Today, July 23,2009, I have lost a dear old family friend, Gilma O'Rourke. Gilma was an amazing person, I'm lucky to have had her in my life. She was inspirational, hopeful, and wise. She has helped my family and I during hard and dark times, and was always a beacon of hope when the going got tough. She was a very dear close friend to my grandmother before her passing, and she has helped my family numerous times, too many to count. One of personal note, as a cosigner for my student loans.

It's hard in this world of cynics and negative people to find someone as positive and loving as Gilma, and I'm truly astonished to this day how much she believed I will make it in my industry. She is the only reason that I had the luxury to go to the Academy of Art University, and I will never forget that. I have grown as a person, son, neighbor, friend, lover, and artist in ways that I never thought possible. I owe it all to her, this wonderful opportunity to contiue my education and carve the path to my future.

There are only a handful of people that I can say have drastically changed my life, and Gilma the only one who has done so repeatedly and without falter. She was such a loving, caring human being and I will never forget her and her unwavering generousity.

All the flowers in this picture were from her beautiful garden in Houston. It was always such a wonderful relaxing place to be in, as you felt all of life's stresses melt away. She moved from Houston to Medellin, Colombia earlier this year, to spend the rest of her days closer to home.

She fell ill to cancer in early March 2009. She had had cancer twice before, but kept a tight lid on it because she didn't want anyone to feel sorry for her. The doctors recently said there was nothing else they could do for her and it was terminal. She has been in bed at home, with nurses taking care of her on 12 hour shifts. She passed away early this morning at 4AM.

I love you Gilma, and will never forget you. Thank you for everything.