Debbie Jacknin’s Songbird Artistry: The Story of Larry Bird, ALS, and Its Creation

Debbie Jacknin’s Songbird Artistry: The Story of Larry Bird, ALS, and Its Creation.

In honor and remembrance of my late husband, Larry Jacknin, who was also my daughter’s stepfather (Jacklyn Juliar and Jenn Orefice), Songbird Artistry was opened. This is the tale of how Songbird Artistry came to be by knowing Larry.

We were Jenn’s Jems with a booth at the now-closed Pittsburgh Public Market before we were Songbird Artistry. Run by a nonprofit organization, it was situated in Pittsburgh’s district. The selection of food and nonfood sellers in the booths was excellent, and the booths were reasonably priced. The fact that they selected us as a seller made us very happy.

The market’s managers made some poor choices, such as opening in a space that was already being used by another company, but they also had some excellent ideas. We made the decision to stay put when they felt compelled to move forward.

We didn’t have much hope for the Public Market’s success, but Larry had worked all his life and the idea of being unemployed was unsettling. Having a booth in the market would give him a place to go and something productive to do, and Jenn, who had returned to Pittsburgh from New York City, could help us run the market. After an emotional conversation, I realized that Larry could no longer work.

Larry made a remark that truly resonated with me: if/when something were to happen to him, I would still have my business, which would continue to provide my life purpose and revenue.

The peculiar thing about ALS is that every person’s trajectory is a little bit different and the disease does not follow a predetermined pattern or schedule. We were aware that things in our life would change all the time, but we were unsure of how. When Larry began to experience difficulty breathing and swallowing food in the summer of 2014, he spent around one week in the hospital. Due to his stay in the hospital, he was weak. I gave Marie a call at the Western PA Chapter of the ALS Association once we got home. She arrived at our house in a few hours with an elevated toilet seat and gave us a rundown of all the ways they could assist us.

Thanks to a grant, they were able to hire a caregiver to assist Larry a few days a week. After visiting our house, the worker got Larry ready and took him to the Market. Larry loved making paintings and manning the exhibit, and I appreciated having a few hours to myself. It was a terrific time. Many of the wonderful folks we met are still in my life.

Larry and I have chosen to live our lives very carefully. Despite having ALS, the illness did not define him or what he was capable of. After Larry’s employment ended in January 2014, we immediately embarked on an incredible trip to Israel. Here he is sporting a shirt that Jenn created and printed specifically for him.