Lion King

Random trivia about Dina............she's a musical geek. I love musicals. I love to sing songs from musicals at the top of my lungs. I can break out in a rousing rendition of "If I were a rich man..." When Chicago came out in the theaters I was one of the first ones in line to buy a ticket. I have had season tickets to Music Circus.

One day, when Jillian was in the hospital, I was having a very bad day. She was having a very bad day. I had been crying most of the morning. Haley was with me so she was having a bad day too. I took her down to the playroom and was irritated that there was something going on that day and she wouldn't be able to play. I took her back to her dad and sent them to lunch. I then wandered around, needing a break from the sadness that I was feeling in Jillian's room. I wandered back down by the playroom and stopped to see what was going on.

There was a teenager who was on his 6th round of chemo for his cancer that had come back. I believe that it may have been terminal. He was from Reno. He was involved in theater. He had written a letter to somebody asking if the cast from the Lion King could come visit the kids at UCSF. And there they were.....the cast from Lion King!

They were talking with kids and passing out Nala and Simba dolls. And then they sang.

They sang this song.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eipUFAgbzzw&feature=related

It made me cry and gave me chills. One of the nurses from Jilly's floor asked me what was wrong (besides the obvious). I told her that I love musicals and their singing moved me.

I went back up to Jilly's room and was sitting in the rocking chair holding her on a pillow. She was very sick. It was a day that I had been feeling as though we were loosing hope.

Then the cast walked into her ICU room. They were on the floor passing out dolls and softly singing.

But they came in and told me that they had heard I was a lover of musicals. I told them yes, that their singing downstairs had moved me. One of them said that yes, she had seen me standing in the back crying. So she sang me some of this song.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w6OnzytMzL4&feature=related

And I bawled like a baby. This song is about going on a journey, not knowing where that journey is going to lead you but always knowing your family (pride) will be there. And that's a little of what I was feeling that day. Being on a journey that I had no clue where it was leading me and how I was going to get back to where I wanted to be....home.

Here is the cast with me in Jilly's ICU room. They were the nicest people. They actually sat with me for a short while and talked, asked me questions about Jilly. Tried to give me a little comfort. It turned out to be a very special day for me.

The reason I am posting about this is that the Lion King is currently playing at the Convention Center here in Sacramento. The summer after Jilly was released from UCSF the Lion King came to Sacramento for the first time. I took Mikayla and Haley to go see it.

It was absolutely amazing. I think that I cried through the whole musical. I had chills the entire time. It quickly became my all time favorite musical. The sets are stunning. The animals (you can see them in the first video I posted) walk up and down the aisles. It is just awesome.

It plays her in Sacramento until June 28th. If you ever have the chance to go see it, you should. You will never forget it.