The Paint n Play Art Studio in Monrovia is a popular gathering spot for families from around the San Gabriel Valley. If you stop in you will likely find a group of kids wearing aprons and happily painting ceramics.
But it’s the studio’s close proximity to one of the nation’s leading cancer hospitals, City of Hope, that inspired owner Lisa Barrios to start a free program creating custom handprints for terminally ill patients.
She presses their hands into clay and then bakes the clay in her kiln. The result is a one-of-a-kind platter shaped keepsake. The plate is then painted with the name of the patient and adorned with decorations of some of their favorite things.
Barrios named the program Hold n Hands Help n Hearts. She was inspired after she connected with a growing number of sick kids from the nearby hospital who stopped by to do art therapy.
One of Barrios' regular customers was Miranda Rodriguez. The four year old loved the color pink, butterflies, and most of all art.
While undergoing treatment for an inoperable brain tumor at City of Hope Miranda often stopped by the studio.
The memory brings Barrios to tears.
"It’s just really emotional because she loved to be here," Barrios said as she looked over photos of the little girl.
Miranda’s father Carlos Rodriguez says her trips to Paint n Play were very healing.
"She was at peace when she was drawing. She loved art of every form. Even in chemotherapy sessions - that was the one thing that gave her solace," he says.
After enduring months of horrific side effects from chemotherapy, with no improvement, Miranda decided she’d had enough. During a family vacation she threw a coin in a fountain and made a wish.
Carlos Rodriguez says he asked what she wished and her answer was heartbreaking. His voice cracks as he remembers.
"She wished not to do any more treatment," he says.
Miranda had one additional wish before she passed. She wanted to return to Barrios' art studio. During her last visit Barrios saved her hand print in clay, one solo and one side-by-side with her little brother, Guancarlo.
The family keeps the mementos in their dining room. They feel it's especially important for Guancarlo to remember the sister he lost.
"Memories at that age are very hard to come by, but something tangible to see the difference and as he grows to see that at one point he was here with his sister. He was here alongside her and they loved each other and they'll always be part of each other’s lives," Carlos Rodriguez says.
Miranda's Mother Gina Rodriguez says the ceramic keepsake is a bittersweet treasure.
"We have pictures and we have some of her clothes. But to have her actual hand size at that time is just to see how small, how much love she gave with all of her art," she says.
Carlos Rodriguez says Lisa Barrios is an angel who connects with all of the sick children who come to the studio.
"They can’t really be with other children, but here it was just about art, there was a purity to it. Lisa was always loving and encouraging and nurturing to everyone and that is extraordinary. It’s one thing to say we are giving you this free treasure - but it's another to make you feel loved," he says.
Barrios also makes lasting hand prints for terminally ill adults. Former Miss Chinatown Jeannie Yee, who is battling a rare form of nasal cancer, stopped in to save her handprint for her young children.
See her incredible story by clicking here.
Another adult print created at Paint n Play is that of Jim Mirriam. He died of cancer in 2011 and is fondly remembered in Monrovia. He played Santa Clause at community gatherings and picked a mean banjo in a local band. There is a bench in his honor at Monrovia's Library Park.
His sister Pamela Fitzpatrick says she cherishes her keepsake of his handprint. She believes the process of creating it helped her brother accept that the end was near.
"I think this helps people cope. It not only gives families something to hold onto, but before the passing they get in touch with reality. There is something about accepting it. Just doing this isn’t just for the memorial. It’s facing death and being okay," Fitzpatrick says.
Lisa Barrios says running the program helps her as much as it helps the families.
"At the deepest level to be able to help somebody and give them something beautiful in a crisis is a beautiful gift that’s given to me. There is a very strong bond with the family. Once I felt that bond I knew this was hopefully going to be my legacy," she says.
Barrios has even gone to a mortuary to save the tiny handprint of a baby who had already passed away. While it was the most difficult keepsake she has ever created, she knew how important it was to the family.
"It’s a gift that not many people have the capacity or the resources to give. I realized that early on," she says.
Another of her favorites is eight year old Marcus Smith. He gave his handprint two years ago when he was undergoing treatment for Leukemia. Marcus was so ill Barrios had to go to the hospital to press his tiny hand into clay.
"I was throwing up every day. It was horrible," Marcus remembers.
Miraculously, Marcus survived and is now in remission. He shows us how much he's grown by placing his hands onto the plate. His long fingers extend over the small print.
"I grew up!" He exclaims with a grin.
His mother Toni says one day when he's older she'll explain what the handprint means.
"I’ll tell him this represented a time, a dark and scary time in his life.. but that he made it. It looked a little scary but if you can make it through this.. you can make it through anything."
Lisa Barrios pays for the program out of her own pocket. If you would like to help you can donate to the Monrovia Association of Fine Arts by clicking here. The non-profit accepts donations on her behalf.
