The legacy of former Mount Baker Secondary School drama teacher Rod Osiowy is going to live on at the East Kootenay Regional Hospital thanks to the unique efforts of his family and some of his former students.

East Kootenay Foundation for Health Executive Director Donna Grainger announced this week a stand-alone fund-raiser in Osiowy’s name entitled “Cranes of Hope, a legacy of Rod Osiowy.

The name is derived from the atomic bomb blast, which levelled Hiroshima and the cancer it spread to thousands of people later including a Japanese girl Sadako, who was two years old when the bomb fell. By the time she was a teenager, Sadako developed cancer and began folding paper origami cranes based on a legend that if 1,000 of these cranes were made a wish would be granted.

Sadako died of leukemia at 16 but her classmates carried on the tradition and so is the East Kootenay Foundation for Health thanks to an initiative suggested by Rod not long before he died and acted upon by his family and former students.

Grainger explains. “It is with great honour that East Kootenay Foundation for Health can announce a stand alone fundraiser under our annual Starlite Campaign entitled the “Cranes of Hope a legacy of Rod Osiowy.”

“Over the past few months I have been working with Rod, Colleen, Jasmine, Jordan and Dana Osiowy to bring a beautiful story to our hospital.  Our dream was to start this amazing gift program in early September with Rod standing beside us, regrettably, as we all now know… Rod Osiowy, passionate theatre arts teacher, Cranbrook’s 2009 Citizen of the Year and inspiring cancer fighter recently lost his battle with pancreatic cancer.  The Cranes of Hope is now even more meaningful as it becomes a legacy of Rod and his vision of helping others with cancer and bringing hope and inspiration to their families.”

The campaign will officially begin later in September with a display of 1,000 origami cranes created by former Mount Baker drama students, including Kyla Surtees, who directed a dramatic stage version of 1,000 Cranes with a double cast.  The production moved audiences in Cranbrook and was also performed for a major drama festival. 

“This was a huge accomplishment for a student director.  Today, Kyla is working with people in developing countries, using drama as a medium,” said Grainger.

Upon hearing of Rod’s diagnosis of pancreatic cancer in 2009, Kyla contacted her cast from high school, now living in places ranging from Abu Dhabi to England and Australia – and asked them to make paper cranes and send them to her.  Kyla and her mother, Beth, strung the cranes together and Kyla presented the inspirational gift to Rod at his home.  Rod and his family were overwhelmed by the support embodied in the origami cranes, Grainger said.   

“The beautiful cranes, have provided Rod with hope during his fight with cancer, and very soon will be on display in the lobby of the East Kootenay Regional Hospital to share the hope and inspiration represented by the cranes,” she said. 

The Osiowy family implemented the idea of symbolically selling individual cranes for $100 each until all 1,000 are sold as fundraiser in honour of Rod, Grainger added. “Through your purchase of a crane, you will be contributing to the quality of health care that we have here in the East Kootenay, and providing hope to patients and their families.” 

East Kootenay Foundation for Health wishes to recognize its first symbolic donation to the Cranes of Hope a legacy of Rod Osiowy from his dearest friends Cam, Sandy, Emma, Wynter & Madison Trueman (formerly of Cranbrook) of Manotick, Ontario, Granger said  

Funds derived from the Cranes of Hope will be held in trust by the East Kootenay Foundation for Health to enhance oncology services at the East Kootenay Regional Hospital. Donations can be made at the EKFH office at 13 - 24th Ave N, Cranbrook, BC V1C 3H9, via Canada Post or on-line through www.ekfh.ca. Go to Donate Now, select Cranes of Hope a legacy of Rod Osiowy and click.

Colleen Osiowy, Rod’s widow, said she greatly appreciates what Grainger and the Foundation are doing and also appreciates the outpouring of public support for her late husband. “I think it’s going to be wonderful to see this at the hospital because so many people loved Rod and can relate to what happened to him.”

She said Kyla reached most of the cast members even though the play was mounted at Baker almost 15 years ago. “Then she and her mother spent hours and hours stitching them together and they counted them several times to make sure there was a thousand of them there.”

Donations to Cranes of Hope will mean that oncology services at the hospital can be enhanced and people dealing with cancer won’t have to leave the community as often as they’ve had to in the past, said Grainger.

Colleen said this would have pleased Rod. “We thought this was definitely the place where the funds could be used. There’s so much that can be offered here now and so many people that can benefit from health care improvements.

“Rod felt if we could do something that people in this region would benefit from, that was the way to go. People here care.”