February 2015 - Tony Ward Studio

Jared Sobel: My Mother

Posted on February 26, 2015 by Jared Sobel

From sorrow to joy, from sickness to health, Lynne had to undergo an odyssey of emotions while moving toward victory. While her family followed and supported her, the journey was mainly an individual one. From dentist to endodontist to oral surgeon, she was ferried back and forth to figure out what was wrong. Upon hearing the news, Lynne and her husband, Neil, were devastatingly sad. Lynne had cancer, stage two non-Hodgkins lymphoma in her cheek. For months Lynne had to undergo chemotherapy until the doctors knew that the tumor of cancerous cells was gone. The time dragged on longer and longer, and Lynne could only feel despair at how far away the end of the journey was.

Finally, she made it to proton therapy radiation, something that only the University of Pennsylvania and three other hospitals offer on the east coast of the United States. Each and every day for a long and tiring month, Neil drove her an hour to go to the very thing she hated the most, and yet the very thing that was saving her life. Each time she would have to have the mask bolted on as she lay on her back on a cold, metal table.

The final round of proton therapy ended, and Lynne rang the bell signaling the end of her journey. Her family accompanied her and there were smiles all around, but none as big as Neil’s smile which was filled with love and happiness. To this day, Lynne is one of the largest influences on my life, and I look up to her each and everyday as a role model of strength and perseverance and as my mother.

About the Author: Jared Sobel is a sophomore enrolled in the School of Engineering, University of Pennsylvania. Class of 2017

TWS: Portrait of the Day in Celebration of Black History Month

Self-Portrait by Milt Ward, Courtesy of the Estate of the Artist.

TWS: Portrait of the Day

portraiture by Tony Ward — Portrait of Nami, Copyright 1993

Esther Tong: Faith Hope Love

Posted on February 25, 2015 by Esther Tong

Jin is a sophomore who studies economics at Penn. He is also a follower of Christ. People describe him as a very gentle, kind and friendly person. However, if you know who he was before, you would never imagine this is the same person you meet now. As a very good friend of Jin, I want to share his story and tell you how Christ changed his life.

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Jin used to live in a well-off family in New York. When he was four, his dad lost a law case which caused his family to lose millions of dollars. His mom decided to take care of his younger brother and sent Jin to a private boarding school in China. He spent two years by himself, lonely in the school until one day he received a phone call from his dad.

He was full of excitement and expectations coming back to the States. However, when he went returned to New York, everything changed. His parents got separated and his dad lived in an apartment that he shared with another woman. He became an alcoholic and very cynical. Once his father almost turned the knife towards Jin and tried to kill him while he was drunk. Growing up in this circumstance, Jin became very emotionless and had no understanding about what love really meant for him. He became very angry about life and didn’t understand why all these terrible things happened to him.

However, when he encountered God at the age of 15, his world flipped upside down. Even though he did not receive the love from his own father on this earth, he understands how much the father in heaven has so loved him that he sent his own son to die for us. Jin started to change unintentionally. He is no longer emotionless and has become passionate to Christ. He understands how God really loves him and he became a caring and loving person because he really believes he received the love and grace from the Lord and wants to share it with others.

While he was studying at Upenn during his freshman year, God instilled the thought of missionary work in his heart. He was praying about where God was leading him and got a chance to join a mission group to Turkey. He went with a team of five people during a recent winter break. The trip was unforgettable for him. Especially during the time while he and his teammate were walking in zero degree snowy weather, and were trying to find a place to stay. Random people just came to them and invited them to their house and provided free food and a place to sleep. Jin was able to experience God’s faithfulness and love strongly in that place.

Coming back from Turkey’s trip, Jin became more mature and he has grown so much more in his faith and has greater vision. Now he is ready to work wholeheartedly with God until the day Jesus come back again.

About the Author: Esther Tong is a senior enrolled in the College of the University of Pennsylvania, Class of 2015.

Alexis Borden: Bloom

Posted on February 23, 2015 byAlexis Borden

Nicola and I were randomly matched together as roommates freshman year. We knew nothing of each other. I didn’t know her favorite color, her favorite song, her favorite food, her dreams, her aspirations, her fears… and she of me. Here we are four years later and I know more about her than I think she know about herself. I came to Penn not knowing anybody and I would have never thought 4 years later that I would have a new sister, a best friend, a confidant, a lifelong friend. She is absolutely beautiful, inside and out. She showed me that I can overcome any challenges that may be thrown at me during my lifetime, and believed in me when it seemed no one else would. She inspires me with her unrelenting faith and indominable spirit in any situation. We have seen each other at our highest highs and our lowest lows.

These photos represent the joys we have had together and also the sorrow and sadness we have carried each other through. At times just her presence saved me from abandoning my dreams. Never in my life would I have imagined that one person in such a short time could have such a lasting impact on me. It was an easy choice to pick Nicola, because she has been my constant companion, and a daily inspiration to me for the past four years. She has one of the kindest souls I ever had the privilege to meet. The best gifts she has given me did not come in packages wrapped in red ribbon: she gave me the ability to believe in myself, and taught me by example how important it is to put others first. Sometimes people who are in your life only briefly leave a more lasting impression on you than those who have been with you forever. Because of her, I grow where I am planted, and am blooming into something truly spectacular. I am, without question, a better friend, teammate, sister, and overall, a better person because of her. This project is a tribute to the one and only, Nicola Gale Barnes.

About the Author: Alexis Borden is a senior Biology and pre-med major at the University of Pennsylvania, Class of 2015.