This project came at a very difficult time in my life. The story and characters reflect real events and real people in my life, so I thought it would be important to include a timeline. Hopefully, this will give you an understanding of why I chose to create this project.
Context
Timeline
2020
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
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January
February
2021
Rusty
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Global Pandemic
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Diagnosis
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Chemotherapy
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Reaction
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Start of Fourth Year
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Terminal
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Christmas
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Funeral
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Final Year Project
Rusty
Rusty was my 16 year old childhood dog. She passed away the weekend before college started back up. She was all I could think
about in my design narrative class and I ended up making an animation called “The Gift of Grief.”
Global Pandemic
Covid 19 reached Ireland. The Irish government announced what was considered by many to be a lockdown. This meant no contact with anyone outside of my household. It was just me and my parents.
Diagnosis
My dad went into hospital and was diagnosed with liver cancer. Due
to covid, no visitors were allowed in the hospital. After a few days we were told surgery was not an option. Further tests needed to be done
to determine if there were other treatment options.
Chemotherapy
My dad was told chemotherapy was his only option. We prepared for
a call to tell us when he would get his first treatment. On my mom’s birthday he was called in. Due to covid, we were once again not allowed to accompany him. In an attempt to cope with this, I started to express how I felt at the end of each day through drawings of a character I had created years before named Dolly. I continued to draw her every day for the next 365 days.
Reaction
My dad started to react badly to the treatment. He was admitted to hospital with an infection. His treatment was postponed for a few weeks and the treatment dosage was lowered.
Start of Fourth Year
We were told to start coming up with ideas for our final year project. I knew I wanted to tell a story. As much as I tried to come up with other ideas, everything felt meaningless in comparison to what I was going through. I started to consider relating my project to my situation.
Terminal
My dad had another bad reaction. He returned to the hospital. Covid restrictions still banned visitors. We were told the tumour had grown. The treatment had not worked. My dad was taken off Chemotherapy and given a terminal diagnosis.
Christmas
Christmas was like a normal Christmas. My brothers came home and
it was like we were all little kids again. We had dinner and presents.
My dad gave me a book entitled “She believed she could, so she did.” My mom gave me a homemade knitted version of the Dolly she had seen me drawing every day.
Funeral
On January 14th my dad passed away. After Christmas, covid had taken a turn for the worst in Ireland and severe restrictions were put in place. Ten people were allowed at my dad’s funeral.
Final Year Project
It was time to make a decision about my final year project. I knew there was only one way this project was going to go. I needed to tell my story, nothing else mattered. An animation of this scale, in four months, with no technical animation training, seemed pretty impossible. But I knew my dad believed I could, so I did.