Amy V. Smith '94 wrote recently to tell me that she'd read a beautiful article in Glamour magazine (of all places!) about Danielle Drumke, who many of you knew at Smith.I ran right out and bought a copy and the essay written by Danielle's sister, Mila, is jaw-droppingly gorgeous. You'll find it beginning on page 239 of the September issue of Glamour. And yes, Smith College--and Danielle's bulging scholarship fund--are mentioned! [The image above was nabbed from Danielle's Web site.]
Even now, her friends and family unite around their love for Danielle at her Web site.Below is an excerpt from her Updates page (11.15.00):>>>Big discounts: Naomi Graychase shares a recent story
On November 2, I was out at Club Q, the big, all-girl club that happens once a month here in the city. I should have been, but I wasn't at all surprised to see Danielle there. I wimp out on Q if I have so much as a blister, and there she was, fresh from brain surgery, standing at the bar. She greeted me as enthusiastically as ever. She looked great, although a little puffy. Later, she removed her baseball cap to show me her fuzzy head and tremendous scar. It looks like a shark bit her.
She'd already been waiting for a long time for the bartender to notice her. I have no idea what his problem was, but he waited on people to her left and to her right and wouldn't even acknowledge her. Someone else may have gotten upset. I'm sure she was tired, and all she wanted was a freakin' Gatorade. But she never lost her cool. She started cracking jokes about how if we told him she had brain cancer, maybe he'd give her some service. I suggested that she carry a small sign around with her from now on for just that purpose--she'd never have to wait in line for the bathroom or be ignored by a bartender again. She told me a story about going to Ben and Jerry's the night before her surgery. "I told them I was having brain surgery the next day," she said, "and they gave me a discount." "A discount?" I shouted over the music. "Yeah." I thought about this for a minute. "How much is the discount for brain cancer at Ben and Jerry's?" "Fifty percent," she said with a grin.
In the end, Danielle got some other girls to buy her Gatorade from a different bartender, but she got it, and made friends in the process. For me, it was an amazing experience, a slice of Danielle's life. She came out to a dance club, even though she was recovering from major surgery and facing the prospect of radiation in the next few days. She cracked jokes and made me feel completely at ease, demonstrating so clearly that on a day to day basis, having a sense of humor, a generous heart and a love of life and music will draw caring, supportive people and little miracles to you. I feel blessed to know her and to witness, even at a distance and in glimpses, her strength, honesty and most importantly, good humor.>>
Not long after Danielle was diagnosed, I wrote to the Alumnae Quarterly asking them to let me write a story about Danielle and the phenomenal outpouring of love and unity that her illness inspired among hundreds and hundreds of Smithies. They turned down the story idea. I plan to write to them again and ask that they reconsider. It's a shame it won't have happened before Danielle passed away, but her story is glorious--and raised more than $100,000 for Smith! If you believe the AQ should run a story, please take a minute to let them know that. I'm going to drop Mila a note and see if she retained the re-print rights to her essay...perhaps the AQ could run it. (If they've run one and I missed it, someone tell me!)
You can submit an idea
to the AQ here.Labels: impressive Smithies, opinion, Smith news
