Dear
friends, family and clients,
There is
really no other way to say this, so I will just come out and say that I have
just been diagnosed with stage 4 advanced cancer. I will be starting chemotherapy next week,
but the prognosis is not good. They are
giving me about 2-3 years to live. I am
still taking this all in, and have signed up for the most aggresive treatment
available. I am going to do everything I
can to beat this, but I am also starting to prepare for the worst case scenario. Please don't feel too bad for me, as I have
had a very full and interesting life. I
have an absolutely amazing group of best friends that are like family to me,
and they have all expressed a strong commitment to helping me in any way
possible. I have traveled the world,
lived in many places, I've been in love twice, and seen and done many
interesting things. I have also been
able to dedicate my life to being a full time sculptor and artist for the last
28 years. This has been my dream job, and
I have been able to both support myself and get my work in many museums,
airports, hospitals, universities, train stations, military bases, office buildings and private
art collections all around the world, not to mention hundreds of times in
movies and on television.
At this
point, I will no longer be accepting all new commissions people ask for, and
only picking a few select projects for the time I have left. I do have a LOT of sculptures and paintings
currently available at my studio if anyone is interested in those. I do want to spend time with many of you, and
that has now become a priority for me, so please drop me an email to set
something up. I would also ask that you
please respect my privacy, and don't show up at my studio without notice. It's really no fun talking about this stuff,
and I don't want to have the same sad discussions too often.
I am
actually taking this news fairly well, though the daily pain is not too much
fun. I am looking at the end of my time
here as hopefully the beginning of an amazing new adventure after I pass. I am excited about the possibility of seeing
those people I love that have passed before me, not to mention getting out of
jury duty.
I have a
lot of love for so many of you, and I want you to know that you have helped to
make my life way more fun, interesting, and worth living. Thank you from the bottom of my heart!
Your
friend,
Bruce Gray
