Telyan Family Medical Crisis
Donation protected
My name is Tom Schneider. I am a very close friend of Carole and Hermon Telyan, having known them for over 20 years and live in Wilton CT, not far from where they live. In early June, the Telyans received the devastating news that Hermon was diagnosed with advanced Stage 4 Pancreatic cancer, metastasized to his liver. The doctors say his prognosis is “weeks.”
Hermon's diagnosis of terminal illness is horrible on every level, mostly emotional, but also including the prosaic: Financial anxiety. The family is coping with all this in the midst of a pandemic and unemployment challenges.
If you can help, thank you.
Hermon:
If you know Hermon well, you know he has fought many fights - both large and small - and overcome a lot in his lifetime. But pancreatic cancer is one thing that simply escaped his control. It really knocked the fight out of him. As Carole recently said, “I never thought I’d say this but I miss all his opinions! And I miss his feistiness, aliveness, and his anger at social injustice. He’s quiet now.”
His son Harrison said, “This disease literally robbed him of so many dreams – going to Alaska, finishing his home, living in France. He sacrificed so much for his family and then here comes this undetectable disease that hits him just when the responsibilities were loosening up and he could see the potential for realizing some of them.”
His daughter Taylor said, “I can’t explain how much I learned from him. He is outrageous and comical on the outside but gentle on the inside. I am so grateful to have had an immigrant father who taught me persistence, work ethic, cooking, and had a huge influence on my general outlook on the world.”
Perhaps it is best to share a few of the voices of the many people who paid tribute or told a funny story about Hermon during a recent international Zoom birthday call – days before his diagnosis - when he stated that he still feels like he’s 15; “From the clash of ideas, new ideas come, that’s why I will always feel young.”
---Frank, friend and partner for 30+ years – “Hermon is the one person I know who finds it impossible to censor himself. He always speaks his mind. We’ve had lots of discussions over the years, including race.”
--Koenraad, client and friend – “I became friends with my architect, which is not normal, because often one is in conflict with one’s architect. I saw something in Hermon that always draws me to people: he is a Maestro. He is passionate about everything. And he can express his anger and keep going which I always appreciate. The amazing thing is that the style he was implementing for our house is absolutely not Hermon’s style and he executed it in a way is just about the nicest thing I’ve ever seen in Westport. I appreciate his passion about what is right and wrong about this country. God, we've had so many discussions about life and politics. Thank you for your friendship and your openness.”
--Pietro & Cristina, longtime friends – “He's one of the best people we have ever known. He’s iconic."
If you're a detail person who likes specifics, here's their situation:
Prior to his diagnosis, Hermon had two big projects in the pipeline that were postponed until January 2021 when the Covid national lockdown began and people didn't know where the economy was going. Carole, who was Executive Director of Franklin Street Works, a contemporary art space focused on social justice, lost her job in March when the organization permanently closed its doors due to Covid.
Carole is receiving unemployment and looking for a job. We believe Hermon qualifies for unemployment, and hope it will come through.
NOTE: This campaign was set up by a small group of friends in response to the many requests from people looking to help the Telyans.
The money raised through this page will cover mortgage and medical expenses for the next year and help alleviate the financial burden left by this sudden and horrible diagnosis. Carole will be the beneficiary and will have responsibility for withdrawing and spending these funds. Exceeding the goal will further help with household expenses, car payments, and school loans, which are largely unaccounted for. In a similar vein, any leads or job opportunities for Carole, a talented fundraiser, would also be appreciated. CaroleSouthalls LinkedIn
Again, if you can help, thank you.
More Quotes About Hermon from the Birthday Zoom:
--Kathy, Carole’s sister – “Hermon has been a great family member, learned a lot about family from Hermon.”
--Hesham, neighbor – “Before Hermon moved into town, I was the black sheep of Wilton. Then Hermon comes along, and the town was never the same.”
--Carole C – neighbor – “Hermon, we want you to continue to be our favorite “agent provocateur.”
--Tricia, friend - “I love his compassion. I always remember Hermon saying that the only things that matters are family, friends, and faith.”
--Kay, friend - You always challenge us to think about things in different ways.”
--David – friend, theater producer – “I’ve loved you since the first day I met you and saw that twinkle in your eye. For as long as I’ve known you, you’ve never been at a loss for words. You’re just a joy to be with. I know Hermon because he auditioned for us as an extra. He got the part and of all the people, he truly lit up the stage. We always said, ‘be like Hermon.’ ”
--Christian, nephew – “Thank you for keeping Thanksgiving dinner discussions very lively. Lots of potentially controversial opinions being voiced loudly – I always appreciated how you kept the energy and fun going.”
--Mimi – longtime friend – “I have never met anyone who had more opinions than I do but says them louder. I treasure our phone calls because I hear stuff about this country that you wouldn’t believe, but I also learned how to flirt from Hermon and for that, I say thank you very much.”
Hermon Telyan:
Truly a man of many passions:
Architecture Telyan Design ,
social justice, family, jazz, soccer, and friends.
Hermon's diagnosis of terminal illness is horrible on every level, mostly emotional, but also including the prosaic: Financial anxiety. The family is coping with all this in the midst of a pandemic and unemployment challenges.
If you can help, thank you.
Hermon:
If you know Hermon well, you know he has fought many fights - both large and small - and overcome a lot in his lifetime. But pancreatic cancer is one thing that simply escaped his control. It really knocked the fight out of him. As Carole recently said, “I never thought I’d say this but I miss all his opinions! And I miss his feistiness, aliveness, and his anger at social injustice. He’s quiet now.”
His son Harrison said, “This disease literally robbed him of so many dreams – going to Alaska, finishing his home, living in France. He sacrificed so much for his family and then here comes this undetectable disease that hits him just when the responsibilities were loosening up and he could see the potential for realizing some of them.”
His daughter Taylor said, “I can’t explain how much I learned from him. He is outrageous and comical on the outside but gentle on the inside. I am so grateful to have had an immigrant father who taught me persistence, work ethic, cooking, and had a huge influence on my general outlook on the world.”
Perhaps it is best to share a few of the voices of the many people who paid tribute or told a funny story about Hermon during a recent international Zoom birthday call – days before his diagnosis - when he stated that he still feels like he’s 15; “From the clash of ideas, new ideas come, that’s why I will always feel young.”
---Frank, friend and partner for 30+ years – “Hermon is the one person I know who finds it impossible to censor himself. He always speaks his mind. We’ve had lots of discussions over the years, including race.”
--Koenraad, client and friend – “I became friends with my architect, which is not normal, because often one is in conflict with one’s architect. I saw something in Hermon that always draws me to people: he is a Maestro. He is passionate about everything. And he can express his anger and keep going which I always appreciate. The amazing thing is that the style he was implementing for our house is absolutely not Hermon’s style and he executed it in a way is just about the nicest thing I’ve ever seen in Westport. I appreciate his passion about what is right and wrong about this country. God, we've had so many discussions about life and politics. Thank you for your friendship and your openness.”
--Pietro & Cristina, longtime friends – “He's one of the best people we have ever known. He’s iconic."
If you're a detail person who likes specifics, here's their situation:
Prior to his diagnosis, Hermon had two big projects in the pipeline that were postponed until January 2021 when the Covid national lockdown began and people didn't know where the economy was going. Carole, who was Executive Director of Franklin Street Works, a contemporary art space focused on social justice, lost her job in March when the organization permanently closed its doors due to Covid.
Carole is receiving unemployment and looking for a job. We believe Hermon qualifies for unemployment, and hope it will come through.
NOTE: This campaign was set up by a small group of friends in response to the many requests from people looking to help the Telyans.
The money raised through this page will cover mortgage and medical expenses for the next year and help alleviate the financial burden left by this sudden and horrible diagnosis. Carole will be the beneficiary and will have responsibility for withdrawing and spending these funds. Exceeding the goal will further help with household expenses, car payments, and school loans, which are largely unaccounted for. In a similar vein, any leads or job opportunities for Carole, a talented fundraiser, would also be appreciated. CaroleSouthalls LinkedIn
Again, if you can help, thank you.
More Quotes About Hermon from the Birthday Zoom:
--Kathy, Carole’s sister – “Hermon has been a great family member, learned a lot about family from Hermon.”
--Hesham, neighbor – “Before Hermon moved into town, I was the black sheep of Wilton. Then Hermon comes along, and the town was never the same.”
--Carole C – neighbor – “Hermon, we want you to continue to be our favorite “agent provocateur.”
--Tricia, friend - “I love his compassion. I always remember Hermon saying that the only things that matters are family, friends, and faith.”
--Kay, friend - You always challenge us to think about things in different ways.”
--David – friend, theater producer – “I’ve loved you since the first day I met you and saw that twinkle in your eye. For as long as I’ve known you, you’ve never been at a loss for words. You’re just a joy to be with. I know Hermon because he auditioned for us as an extra. He got the part and of all the people, he truly lit up the stage. We always said, ‘be like Hermon.’ ”
--Christian, nephew – “Thank you for keeping Thanksgiving dinner discussions very lively. Lots of potentially controversial opinions being voiced loudly – I always appreciated how you kept the energy and fun going.”
--Mimi – longtime friend – “I have never met anyone who had more opinions than I do but says them louder. I treasure our phone calls because I hear stuff about this country that you wouldn’t believe, but I also learned how to flirt from Hermon and for that, I say thank you very much.”
Hermon Telyan:
Truly a man of many passions:
Architecture Telyan Design ,
social justice, family, jazz, soccer, and friends.
Organizer and beneficiary
Tom Schneider
Organizer
Wilton, CT
Carole Southall Telyan
Beneficiary
