Sometimes, only sometimes mind you, a corporation does some good with almost no prodding. This is a sad story. It’s also a story about doing the right thing, even when you don’t have to do it.
Colby Curtain was a 10-year-old girl from Orange County, California. Note the word was. Two days before Christmas in 2005, Colby was diagnosed with vascular cancer after doctors found that she had a tumor in her liver. Dcotors were unable to arrest the progress of the disease and, by last week, it was clear that Colby had only days left. She had been holding on because she wanted to see the movie, Up, by Disney/Pixar. Unfortunately, she was too weak to travel to the movies.
A family friend started working the phones. A Pixar representative loaded up the theater-only movie onto a DVD disc and flew it to the Curtain home. Colby and her family were able to watch the movie in the comfort of her home.
Colby died less than seven hours after she finished watching the movie.
I’m going to let you pause here and look for a hankie. I know I needed one when I read this story.
Lisa Curtin reflected about how grateful she is that Pixar – and “Up” – were a part of her only child’s last day.
“When I watched it, I had really no idea about the content of the theme of the movie,” said Curtin, 46. “I just know that word ‘Up’ and all of the balloons and I swear to you, for me it meant that (Colby) was going to go up. Up to heaven.”
Pixar officials declined to comment on the story or name the employees involved.
From reading the story, I get the impression that Pixar didn’t actually want some publicity from this. It seemed as if they wanted to do a good deed and do it anonymously. That’s sort of rare form for a corporation. I applaud them for it.
And we here at the Guide offer the Curtain family our condolences. We have no idea what they must be going through, but we’ve got a pretty good idea it’s nowhere near a good thing. Our thoughts are with you.
– Richard
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