I did this piece to honor and thank my wife for her incredible devotion in a hundred different ways during my battle with cancer. As it is said in the sacred
Ceremony…..”In sickness and in health”. I would not be alive today without her.

Originally, the piece was conceived from the heroic story of my close friend, Steve Tagg, who escaped with his co-pilot after being shot down in Vietnam and
was being marched to the “Hanoi Hilton” by the Vietcong. He carried his buddy, Bill who had both legs broken in the helicopter crash-traveling at night and hiding, submerged in the swamps during the day.

 

As I was sculpting this powerful piece, it began to change and became an “Amazonian” woman carrying a wounded comrade in battle. My wife is a petite lady, weighing a 120 pounds but the relevance came completely from my subconscious– and took over. It is interesting to see the wounded male covering his eyes, yet moving his legs, as if running, while being carried. Like a Rorschach test-this was exactly what happened during the lengthy cancer fight. My wife called doctors, made appointments, read advanced medical articles, gave me my pills and shots…and I just kept up the intense daily “Rocky” training physical regimen of exercise and running!

After the initial bad Cancer diagnosis, I consciously put “blinders” on- and submitted myself to the most aggressive, and sometimes destructive experimental and cutting edge medical treatments- As she managed everything. I would never talk about, or tell anyone about this mortal battle outside my family. I didn’t want anyone’s sympathy- and wouldn’t let anybody or anything to deter my attack focus.

So, I as the artist was stunned when I truly saw the wounded male hiding his eyes. I constantly make major decisions about every minute detail of my sculptures.
But this, like a strange vivid dream came from I don’t know where! While she carried him to safety on her shoulders…yet still striving to move his legs! I was the racehorse and she was the jockey! “In sickness and in health”…The Marriage Vow.