I want to say and have a hard time putting into words. I would love to make the time to have a writing coach and really put together an inspirational book. A movie?? You never know! Amazing things do keep happening....
What hope can you offer other mothers out there whose own children are suffering from cancer or are disabled.
I think that believing with your whole heart and soul that ANYTHING is possible and that with determination and prayer, so much can be overcome. Again....the gifts that come from these challenges are not evident at the time, but the closeness and bond that develops between a mother and child who face a crisis together is a lifelong gift. The appreciation for life and the compassion that the child will eventually develop for others makes their life so much richer.It isn't easy....but the rewards are there if you can possibly look at it from that perspective.
In terms of the foundation, what would you like to see happen in the next few years? Do you have an ultimate goal?
I honestly have to say that I have never set out a "5 year plan". I have put one foot in front of the other and have received so many wonderful surprises in the course of this journey. I have been "driven" and been blessed with more than I could have ever imagined. I LOVE THE SURPRISES and will continue to look for opportunities that will help children with cancer and special education needs and will be grateful for each and every gift that helps to make the Foundation grow. So much of this has happened ....not because of a good business plan...but because of the love in people's hearts.
How can people help to support the Andréa Rizzo Foundation?
Donations are always welcome and can be made on our website (DreasDream.org) and any publicity that can bring attention to our cause always helps to sustain us.....because it enlarges the web of wonderful people who have helped us come this far.
Do you feel you’ve finally fulfilled Andréa’s dream?
I truly do. I do feel as though we are still a team and that she has had a hand in all of this. It comforts me to know how happy she must be to see all of this happening and benefiting so many children. Her dream has not been forgotten
How has this whole experience changed you as a person or your philosophy of life?
I always believed that if you look at the bright side of life....then positive things will come to you. I am still trying to understand how something so unthinkable could have happened. It has changed me in that I truly believed that I had control over my life.This was the cause of much fear and worry. All of that worrying that I did as a mother did nothing to prevent the "worst" from happening. I now have nothing to fear....as the worst has happened....and so I am freed in that way. I have become closer to God as I look to him for the strength it takes to keep moving forward. I pray that I will always do what I believe in...and in so doing...I will give hope and inspire others