Jack and Patrick draw and paint

March 26, 2011 4:41 PM

Two people involved in marathon, inspirational artistic efforts: Six-year-old Jack Henderson is offering to draw anything in exchange for a donation to the Sick Kids hospital in Edinburgh, which treats his little brother Noah for bronchiolitis. Meanwhile, artist Patrick Joyce, aka The Incurable Optimist, is trying to paint 100 portraits before motor neurone disease (also known as ALS) robs him of his abilities, and, ultimately, his life. Their works include, respectively, A rubber duck riding a bike shooting lasers, and Professor Stephen Hawking.

Wee Jack launched his website just a week ago, hoping to raise £100 from family and friends for Edinburgh's Sick Kids Hospital. But word spread rather quickly, and he’s already received 306 drawing requests. He now hopes to raise at least £10,000. Among the subjects already drawn are Dinosaur Diving into a Pool of Jelly and the Sick Kids Hospital itself (including his little brother Noah and various children with green faces, who are presumably the Sick Kids).

Meanwhile, artist and father of three Patrick Joyce is on a mission to paint 100 portraits before motor neurone disease (aka ALS) robs him of his abilities and his life. His subjects are other “incurable optimists”, most of them fellow MND sufferers or those working to combat the disease. He is so far up to number 18 (the previously-mentioned Professor Stephen Hawking).

He hopes to raise money for the Motor Neurone Disease Association and to encourage others to express their optimism every day.

An exhibition of his work is currently touring the UK, but despite his busy schedule, he still finds time to go to the skateboard park.

posted by penguin pie (5 comments total)

I want to give them £100 £500 £1,000 £10,000 cause they looked after me, Toby & especially Noah.

This is such a neat statement. Serious question from an American, though: Why is fundraising for a hospital necessary when they have a national healthcare system? They say they need funds for things like state-of-the-art medical equipment and training and research, and that these things are not covered under government funding. Why isn't equipment and research covered?
posted by Houstonian at 5:09 PM on March 26, 2011

I think because funding medical care is a bottomless pit - no matter how much you spend, there will always be other things you could buy that would make the hospital even better, especially in a world where medical technology is constantly developing. The fundraising is actually done by a charity, the Sick Kids Friends Foundation, rather than the hospital/NHS itself, and the SKFF also provides things like accommodation/support for parents, over and above what would be offered by a hospital. And there are lots of people whose kids have been helped by the hospital who want to help it back, so the charity provides a way of organising that and channelling it into things that the hospital staff actually want/need.
posted by penguin pie at 5:26 PM on March 26, 2011 [2 favorites]

Wonderful, wonderful post. His courage is humbling.
posted by docpops at 6:47 PM on March 26, 2011

Brilliant post. I'm thinking up a commission for Jack...

As Penguin Pie says, I'm sure funds raised are for the non-medical parts of the hospital stay - toys, games etc, but also to make it easier for the parents of the kids o visit and stay for longer.
posted by DanCall at 3:45 AM on March 27, 2011

I ponied up a donation. I am getting him to draw me a jackass. This is what I said I wanted done:

I would like a picture of a jackass doing something dumb. It could have a hat on or a jetpack or be driving a car. Just have him doings something silly.

posted by cjorgensen at 9:53 AM on March 27, 2011 [2 favorites]