Sculptor/Painter

'Courage' to live on Bronze memorial statue to powerful spirit of cancer victims dedicated at Akron City Hospital's Cooper Cancer Center

By Linda Golz
Akron Beacon Journal staff writer
Published on Thursday, Jul 30, 2009

Courage began with a dream.

The 36-inch bronze sculpture depicting the courage of those who have battled or will battle cancer was unveiled Wednesday at Akron City Hospital's Jean and Milton Cooper Cancer Center.

The work is the creation of Oregon artist Michael Tieman, 58, whose sister, Connie Sue Drotos, died of breast cancer one year ago on July 29. She was treated at the center for six years.

Courage was inspired by the women in Tieman's family who have fought breast cancer — his mother-in-law, Jan Marshall; an aunt, Pat Wetzel; a sister, Beverly Starr; and Drotos.

Tieman said he began having a recurring dream of himself working on a special sculpture ''for almost six weeks'' after his sister's death.

The sculpture, which is not a replica of Drotos, took him five months to complete — four or five times longer than usual — because ''there's a certain look that people battling cancer have,'' he said. He also said he had to get the eyes just right. ''I kept redoing the eyes.''

Tieman wrestled with what to do about the breasts. Should the sculpture have them or not? So he bent her left arm in front of her and draped a cloth over it, he said. ''It became her shield.'' The cloth drapes behind the bald, naked woman and she grips the other side of the cloth in her right hand. That Tieman likened to her sword.

''She [Drotos] guided me and other people guided me,'' Tieman said. ''I gave her a little smile, a butterfly necklace and a bracelet that reads 'Love never fails.'''

But, before Courage received anything else but her head, Tieman gave her an oversize heart. Nancy Tieman said her husband always gives his sculptures hearts ''so they have a heart and a soul.''

The sculpture was purchased by Tieman's brother-in-law, John Drotos of Stow, who donated it to the center where his wife found help and support. ''It had to be here; this was her [other] home,'' Drotos said.

He said his wife died a week before her 50th birthday and one day before their 25th wedding anniversary.

Through it all, ''she had a positive attitude about anything, anyone,'' he said. ''She always had a smile on her face, every day.'' But, Drotos conceded, he knew that sometimes, when she was alone, ''there was no smile.''

''I've always felt that, every day, our love just grew more and more. Side by side we fought it together. I never left her side,'' Drotos said. ''Physically they're gone, but the love that you have for the person, the spiritual, the emotional that you shared, they're still here.''

Dr. Douglas Trochelman, medical director for the Oncology Service Line, was Connie Drotos' doctor. ''She was delightful, very brave,'' he said.

''She just fought on and never felt sorry for herself. She was just always concerned for her family. She was quite a woman.''

Drotos also presented a check for $5,000 — one-half of the sculpture's $10,000 price tag — to the center in his wife's memory.

Tieman said up to one-half of all money they make from items related to Courage will be donated to various cancer support centers. Replicas of Courage in various sizes and of the butterfly necklace are for sale.

Copies of the book The Building of ''Courage'' are also on sale. It chronicles the making of the sculpture, beginning with the dream Tieman kept having, and is loaded with color photos throughout.

For information, visit http://www.courageforcancer.net/ .

Michael Tieman said he hopes Courage gives strength, courage and hope to others fighting cancer. ''She is meant to be touched. She is here to heal.''

Linda Golz can be reached at 330-996-3640 or lgolz@thebeaconjournal.com .