SIMON'S PLACE
A WEB SITE FOR SIMON VODOSEK
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Simon

Simon Craig Vodosek
May 17, 1997 - August 6, 2004

"Even though I'm small for my age, I sure am fun."

--Simon Vodosek, February 6, 2004
(from SIMON SAYS, January-May 2004 Archive)

Field Day 2004 at Uintah Elementary School in Salt Lake City. Simon chose to sit down for the sled-pull event, letting his friends drag him across the field. Five years later, it's Field Day at Uintah again. Simon's class is now finishing 6th grade and moving on next fall to middle school. (Posted June 2, 2009)

Welcome to Simon Vodosek's Web site. The site has been "live" since January 2002, shortly after Simon's diagnosis with neuroblastoma. This amazing Web community provided Simon and his family with crucial sustenance during his 32 months of facing cancer. As life now goes on without Simon, the Simon's Place community continues to support each other and the family in healing our feelings of sadness and tremendous loss. We expect to keep the site going in perpetuity as we work to honor Simon's memory through the Simon Craig Vodosek Memorial Fund.

Für deutschsprachige Besucher: wir bitten um Verständnis dafür, dass die meisten Infos hier auf Englisch sind. Die Webseite der Deutschen Krebshilfe bietet viele Informationen zum Thema Krebs. Man kann unter "Neuroblastome" suchen, um einiges über Simons Krankheit zu erfahren. Wir laden Euch herzlich dazu ein, Grüsse auf dem "Message Board" auf Deutsch zu schreiben!

Recent Updates
WHAT'S HAPPENING
1/7/11 On new turf: news from another continent. For the ongoing story (since 2010), see Mary's blog.

5/13/14: Chapter This (Mary's blog) currently features events around her essay "Objects of My Attention," which received the 2014 Writers at Work fellowship in literary nonfiction. The essay is an outgrowth of Simon's Place.

MESSAGE BOARD
Simon's friend Ellen from first grade sent a beautiful message in 2013, remembering him 10 years on.

Listen to Mary's "This I Believe" essay, broadcast on May 12, 2008 on KUER in Salt Lake City.

PHOTO GALLERY 7/3/05
Remembering Simon's Celebration of Life Party.

SIMON'S LEGACY

    Named After Simon 4/22/06

    Brighton Ski Resort named a ski run after Simon on April 14th! Here's the local news story link: KSL5 Eyewitness News. More links, including April 21 story in the Deseret News here.

    Simon's Memorial Fund 8/3/06
    Simon's Memorial Fund sponsors a performance by The Royal Heritage Ensemble at First Unitarian Church on Sunday, August 6, 2006 at 10:00 am.

    Zelkova Serrata Tree at the Botanical Garden in Hohenheim, Germany 7/1/06
    Simon's Vodosek grandparents sponsored a tree in Simon's memory shortly after Simon died. Here are some photos.

    Reminiscenses 2/6/06
    Remembering Celebration Sunday 2004.

    Memories in Audio and Video 9/3/06
    Ten months since the last addition, here is a new video clip from the day after Miriam was born. She's about to turn seven, which is the age Simon was when he died. It is fun to remember what a happy big brother Simon was.

    Memorial Services for Simon 6/28/05
    Here is a short description of the memorial service and potluck supper held on Friday, June 3, 2005 in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

    Lemonade Stands for Simon 5/18/05
    This is a new section for this Web site to tell you more about lemonade stands to raise money for pediatric cancer research. Click here for the story on Simon's 8th Birthday Lemonade Stand at Liberty Heights Fresh.

    Lessons Learned: Sharing our heard-earned knowledge 4/30/05
    This is a new section for this Web site. Markus and Mary copresented today at a conference on pediatric palliative care in Salt Lake City. Follow this link to see the presentation slides and the background brainstorm document with our thoughts on what works and what doesn't.

SIMON SAYS 3/5/05
Lots of additions to the pages of this section today. Use the Archive links at the bottom of the page to locate the new material.

SIMON'S PLACE HOMEPAGE 10/22/04
We are slowly updating this Web site to reflect that Simon is no longer here, fighting cancer. Inevitably, some verb tenses and other references may no longer seem appropriate. If you notice a page or a paragraph that could use some updating, you can help by sending a quick email to simonandfamily@umich.edu. To start with, parts of this page were updated today. Your comments are always welcome. Thanks!

STORIES FOR SIMON 8/13/04

CANCER LINKS 4/8/04
Mary shared her Journey to Unitarian Universalism at First Unitarian in Salt Lake City on February 29, 2004.

TREATMENT 9/1/02

ABOUT THIS WEB SITE 4/8/02

What You Can Do To Help
Take a look at our WHAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP page for some ideas about ways you can help us get through this challenging time. We've now updated this page to reflect our needs in Salt Lake City as Simon's life draws to a close. (updated 7/11/04)

A Special Note of Thanks
June 20, 2004
It has been far too long since we added adequate thanks to Simon's site. So many people help in so many ways. We are grateful for our newfound support network in Salt Lake City, including the wonderful cooks from our First Unitarian community who are bringing us nourishing meals!

Thanks to Ann Craig, who has journeyed here from Oberlin, Ohio 5 times since January!

Thanks to all who post on Simon's MESSAGE BOARD!

Thanks to all who send greetings in various other manners, including the fun stuff for the kids to play with and the yummy care packages!

We know you are out there, and we feel the spirit and love you surround us with!

And from our times in Ann Arbor... (assuredly incomplete)...
Thank you so much to all of you who have nourished us with delicious dinners, many of you multiple times: Kathy Huffnagle, Fawzia Abul, Jane La, Suzanna & Jeff, Jane Bishop, Shelly Banet, Pam Reister, Heidi Koester, Katherine Lawrence, Joyce Phillips, Beth Hospadaruk, Sandra Walls, Connie Lippert, Katy Kimberly, Trish Beckjord, Margie & Biff Barritt, Jane Dutton, Ann Sprunger & Dave Corsa, Connie Cohn, Lindsay Gross, Caroline Helton & Matt Kaplan, Sukanya Mandal, Pat Appleberry, Barb Chamness, and Liz Wierba and David Schmidt.

Thanks to our reliable shoppers: Connie Cohn, Jim & Paula Cummins, and Jane La.

We are deeply grateful to Eileene Rogers for her steadfast laundry support and Jodi Johnson for her deft cleaning help.

Thanks to the deMajo-Mentz family—Agustina, Graciela, Ricardo, Florencia, and Ricardo Jr.—for providing a surrogate family when Mary and Markus need a break.

Thank you to all who have posted words of encouragement on Simon's message board!

Thank you to everyone who has sent a card, said a prayer, sent a thought, called, not called, baked cookies, shared a resource, written a story, made us laugh, helped us cry, shared your own painful experiences, listened, sent fun presents, checked this site, wondered how we're doing, shared a glass of wine, played with us, made lasagne, made soup, shared a joke, drawn a picture, felt anguish and worry, given excellent medical care, sent good vibes, run an errand, sent an email message, not expected a reply, asked for support for us in their community, organized a blood drive, ...and wished the very best for Simon!

Very special thanks to Doug Heavrin-Brown for this wonderful web site design and for fixing our flubs. * To Gari for music class. * To Betsy for making the hospital a place we like to be. * To Ann Craig and her sidekick, Norm, for indispensible live-in help. * To the cookie elves from Pebble Creek. * To San and Laz Slomovits for touching our family and making music we feel in our bones. * To Linda for tireless care of all of us. * To Ken Phifer, Eva Hochgraf, Carol Shultheis, and all our other loyal supporters from First Unitarian Universalist Church in Ann Arbor. * To the Organizational Behavior department at the University of Michigan Business School for "Simon's Slush Fund". * To Music for Little Folks for their generous money donation.

SIMON'S PLACE | A Web Site For Simon Vodosek