Hope from Micky

“Hope from Micky” by Melissa Fassel Dunn

About Hope from Micky

My father, Lee “Micky” Fassel, was diagnosed with lymphoma in August of 2011. After a short battle with cancer, he passed away on December 31, 2011. I painted “Hope from Micky” as one of many ways to help me heal from his loss.

My dad at my wedding, 2004.

The sunrise represents hope. Many religions speak of all of the colors in Heaven, colors we can’t even imagine. The multitude of colors in the painting represent heaven. They also represent my dad’s funky coloring style. I remember as a kid, he would color way out of the box, with blue suns and purple trees. It was so silly and fun!

There are five mountains in the painting. The striped one represents Dad’s family and friends – the many people that loved him. The turquoise mountain with the purple and pink flowers is his granddaughters’ mountain. The green and yellow gingham one represents my brother, Geoffry, who passed away from brain cancer many years ago. The pink mountain with the yellow polka dots is my sister, Courtnei’s mountain – the polka dots represent all of the students that Courtnei’s teaching will touch. The purple mountain with the red zigzag is my other sister, Hannah’s mountain. The zigzags represent Hannah’s medical profession and the care she gave for Dad as well as the incredible care that she will give to so many children, in her career as a pediatrician. The blue mountain with the swirls is mine. The swirls represent my funky art and my love of the beach.

This painting is my interpretation of hope from my dad, for everybody who is battling cancer right now: Hope from Micky.

My dad, Lee Fassel, with two of my daughters and me

My dad, Lee Fassel, with my sisters, aunt, and me