An Edmonton mother hopes the perfect storm will help fulfill her son’s last wish. Artwork inspired by music was how her son expressed himself while he battled cancer.
She wants to get a painting to the pop star who inspired him the most.
Looking back, days full of art are the ones Lori Groves says her son Connor Groves loved the most.
“Connor was just a beautiful human being, he always had a smile, always had a joke,” said Lori.
Connor picked up the hobby after his twin brother Zach, at the age of 21. They both use the canvas as a way to express themselves.
“They were diagnosed with Fragile X syndrome and autism when they were quite young. We were told to institutionalize them because they would never amount to anything in life,” Lori said.
Music inspired their art. They painted how the songs made them feel, and the music opened up a new level of creativity for the two brothers, especially Connor.
“He would listen to the song a few times, then he would pick the colours and then he would do the patterns on his canvas. He would just keep listening and move the paintings around and do his art. It was just incredible,” said Lori.
Something that became even more therapeutic when Connor was diagnosed with colon cancer. His favourite artist P!nk was always on repeat.
Connor became a fan of her music four years ago and during his battle with cancer, the songs “When I Get There” and “Perfect” really inspired him.
“When he was painting “Perfect” for P!nk, you could just see what the lyrics meant to him. He would say, “Mom, nobody’s perfect and she loves everybody even if they’re not perfect’. It just made him feel like he was OK.”
Connor was hoping to give the painting to P!nk when she performs in Edmonton on Aug. 31. But on Aug. 5, while listening to P!nk’s “Perfect,” Connor died.
“It was his last wish. He wanted to go see her and present her with the painting, or have her come and see him if he couldn’t go and give it to her. He just felt a connection that he wanted to show her,” said Lori.
His family hopes to keep Connor’s dream alive and share his art with his idol in anyway they can.
“It would have made his life. He just wanted to tell her how special she is and how important she was to him.”