"Nearly 60 people crowded into a small corner of Timonium's Bibelot corner of Timonium's Bibelot book store to celebrate Areen Armenian's legacy Sunday evening.
It is a book of poems and sketches written by the former Dulaney High School student, who was 15 when she died in October 1993 after a five-year struggle with leukemia.
Born in Lebanon, in 1978, Areen moved to Baltimore with her parents Sona and Haroutune Armenian and her brother Saro in 1986." [The Towson Times]
In 1988, at age 10, Areen Armenian was diagnosed with an aggressive form of leukemia. She died five years later, but not before producing an impressive collection of poetry and art. Found by her parents after her death, her work was published in two languages (English and Armenian).
Since then, Areen, who was treated at the Children's Center of the Johns Hopkins Hospital, has been the subject of numerous book reviews and articles. On November 6, she was honored in New Orleans at the annual meeting of Children's Hospice International (CHI) as the recipient of the first annual Melinda Lawrence Award for Children's Literature for her book entitled 'Three Seasons'.
'Children have profound wisdom, and Areen gave beautiful voice to that wisdom' said Ann Armstrong-Dailey, founding director of CHI.
On November 21, CHI held a local ceremony to present the award to Areen's parents, Haroutune Armenian, M.D., Dr.P.H. in the School of Public Health, and Sona Armenian, M.S.W. in the Hopkins sociology department.
'Areen is somebody who impressed people all along the way with her maturity and creativity,' says Greg Kato,M.D.,who treated Areen. 'Her poetry has touched people who knew her and those who have never met her'.
"Last Week I attended the funeral of my hero. My hero, and I
don't use the term lightly, was a poet; a fighter; a person of
compassionate spirit; an artist; and a former student. My hero was
Areen Armenian, a fifteen year old girl. (...) she was a gifted
individual in so many dimensions: an artist, a superb writer,
a skilled jewelry maker, and -- in spite of all her physical pain
-- a person with a wonderful sense of humor." Steve Umstead
Here is what some other people are saying about Areen's Work:
"I simply love Areen's poetry and drawings, purest expression of her
feeling, radiant each one by itself. The whole book is a treasure,
from cover to cover, inviting to be picked up over and over again."
Elien Heineken - Beirut, Lebanon
"Words cannot describe my feelings, but I would like to say that what
Areen composed definetely deserves publishing."
Dr. Laurence Bezirdjian - Baltimore, MD
"I read and re-read her poems at night before I go to sleep, and they
still make me smile. Her intelligence, mature perspective of life,
and careful choice of wording are so apparent in her works."
Dr. Nora Tossounian - Brookline, MA
"I cried a little, I smiled a little, I admired a lot"
Sonia Esslinger - Baltimore, MD
"...They are truly beautiful. They would have been thought-provoking
and enjoyable even if they didn't come with the difficult life lesson
that is very much part of the books' essence."
Salpi Ghazarian, Editor In-Chief 'AIM' Magazine - Los Angeles, CA
"We ordinary people live and die and are subsequently forgotten. She,
at fifteen, will live forever."
The Alamis - Beirut, Lebanon
For more information about Areen's work in Armenian, please Click Here.
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