Thoughts from Dr. Joe: A good cause can leave a man hungry for more
I couldn’t erase the thought of those delectable, mouth-watering lamb chops that Nick and Arsen Sarkisian were serving at the Cancer Care Network Foundation Dinner and Gala last Saturday night. They were my only salvation from the long-winded speeches at the Athletic Hall of Fame banquet at Glendale Community College. Don’t get me wrong; I thoroughly enjoyed seeing former student-athletes of mine I’d come to know throughout my 39 years of teaching, but I love lamb chops like a kid loves cake.
After the last speaker had finished, I felt like shouting from the rafters, “free at last.” I immediately headed back to La Cañada hoping that my buddy Daryal Gant had saved me some lamb chops.
The Sarkisian brothers, Arsen and Nick, along with their wives Kamelia and Gilda, brought the community together to raise funds for patients in active cancer treatment programs and for organizations that care for such patients and their families. The theme of the evening was a charity-costumed ball titled “Gatsby Hosts a Night in Paris.” It was a magnificent evening and people came for charity, for friendship and for a remarkable Armenian fare, not to mention the scrumptious dessert bar. I thought of an appropriate quote in “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald: “I like large parties. They’re so intimate. At small parties, there isn’t any privacy.”
Earlier Saturday afternoon I went to T.J.Maxx to find the perfect outfit for the Gatsby costume ball. I bought a new pair of jeans and a blue shirt. I was going as myself!
Karine Bagdasarian and Christeil Gota founded the Cancer Care Network Foundation in 2013. Bagdasarian said, “The money we raise goes to mitigate the costs of cancer therapy that is not covered by insurance. We also donate to the local hospitals and organizations that provide support to patients with a cancer diagnosis.”
The gala was beautifully staged in Arsen and Kamelia Sarkisian’s backyard, complete with poker and casino games, full bar, dinner and dancing. Paris Chanson, a French band, donated its time and talent to provide entertainment. A poker tournament sponsored and operated by Hye Riders Motorcycle Club, and bar sponsored by Remedy Liquor and Marani Vodka, donated all proceeds to the foundation.
When considering the purpose of the evening, I felt blessed for the life I have and its well-being. My feelings were not isolated since the patrons of the Cancer Care Network Foundation Gala came graciously together to help others in dire straits, people inflicted by cancer. I thought of an extraordinary quote by author, Elizabeth Gilbert: “In the end, though, maybe we must all give up trying to pay back the people in this world who sustain our lives. In the end, maybe it’s wiser to surrender before the miraculous scope of human generosity and to just keep saying thank you, forever and sincerely, for as long as we have voices.”
As Audrey Hepburn once sang in “My Fair Lady,” I could have danced all night, but I had promises to keep. Subsequently I was faced with a major dilemma: Should I make a third run at the dessert table? But it was Oktoberfest at Sonja and Bill Bradley’s home and I began to think of those hot sugarcoated almonds. I remembered one of Sister Audrey’s philosophical witticisms, “In life, always seize the moment. Remember all those women on the ‘Titanic’ who waved off the dessert cart.” I grabbed three brownies and headed to see the Bradleys.
--
JOE PUGLIA is a practicing counselor, a retired professor of education and a former officer in the Marines. Reach him at doctorjoe@ymail.com. Visit his website at doctorjoe.us.
