Those who know me are well aware of the amazing young student from St. Victor School in San José who illustrated our book Cherries in the Summer. In the spring of 2021, while I was serving as a long-term substitute teacher at her school, I became aware of Vivian’s battle with depression. She had missed quite a bit of school while she was in and out of the hospital to deal with her condition. It wasn’t until the end of the school year that I became aware of her incredible artistic ability.

I was asked by the parent organization at the school to have each of my students draw a self-portrait. These images would then be imprinted onto a variety of items and sold as a fundraiser for the parent group. When I received Vivian’s self-portrait, I was stunned. I also had an idea.

I sent Vivian a copy of a poem I had written for my grandson about cherries, and asked if she might be interested in illustrating it. I thought it might make a good children’s book. Vivian was thrilled with the opportunity. Three months later, I had 48 colorful illustrations to submit to the publisher with my poem. Cherries in the Summer was born.

100% of the sales income for this book have gone to Vivian. Her father set up a 529 education savings plan for her. With the success of the book, there is now more than $4,000 in her account. Vivian is hoping to attend St. Francis High School in Mountain View in the fall.

Last week, tragedy struck Vivian’s family. Her father was seriously injured in a car accident. After a week on life support, it was recommended by the medical team that Joe’s family make the painful decision to withdraw that support. 

Vivian’s mother, Thuy, has set up a Go Fund Me page to request donations to help defray the cost of Joe’s funeral expenses. I would like to ask those of you who enjoyed Cherries in the Summer to consider making a donation for this purpose. Here’s the link to the Go Fund Me page:  https://www.gofundme.com/f/dung-joe-nguyen  

There are times in our lives when we are called to respond with compassion. For me, this is one of those times. I hope it will be for you, as well.