Hello all!
How’s this for some amazing and meaningful street art!?
Via Vashti:
Home in Sydney in 48 hrs -
A quick peek at the most amazing surprise created for me as an early birthday present - my very own Andy tree at Venice Beach, and the story of my tattoos - the Lioness and the Butterfly - brought to life in some amazing LA wall art, designed and drawn by a buddy.
Will fill you in on the details when I get back.
BHN
xx
Hello all!
Vashti is currently here in sunny Los Angeles, California, to view the rough final edit of the documentary we are all waiting for - Our Champion’s story through his diagnosis of Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma entitled “Be Here Now”.
Here is a short video of Vashti, sharing how she is feeling about this particular moment in time and of Andy’s legacy, as she is going to view the film for the first time since actually living it with him back in 2010 - 2011.
Enjoy, and if you’d like to express your sentiments remember you can post on maybemcqueen.com and to Vashti via Twitter.
Gratitude.
BHN
via Entertainment Tonight Online:
Lucy Lawless is remembering her Spartacus: Blood and Sand co-star Andy Whitfield in this moving tribute created for the Stand Up 2 Cancer telethon.
Whitfield lost his battle with Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma on September 11th, 2011, but is clearly fondly remembered by both the cast and crew of the hit STARZ series.
You can watch Stand Up 2 Cancer Friday, September 7th at 8 p.m. ET/PT on both STARZ and ENCORE.
“No one is immune to cancer. It strikes unexpectedly, changing lives. We must stand united against this often devastating disease - a lesson the cast and crew of Spartacus learned, when we lost a dearly-loved friend far too early in his life.
Andy Whitfield was a true champion, an amazing man and he gave his all to every aspect of his life, and it was an honor to know him.
Stand with me, and take a moment to remember Andy Whitfield, loving husband and father, terrific actor, and an inspiration to us all.”
- Lucy Lawless
Be Here Now
Vashti Whitifeld, via her Twitter:
Many wonderful people passed away on September 11th, as will many more. Such is the cycle of life. For me September 11th is and always will be a day to celebrate life, living and the opportunity to Be Here Now!
So please - as the many very kind sympathy messages begin pouring in - please be mindful that I am making this a day of celebration, and I would love to inspire you to make that day one that absolutely makes you smile and very glad to be alive!
So as September 11th - aka Andy’s one-year mark - draws nearer and nearer, here is a kind reminder of everything Andy stood for in his last days on this Earth, the idea that life is both fragile and fleeting, and rather than fearing that, we should all celebrate it, and how blessed we are to be alive.
Mourning is a natural part of human nature, and so no one should feel wrong for doing so of Our Champion Andy…just remember he would have wanted us all to smile and celebrate his message of believing in yourself and chasing your dreams -
Be Here Now
Hey everyone!
via Vashti, on her Twitter:
“Ok people, there has been some SERIOUS etching, ink and tattoo work going on in our “Be Here Now/MMQ” community. Listen up.
Could you please take a high-res photo as beautifully shot as possible - with none of your naked bits showing - and e-mail in. No faces please!
May possibly be used somewhere at end of the doco….. Maybe!!!
So for all of you who have or are planning to get Andy/Spartacus/Be Here Now tattoos - please e-mail high quality photos of them to Lilibet Foster at lilibet@beherenowfilm.com, as soon as possible. Thank-you. :)
via Vashti Whitfield on her blog, Maybe McQueen:
“Andy’s dream role would have been to play Steve McQueen. He was fascinated by the extraordinary, complicated and complex ‘film star’ and all that he was.”
And so this is my personal homage to Andy and his dream - sadly a dream forever unfulfilled - on behalf of every single fellow fan and supporter of Our Champion and “Be Here Now.”
Coincidentally - and no doubt very fittingly - the film ‘Le Mans’, whose photo I’ve used in the above edits, was released in 1971 - the year Our Champion Andy was born.
I hope it is a reminder to all who follow Andy’s message of living for the now - and without allowing fear or regrets to paralyze us - to boldly chase whatever it is that we desire out of our lives.
“You only get one life.”
Success! With over $200,000 pledged towards Andy’s story, the goal has been reached. There are no words to say thank-you to all of Andy’s fans who contributed to that goal. Our Champion is surely flashing that smile, wherever he is now. :-)
Continue to spread word about Andy and his message, as any more money that we can all raise will surely help this project reach as far as it possibly can!
WELL DONE EVERYONE.
‘The big strong man I fell in love with was so fragile, as if he was made of tissue’ - Vashti Whitfield
‘Vashti Whitfield is sitting in the garden, explaining why her two young children get excited when a butterfly flutters past. ‘They call out ‘‘Hi Dad!’’ every time they see one,’ she says.
It is the legacy of their father Andy, who died aged 39 last September after an 18-month battle with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a cancer of the lymphatic system. He left seven-year-old Jesse and four-year-old Indigo with a beautiful image to remember him by.
‘In his final words to them, Andy said he had to go to sleep as his body didn’t work, that he was like a butterfly with broken wings, but he would always be with them, watching over them,’ says Vashti.’
Have reached 200 followers on this blog, and so would like to thank every single one of you for the follow, the likes, the reblogs, and mostly for your shared celebration of this wonderful man and spreading word about Be Here How. He deserves it more than words can say!
Here is a photo of Andy, in Paris, 2006.
photo courtesy of Vashti Whitfield.
Remembering the late and great Andy Whitfield, our Champion.
Andy Whitfield was born on October 17th, 1971, in Amwlch, Wales. He became an engineer after graduating from the University of Sheffield, England, and worked in Lidcombe, New South Wales, Australia as an engineer before settling in Sydney in 1999.
He married Vashti Whitfield and together they have two beautiful children, son Jesse Red, 7, and daughter Indigo Sky, 4.
Our Champion gained his first prominent role in the Australian supernatural film 'Gabriel'. However, his role as the Thracian rebel and warrior "Spartacus" in 'Spartacus: Blood and Sand' propelled him to stardom and into our hearts and minds, forever.
In March 2010, Andy was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma, a type of cancer, and was given between 3-6 months to live if he did not receive treatment. He began undergoing treatment immediately in New Zealand.
Although declared cancer-free only two months later, Andy suffered a recurrence of the disease later in the year and was ultimately compelled to abandon his role as Spartacus.
Sadly, our Champion passed away in Sydney, Australia, on September 11th, 2011, 18 months after his initial cancer diagnosis. He was 39.
"On a beautiful sunny Sydney morning, surrounded by his family, in the arms of his loving wife, our beautiful young warrior Andy Whitfield lost his 18-month battle with lymphoma cancer." - wife Vashti Whitfield, in a statement
Andy, even though you were only with us for a short time, the lessons and joy you brought and continue to bring so many will keep your close to our souls, close to our minds, and forever in our hearts.
"Be Here Now"
In June, a campaign was set up to fund "Be Here Now", a film by Oscar-winning director Lilibet Foster, which documents Andy's battle with NHL.
The campaign was a huge success, with just over $300,000 raised in total funds! Please visit http://beherenowfilmcomingsoon.com to stay up-to-date with the film's progress.
"'Be Here Now' is all about being present, and not fearing what you don't know." - Andy Whitfield
Vashti on Twitter: http://twitter.com/maybemcqueen
Lilibet on Twitter: http://twitter.com/magnifi7
'Be Here Now' Film on Twitter: http://twitter.com/beherenowfilm1
Vashti on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Maybemcqueen
'Be Here Now' Film FB Page - https://www.facebook.com/beherenowfilm
![(Andy, San Diego Comic-Con ‘Spartacus’ panel. 2010)
Radiance.
“When I first met Andy, he had no clue of the presence, charm and incredible gift he had to share with the world… in fact, he would have preferred to disappear himself, than [to] walk into a crowded room.”
- Vashti Whitfield](http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m7qwy49J741rvdo3co1_500.jpg)
