Colby Curtin, 10, Sees UP on Her Last Day Alive

"Pixar grants girl's dying wish to see 'Up' "
The Orange County Register (September 6, 2009)

"Colby Curtin, a 10-year-old with a rare form of cancer, was staying alive for one thing - a movie.

"From the minute Colby saw the previews to the Disney-Pixar movie Up, she was desperate to see it. Colby had been diagnosed with vascular cancer about three years ago, said her mother, Lisa Curtin, and at the beginning of this month it became apparent that she would die soon and was too ill to be moved to a theater to see the film.

"After a family friend made frantic calls to Pixar to help grant Colby her dying wish, Pixar came to the rescue...."

On the off chance that someone will read this and try to call Pixar for a free movie, because their pet canary wants to see UP, read on:

"...At that point, Orum-Moore, who desperately wanted Colby to get her last wish, began to cold-call Pixarand Disney to see if someone could help.

"Pixar has an automated telephone answering system, Orum-Moore said, and unless she had a name of a specific person she wanted to speak to, she could not get through. Orum-Moore guessed a name and the computer system transferred her to someone who could help, she said...."

That was June 9, 2009, a Tuesday.

Understandably, "Pixar officials declined to comment on the story or name the employees involved." I'm sure they care about kids and all that: but also don't want anyone working for them to get flooded by calls from people wanting a free movie.

Someone from Pixar arrived at Colby's house the next day day: which was just as well, as things turned out. The Pixar employee had a DVD of UP, a bag of stuffed animals - characters in the movie - and a movie poster. Also "quirky background details of the movie".

Then, they watched UP.

Or, rather, everybody but Colby did. The pain from her cancer was too much for her, and she was keeping her eyes closed through the movie. Her mom gave her a play-by-play of the movie as it ran.

Finally, the employee left, taking the DVD with him.

Colby died at 9:20 that evening.

There's more detail about Colby Curtin and her dying wish to see UP in the Register article.

Bottom line about the article? It's a very nice writeup of part of Colby's last day. Not too gushy, in my opinion.

Why Didn't Her Mom Just Buy the DVD?

Colby was in no shape to go to the movie theater: and anyway, her mom hadn't been able to make arrangements for a wheelchair to carry her.

They could still have just bought the DVD, right?

Colby died during the second week of June, 2009.

"Pixar’s Up DVD Release Date Announced (+Blu-ray)"
IMDB.com (August 10, 2009)

"Coming to DVD and Blu-ray this Fall and right in time for Black Friday is Pixar's latest cinematic achievement, Up. On November 10, 2009, you can own either a four-disc Blu-ray Combo Pack or a two-disc DVD, which both include a digital copy of the film...."

By November 10, 2009, when the DVD was in stores, Colby had been dead for five months.

What About a Wheelchair?

Why not just go out, buy a wheelchair for the kid, and wheel her to the theater?

In the Orange County area, there's almost certainly a medical supply house that carries that sort of thing. And, you can get a pretty good pediatric wheelchair for just under $500. Rental should be quite a bit less than that - around $65 a week in Orange County. Which, for some households, is chump change. Others, not so much. ("Lemming Tracks: Lower Middle Class and Loving It" (December 14, 2009))

A Vigil, a Funeral Mass, and Hawaiian Attire

A (very) dated announcement was on the same page as the online article about Colby Curtin:

"VIGIL AND MASS FOR COLBY CURTIN:"
"A vigil will be held for Colby Curtin at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Catholic Church, 1441 W. Balboa Blvd., Newport Beach. Hawaiian attire that is appropriate for church is strongly encouraged as a way to celebrate Colby's life. A funeral mass will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday at the church."

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• "Cure for Cancer and Energy from the Sea? This Might Actually Work"
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• "Jayci, Jason Yaeger: Father and Dying Daughter Meet
  (March 27, 2008)

More:

• "Vigil recalls girl whose dying wish was to see 'Up' "
  The Orange County Register (September 6, 2009)