My Past Loves - January 2007

PARIS (AFP) - Lebanese designer Elie Saab kicked off four days of haute couture catwalk shows with glamorous goddess gowns that glinted like a new day dawning over his native Beirut.

Even if his troubled country currently faces political disunity and economic woes, Saab sent out a harmonious vision of full-blooded, fitted femininity, lit up in pastels and sequins, for spring/summer 2007.

"It's not easy but the Lebanese always rise above all difficulties," the designer said after his show in the French capital, which later this week hosts an international donors' meeting for Lebanon.

Despite a protest organised by the pro-Syrian opposition in Beirut since December 1 aimed at ousting the Western-backed government, Saab said for him it was business as ususal.

"Really we are used to this situation, with regard to the house of Elie Saab we are working normally," he said at the start of a busy couture schedule that also saw shows by Christian Dior and Valentino on the opening day.

His 'Goddess of Dawn' collection began with dainty cocktail dresses in lace, exquisitely embroidered with sequins or pearls that picked up the light and were paired with a bolero.

He expertly used Grecian-esque draping and gentle pleats, as his palette moved from beige to iced blue, rose petal pink, lilac, powder grey and aqua green, and finally sultry metallic greys.

Backstage describing the light in Lebanon as "exceptional", Saab added: "I feel that my country gives me a lot of energy to move forward."

He is one of about five Lebanese couturiers to unveil made-to-measure collections in Paris, which is showcasing the luxury and craftsmanship of haute couture until Thursday.

Her name is Madie Marshall, an exuberant little blonde who melts your heart with just one of her front-tooth-less smiles.

Madie unfortunately has some other things her peers do not.

She knows more about needles and the grueling effects of chemotherapy than any of them. But, you wouldn’t know it, looking at the smiling child whose little body appears as healthy as her classmate sitting next to her at Anthony Elementary. Tests haven’t detected one cancer cell in almost three years. February will mark that milestone. Her six month checkup in December was clean.

The daughter of Mike and Nanci Marshall, Madie appeared to be a perfectly healthy baby.

“She never even had diaper rash,” her mom said. That is until she was diagnosed with retinoblastoma – cancer of both eyes. This rare type of cancer strikes only about 300 children per year in documented cases.

“There’s no way of knowing how many children have it in third world countries,” Nanci said.

The entire ordeal started when Madie was five-months old and her mother was viewing pictures she had taken of her. Nanci couldn’t take her eyes off of one picture of her only child at that time. It’s not because the picture was so cute, it was the haunting glow from one of Madie’s eyes, “like a cat’s eye at night,” Nanci described.

“It glows like you are almost looking through it.”

Concerned she took Madie to the family optometrist who immediately sent her on to a specialist. She was then referred to St. Jude Children’s Hospital in Memphis, Tenn., where scientists and doctors have been studying and treating children with cancer and other catastrophic diseases for four decades.

Danny Thomas began St. Jude’s and his daughter Marlo Thomas and her siblings continue to make the facility thrive. As Marlo explained on the Larry King show, at St. Jude’s no patients receive a bill. Not the richest or the poorest. Marlo said wealthy people typically give generous donations and others can get the world renowned treatment at no cost.

If a patient has health insurance, St. Jude’s accepts that amount, but charges no more. St. Jude’s raises funds throughout the year to provide this service. They pay for the child and one parent’s total expenses while in Memphis, including travel, meals and lodging.

Nanci admitted she and Mike were somewhat apprehensive going to such a huge facility at first. “The minute we walked in the door I knew that’s where we needed to be,” Nanci said.

Ill children are transported down the halls in red wagons. Footage shown on Larry King showed one little tyke pedaling his tricycle down the hall followed by someone pushing his IV stand.

“Everyone at St. Jude is so nice,” Nanci said.

She commented on the personal one-on-one treatment and access to doctors. Once home, if she called a doctor and left a message they personally called her back. Doctors, nurses and staff call the Marshall’s home just to check on Madie.

• Madie’s treatment was extensive. She had eight blood transfusions besides the chemo and laser treatments. Doctors tried putting radioactive medicine in Madie’s eye that had the aggressive tumor. Madie spent four days in the radioactive protective room.

“She did pretty well. It took lots of Disney movies,” Nanci recalled. Despite the attempt, Madie lost her eye right before her third birthday, September ‘03. Nanci said the doctor who created her prosthetic eye even let Madie put a red dot on it to determine which is up and down.

“She does fine with her eye. All her teachers at school are very good to help her with it if she needs. The other kids are accepting,” Nanci said. “When I help her with it, she tells me to `Hurry up mommy so I can see.’” Nanci explained that because she squints without the artificial eye in, Madie feels she can see better with her “magic eye” as she refers to it.

• In December Marlo appeared on the Larry King show with a few of the St. Jude’s kids, including Madie who sat alongside her mom. Nanci said she learned Marlo, former “That Girl” sitcom star, selected Madie to be on the show after seeing one of her pictures that touched her heart.

While in California for filming, Marlo had a tea party for the St. Jude’s children. Being on national television was “surreal,” Nanci said.

“Madie had so much fun playing with the kids of the three other families. She loves to ham it up and be in front of people. It’s no big deal for her to talk about her illness.”

• Earlier this fall, Madie had the privilege of doing a photo shoot as the cover story for the November 26 edition of Parade magazine. She and Nanci, a California native, were flown to California, and taken to the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel beside the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

They met up with movie star Jennifer Love Hewitt on the set of Ghost Whisperer. Jennifer is but one of the celebrities who help raise money for St. Jude’s. Nanci said they couldn’t believe it when they arrived on the set to find a trailer with Madie’s name on it, complete with wardrobe and make-up for the youngster.

“Jennifer was very nice to Madie,” Nanci said. “She made Madie feel pretty special when they did their hair and make-up together.”

“The doctor who was there (who is also on the magazine cover), teased about why he didn’t have his own trailer and wardrobe.”

He is Dr. Michael Dyer, a researcher for St. Jude’s, who in November announced a breakthrough for the treatment of retinoblastoma. This new locally applied treatment not only greatly reduces the size of the tumor, but does so without causing the side effects common with standard chemotherapy. This treatment shows promise for also fighting certain forms of breast, lung, prostate and colon cancer.

•Ironically, just weeks before Madie’s ordeal with cancer began, the couple saw a St. Jude’s special on television. Nanci remembers telling Mike they should donate because they were so lucky to have a healthy child.

Despite it all, Nanci said, “Madie really is a normal kid. She does well in school. She’s starting to read (a kindergartner), dances weekly, loves arts and crafts, is well adjusted and throws tantrums just like a normal kid. We try to keep Madie and (little sister) Rhyan grounded. Even though Madie’s been sick, she still has to have boundaries . . . she can’t run wild. Being sick is no excuse to be a brat. You need to treat people with respect. I think we’ve done pretty well.”

Nanci praises Mike’s folks Paul and Sue Marshall of Medicine Lodge. Grandma stayed with Madie everyday through the illness so Mike and Nanci could return to work and pay the bills . . . keep Nanci’s insurance for the local medical expenses like blood work and much more. He works at the Chain Ranch and also farms with family while she works at the FSA office in Anthony.

She thanked surrounding communities for their never-ending generosity. That money pays for dad to make the trips to the hospital also.

“Sometimes Mike and I look at each other and just laugh. How did we do all that? You do it. You just have to. It’s strengthened our marriage, our family, our faith. I never questioned why us. Everything happens for a reason. Early awareness can help others. A screening takes five minutes. I wouldn’t change anything except to never have Madie get sick. We’ve had so many blessings come from a bad thing.”

Mom said, “Doing this photo shoot and Larry King, Madie will remember. But, she’s getting to where she doesn’t remember the nine-hour chemo treatments, thank goodness.”