In This Together: A Look Inside Gilda's Club
Stepping through the red doors of Gilda’s Club is often the most difficult thing a person can do. The driveway up to the restored white farmhouse takes you to a world removed from the hustle and bustle of Bridge Street. There is greenery everywhere, a fountain out front, and a charming rustic farmhouse with a small sign by the main doors depicting Gilda Radner’s image and a note that says, “Come on in,” as if you needed more encouragement, but some people do. Here, you are welcome, but here, you also acknowledge the dark cloud hovering above your head.
“It’s the hardest thing walking through those doors because you are admitting you’re on a journey that you never necessarily saw yourself on,” Wendy Wigger, president of Gilda’s Club Grand Rapids, explained. “When you come here, and you can be part of a community and connect with other people who may be on a different journey but can understand what it’s like to have life disrupted in that way, you’re able to be together and lean on each other during some of life’s toughest chapters.”
Four Generations Standing Up to Breast Cancer
“I'm a very optimistic person and I didn't want it to stay plain white, so I started embellishing,” explained Jan Bigelow, 75, of the white robe given to her to wear during her radiation treatments for ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), a form of breast cancer.
Bigelow was diagnosed in December of 2013 through a routine mammogram. In February 2014, she had a lumpectomy to remove the mass and some tissue surrounding it, then in April, she was given the robe as she embarked on her journey of 33 radiation treatments.
Drift Into the Ethereal Nature of Ann Teliczan
Curled up on the couch in her home in Ada, Ann Teliczan giggles as she reveals that one of her favorite past times is running through the woods barefoot. Much like her artwork, Teliczan is uncategorizable.
A beautiful juxtaposition of what is expected and what is reality, Teliczan brazenly embraces each aspect of herself; she is authentic to her core.
Discovering Delasie and Creating a Ripple
For reasons unbeknownst to her, Rhoda Klomega, 15 at the time, found herself standing in front of Ms. Freeburn with one question.
“I had never spoken to this teacher a day in my life,” Klomega, 22, explained. “I had never thought about sewing. I still consider myself one of the least fashionable people ever. I just walked into her room and asked for the school sewing machine.”
Ms. Freeburn told her that since it was school property, it wasn’t allowed to leave the premises. Klomega walked away and didn’t think much of it until the next day when she was summoned to Ms. Freeburn’s classroom. There, she found her teacher waiting to give Klomega her personal sewing machine.
What's a Cat To Do?
Happy Cat Cafe
Looking out the window from her South Division Street digs, Kati Palmurkar reflects on how she got here.
“I don’t necessarily believe in fate, but sometimes the universe just works out how it is supposed to,” the grounded and pragmatic entrepreneur mused.
She describes herself as “the crazy cat lady behind the Happy Cat Cafe,” but Palmurkar exudes stability, practicality and business know-how far beyond any crazy cat lady stereotype would have one believe.
Palmurkar and her husband have managed to create what no one has before — Grand Rapids’ very first cat cafe, where the community can go to enjoy a hot beverage and the company of seven or so feline friends. After reading about cat cafes in other countries in a BuzzFeed post, the duo decided to pool their knowledge and experience in hospitality and retail to start their own.