Teenage artist using drawings to tell patients' stories at BC Children's Hospital
Teenage artist using drawings to tell patients' stories at BC Children's Hospital
What started as passion for art turned into a desire to help patients at BC Children's Hospital.
"I really love art, I really love drawing and I really love animation too," said 17-year-old Raphael Chong, the founder of Make it Up.
The teen gathered a group of artists to spend months speaking with patients at the hospital, listening to their stories about living with scoliosis or leukemia.
Then, they put pen to paper.
"Their stories aren't being told through a medium that would reach young children, like my age. That's why we want to use art to bridge the gap," he said. "We want to tell their stories through these mediums that they help us work with to create stories that can really humanize it."
The idea was sparked by a school project, says Daryl Weaver, the principal at Vancouver College. But now, it's stretched far beyond the classroom walls.
"A typical BC Children's Hospital advertisement is meant to evoke emotions obviously," said Weaver. "He (Chong) said, that's not who that kid really is, I really want to find out who that kid is and how they've got personalities, traits, talents."
According to Chong's mother, her son has only been drawing for three years.
"We're very glad to see that he's putting his passion into something that he can give back to the society," Annie Lee said.
Chong's goal is to raise $12,000 with the animations, in order to buy a surgical telescope for the hospital.
The grade 12 student says he has big plans for using his talent after high school.
"I would like to do this as a side hobby and use by hobbies and art to create something better for the world."
His goal doesn't appear too far fetched for a teenager who already appears to be making a difference with his drawings.
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