In 2000, Betty Harm, Dave’s wife, was diagnosed with Stage III breast cancer. After a modified radical mastectomy, eight chemotherapy treatments, and a 30-day radiation treatment, she has since been in remission.
Harm’s CD is not only a blend of poetry and music but also of people. It uses four distinct voices to convey the message of hope, courage, strength, and love. And all the people involved have some way been affected by cancer.
“The CD has four readers,” Harm said. “We’ll start with myself. I am the only male voice on Purple Power. As a spouse of a survivor, my voice represents a symbol of strength and support. Another reader is my wife Betty. She is the voice of a survivor. Kind of frail and weak, her voice shows how we keep moving forward with courage. The other two readers are young ladies. I met Ashlee Dickinson a few years back and I talked about her family in my first book, Damaged Merchandise. She was a little nervous to start but after she took a few deep breaths she did fine. I still chuckle when I think of her first reading. She took a two minute poem and read it in 20 seconds. Ashlee has lost family members to cancer and hers is the voice of uncertainty. And finally, is my step-daughter, Lisa Engelman. Representing the child of a survivor, her voice is one of hope. Lisa is a natural behind a microphone. She did a fantastic job! She was the star of the show. So there you have it; a spouse of a survivor, a child of a survivor, someone who has lost family members to cancer, and a survivor. Ranging in age from 17 to 50 it symbolizes how cancer doesn’t attack just the young or old, nor male or female.”
Harm said even though they were just reading, they still made mistakes. Recording the CD, which runs 40 minutes, took about six and a half hours. The CD, which was recorded in Lincoln, took close to 100 hours and more than 500 miles of driving back and forth to Lincoln to complete.
According to Harm, all of his poetry is inspired by actual experience. “There’s nothing fantasy or made up.”
“The goal from day one on this project is that years from now nobody who would listen to this CD would know what it means, that cancer has been eliminated,” Harm said. Harm said proceeds from the CD sales will go to the Relay For Life, with Jefferson County sales going to the Jefferson County Relay and Gage County sales going to the Gage County Relay.
So why the name “Purple Power”? “At a relay event everyone is wearing a T-shirt showing their participation in this event”, Harm said. “There are a variety of colors for the shirts, but it’s always easy to see the survivors, their shirts are always purple. Then to watch that first lap – the survivor’s lap - is pure power. Hence, Purple Power.”
The CDs, which sell for $10, have returned positive reviews to Harm.
“I bought one of your Purple Power CDs on Saturday at the Relay kick-off and just got done listening to it. What a beautiful CD! My husband was diagnosed with non-Hodgkins in September 2001 and died in October 2005. It was four years of fighting but sadly, God needed him more. When listening to the CD it brought tears just thinking about all we went through also. The CD expresses the fears, hopes, emotions, etc., of all cancer patients and their families. Thank you for putting all of them into words. The music added, fit the emotion. What a beautiful combination. I hope the CDs will sell, once people listen to it I can’t imagine them not selling. I’m glad your wife is doing well and I pray that she continues to have good check-ups.” – Corinne Koch, Beatrice
The CDs are available at Beatrice Bakery, Blue Rose Antiques, Git ‘N Split, TY’s Tobacco Corner and Pro Auto Tune in Beatrice and Diller Telephone, Diode Cable, and C&C Food Mart in Diller. Copies can also be purchased through Harm’s website, www.daveharm.com
Article from the Fairbury Journal News by Vicki Check - 12 MARCH 2008
3/12/08
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