Darrington’s loss is a major gain for Massachusetts. Perhaps you recall a story on Valentine’s Day 2005, about the love between Nathan Herman and Ali Neenan, called “Two lives saved by love.”
A year ago, they were living in a back bedroom at his mother’s house in Darrington. Bedridden for four years, Nathan was recovering from dropping to 30 pounds in weight. He was born with birth defects that left him immobilized, but not without a way to use his wonderful talent. With only the use of one thumb, he was able to wiggle his digit over a touch pad that detects heat and pressure to move a computer cursor.
By thumb, he poured his artistic soul into passionate pictures, some as colorful as a clown’s costume, some stark black and white. He met Ali Neenan, 20, in an Internet chat room. She moved to Darrington and never left his side.
She had been a “cutter,” someone who cuts themselves when feeling depressed, stressed, guilty or angered.
“There were times that I no longer wanted to live,” she said.
But her life made one of those 180-degree turns when she met her true love. They were married July 30 in Salem, Mass.
“Ali was simply stunning, and so happy,” Nathan, 22, said by e-mail. “I can’t imagine a more perfect bride, or wedding.
When they said their own vows, there was nary a dry eye in the house.
“Everything about the wedding just went so smoothly,” Nathan said. “Well, except maybe my wardrobe. I wore a white poet’s shirt (no ruffles), black pants, and a great looking pair of boots. I think we had to try about five times to get the right shirt. Ali wore a very nice, but not too frilly dress, and it was only the second one she tried on.”
His artwork was shown at the reception. It’s for sale at www.icerazer.com. They both said they made the right move when they relocated to the East Coast.
“We moved because things just weren’t clicking in Washington,” Nathan said. “We worked on getting several apartments, but we were getting no response. We needed to get to civilization and this was a perfect opportunity.”
They traveled to Massachusetts by train in a special car for disabled passengers. Ali was worried about how Nathan would do sitting up all the way to Everett Station.
“It was going to be a very long day for me physically,” he said. “I was just dying to prove all the people wrong who told me I couldn’t do this.”
When Ali and Nathan got to Everett Station, they said they were both proud to make it that far.
Only 3,000 miles to go.
“I was amazed by how good I felt, sitting up hours straight with no pain, no breathing problems and no anxiety,” Nathan said. “Before we knew it, the train arrived and we were being pushed aboard. I walked (rolled) down the very claustrophobic hallway to our room and proceeded to thump solidly into the doorway. With some difficulty I maneuvered my ponderous chair around the room and was finally able to lay down after five straight hours of sitting up. To my surprise, I felt awesome.”
In Chicago, they made it two blocks to a hotel, where they got a restful sleep away from the train, that rocked randomly like a bad carnival ride.
They scarcely slept the rest of the way to Massachusetts. Christine Neenan, Ali’s mother, was at the station to greet them.
“She was crying happily as she bent down and kissed me on side of the forehead,” Nathan said. “Normally I would have recoiled, but her gesture wasn’t condescending. It was a kiss from someone who appreciates and respects me as an adult.”
Days before the wedding, he was hospitalized with an intestinal abscess, but was treated and released with only two days until the ceremony.
“It looked like it would take a miracle or large amounts of pain killers for me to sit up at my wedding,” Nathan said. “We got a miracle. The morning of the wedding, the pain all but vanished. I sat up through the entire beautiful ceremony.”
Life is wonderful in their new home.
“The apartment is really great,” Nathan said. “We were pretty self-sufficient before we moved, so there really wasn’t much of a change in that regard.”
Nathan is holding steady at 85 pounds. He said the couple enjoys spending their days talking, watching movies and going to the mall. They make do on his Social Security income, but there is good news ahead.
For the first time, his work is going to be shown at a gallery, in Danvers, Mass.
“We are all looking forward to the show so much,” Nathan said. “My art will be up for about three months with a reception in the middle with wine and cheese and the whole bit.”
This artist deserves the whole bit, even if it’s 3,000 miles away.
Columnist Kristi O’Harran: 425-339-3451 or oharran@heraldnet.com .
Buy artwork online
To buy Nathan Herman’s artwork, visit www.ice razer.com on the Internet.
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