Stand Up for Rye

In the midst of an enormous multitude, one can barely miss Rye. Full of life and teeming with brilliance, he never ceases to amaze whoever encounters him with his talents and intellect. A dancer, choreographer, actor, singer, writer, drag queen, costume designer, make-up artist, and visionary to name a few, it is quite difficult to put a peg into his persona. He is an epitome of an artist extraordinaire. A friend who constantly offers a lending hand or walks extra miles to help, one in need would always feel his presence. Craving for your favorite dish? Let him know and he’ll cook it for you with his spicy tinge of love. Need an honest opinion? He will surely give it to you and with your consent, will not hold back in order for you to see things in a clearer perspective. Need someone to cheer you up when you’re down? He will come up with the wittiest thoughts with the perfect mix of truth and laughter. Life with Rye is always colorful --- the colors of the rainbow are not enough. One has to add all the intermediate and tertiary colors, the different hues, tints and tones, and whatever pantone is still yet to come.

Rye is now battling Stage 4 Lymphoma. He is facing this battle head on with his spirit intact. However, he needs our help for his medical and care funds. Let’s shower him with love and add more colors to equip him with this battle.

Sharing Rye’s post (without his permission) upon being told last week by the doctors that Stage 4 is confirmed:

“As an innate attention whore, ending up living the life of a performer was inevitable. It was the only way to feed my burning desire, my hunger, my need to be on stage.

I've been in on a lot of them: concrete ones; makeshift ones; abandoned ones; wobbly ones built on top of already existing ones; slippery ones; damp, floating ones; new ones I've had the privilege to premiere; 7-foot ones; quarter an inch-off the floor ones; warm ones; crowded ones; intimidating ones; unwelcoming ones; hydraulic ones; bare ones; elaborate ones. There are some I may not get the chance to set foot on in this lifetime: Globe Theatre, Broadway, Covent Garden, the Main Stage of Rupauls Drag Race.

And then there's one I've stepped on to rather unprepared. Rather daunted. Rather unsure id be up for the challenge. Rather stunned. But In the midst of all the trepidation, it left me perched at a vantage point where there are no curtains and scrims that hide the other side of the fourth wall. Where there are no blinding lights that keep me from seeing the audience. From hearing their gasps, their sighs. From getting their message to keep going and that they're rooting for me. From feeling what they truly feel.

I've always taken pride at my ability to grab my audience and keep them engaged till the bows. Whether they liked me or not is no longer my responsibility - I had them watching me is what mattered. But being on this stage, I didn't grab them. They came. They wanted in. They reached out, engaged and made the choice to stay connected. And it's not for the poetry, the theatrics, it is out of love.

It is still a sucky place to be in, but how can one find the time to wallow in self-pity and loathing when there's too much love coming his way?

Chemotherapy started yesterday. We've still a long way to go, but I wanna thank all of you as early as now as I already see how we're gonna slay this Stage like no other. After all, it's just another stage to conquer.

Stage 4 Lymphoma is just another stage to conquer.”