South Fayette woman honors husband’s memory through local nonprofit
Katherine Mansfield/Observer-Reporter
Michelle VanBibber spends much of her time at Michelle Marie Boutique in Morgan, Pa., where she crafts jewelry for retail and wholesale (including clients like Maid of the Mist, and several national and state parks, and museums). VanBibber and her daughter, Helina, recently debuted the Go Gray for Brain Cancer Awareness collection at an Oscars pre-party in Los Angeles.
Katherine Mansfield/Observer-Reporter
Pieces of Michelle Marie Boutique’s Go Gray collection mix brain cancer awareness colors – gray and black – with a splash of gold, for hope. A percentage of proceeds from sales of Michelle VanBibber’s handcrafted Go Gray jewelry is donated to VanBibber Service Legacy.
Katherine Mansfield/Observer-Reporter
Michelle VanBibber and her son, Tyler, serve on the board of VanBibber Service Legacy, a nonprofit devoted to funding research for and assisting families battling glioblastoma. VanBibber’s daughter, Helina, is currently studying cognitive science at Case Western in Cleveland, but finds time to serve on the board alongside her family.
Courtesy of Birdie Thompson
Helina VanBibber, right, poses with Ravi Cabot-Conyers, who voiced Antonio in the animated film “Encanto,” at an Oscars pre-party on March 25. Cabot-Conyers sported a Go Gray for Brain Cancer Awareness bracelet.
Michael VanBibber’s legacy of service lives on.
VanBibber, of South Fayette, died in July 2020 at the age of 52, after being diagnosed one year earlier with a form of brain cancer called glioblastoma. He was a hands-on dad who was active in his son Tyler’s Boy and Cub Scout troops and passed his competitive spirit to his collegiate soccer-playing daughter Helina; a hard-working mechanical engineer whose patent is used globally; and a husband who, fittingly, met his wife, Michelle, through Virginia Tech’s service sorority Alpha Phi Omega.
“The motto was, ‘That I may serve.’ We always had continued to do that,” said Michelle VanBibber, adding community service was something she and her husband did together and instilled in their children.
Mike was not only active in the community, he was also devoted to his family. The runner created spreadsheets for every family vacation (the VanBibbers love traveling) so that no sight worth seeing went unseen. He loved movies (Tyler remembers fondly evenings spent watching “Star Wars”) and sports (he played football in high school).
“He treated me like a princess,” Michelle said. “In the morning, he would bring me my coffee. We shared things like love of nature, love of theater. We were both big hockey fans. We went to a lot of the Virginia Tech games. We traveled. We did everything together.”
Now, Michelle and her children are carrying on a tradition of loving service through the VanBibber Legacy Service, a nonprofit devoted to raising awareness of and funding glioblastoma research, and helping other families battling a disease that claims about 10,000 American lives annually.
“We thought this would be a good way for us to commemorate his memory. There’s been no increase in treatment since, like, 1984 with brain cancer. Funding is not quite there,” said Michelle. “Also, the lack of help for caregivers was another thing that we really struggled with.”
Caretaking, especially at the start of COVID-19, fell on Michelle and her two children, whose college semesters were cut short by the pandemic.
“(My mom) did everything,” said Tyler, who earned a degree in hospital management from Western Carolina University and is working on his registered nursing degree. “She didn’t do any work for her own job. She spent every single hour and minute taking care of my dad.”
The family learned together how challenging cancer can be for both the patient and the family. They also saw firsthand how quickly glioblastoma steals a loved one. On average, those diagnosed with the brain cancer live about 15 months.
“Two weeks before I went to my freshman year was when my dad was formally diagnosed with glioblastoma,” said Helina, who is studying cognitive science at Case Western in her father’s honor. “Coming home in March from school – I’m so grateful that I had that time with my dad, because I remember when I came home and he was walking. He went on a walk with Tyler, and that next week he was having difficulty walking. We couldn’t go anywhere because of the pandemic so I was at home every day, having conversations. I think that’s something I’ll cherish is being home when I should have been at college.”
When VanBibber Service Legacy was founded in 2021, its first action was connecting Mike’s service dog, Mushu, with a local woman battling brain cancer.
Mike received his service dog from Perfect Fit Canines, a small, Pittsburgh-area nonprofit that specializes in service dog training.
“(Mushu) can open the refrigerator, get a bottle of water. He could help with laundry. You sneeze, he’ll bring you a tissue and throw it back in the trash, and open doors,” said Michelle. “He learned to balance, help balance the person if they started tipping. People (who) have brain injuries or even tumors, they can lose their ability to walk, but then it can come back. My husband, even though he was in a wheelchair, he was convinced that when Mushu was with him, he was going to start running again.”
That hope drives Michelle, Tyler and Helina – the three make up the nonprofit’s board – to spread the word and fundraise the best way they know how.
And that’s with jewelry.
“Through my healing process, I started getting back into painting,” said Michelle, a former researcher who has sold handcrafted jewelry to museum and aquarium gift shops, state and national parks and other clients nationally through her wholesale retail company Ciao Bella since 2008.
“I started playing with the resin dyes and everything sort of fell into place. I started mixing the silvers and grays, and I’m like, this will be for the Go Gray line. I was inspired and that was prefect for my healing process, just the designing.”
Before the pandemic hit, Michelle shifted, opening Michelle Marie Boutique – a move that afforded her more time at home with Mike. Through that venture she launched the Go Gray collection she’d crafted as part of her healing process.
Earlier this year, Michelle and Helina flew west, where Ciao Bella and Michelle Marie Boutique’s Go Gray for Brain Cancer collection was featured at an Oscars pre-party.
A table adorned in handcrafted jewelry – a sea of grays, blacks and gold set in silver, or snug on dainty chains and cork bands – drew the eyes of Oscar, Grammy and Emmy nominees, who stopped to admire the pieces and talk with the VanBibber women.
“To hear the stories of so many people that knew somebody with glioblastoma, it surprised me. They make that connection with you and they come to your table because they see the glioblastoma,” said Helina. “It was just a nice, human experience.”
Not only was the Oscars party a chance to showcase the Go Gray collection, but it also helped Michelle and Helina gain exposure for VanBibber Service Legacy. The women introduced their cause to Hollywood and the television and music industries.
“There’s a lot of swag bag haters out there but it was to bring awareness to the cause, to the charity,” said Michelle. “We’ve gotten donations come through from some of the celebrities. Just to get the brand out there and just to let the people in the brain cancer community, the groups I’m in on Facebook, know that they’re not forgotten about. We’re still trying to help find a cure.”
A percentage of proceeds from the Go Gray collection benefits VanBibber Service Legacy. Folks can donate any time, and the nonprofit hopes to host a walk later this year.
Other goals Michelle has for 2022 include purchasing a litter for Perfect Fit Canines and assisting glioblastoma families with caretaking, service dogs and other costs.
“There were so many people who did so many generous things, and you almost can’t thank everybody during the time because you’re overwhelmed,” she said. “This was our way to pay it forward.”
To learn more about VanBibber Service Legacy, visit http://vanbibberservicelegacy.com/.