bt-armistice  calciferthefruitbat  kalidascope  ellie-fennec and I decided to go play havoc in the market square here in Kingston and do a bit of a fursuit skate! We did the skate on the 23rd, and while I didn't skate, and Ellie did not manage to get her partial done in time, a great time was had by all!

It also gave me the chance to try out our new toys! BT got me a GoPro Hero3 Black Edition for Christmas and DAMN do I love it! Up to 4k resolution and pretty darn good low light compared to the older Hero and Hero2 cameras!

Anyway I did this crappy edit today and decided to post some of the highlights.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lXIwAdXtTVE

During this shoot we learned exactly why people fursuit and the joy it can bring.

The suiters spent a good 10 minutes with one child in particular in the middle of the rink, talking to him, getting pictures taken with him and he had the biggest smile on his face. He was not a good skater, and needed a lot of help but nothing seemed like it would stop him. Then we learned why it seemed that way..

The father confided in the suiters that their son had terminal brain cancer. He had been given 12 months to live about 22 months ago. Every moment he spends with his child is a gift for the family at this point. The father and mother decided to not tell their son the nature of his illness, instead leaving him to be a child and have fun. Whether or not you agree with this position is for you to decide, but to see the child have fun out there on the ice, not caring, and enjoying the company of 2 big cats and a scruffy mutt, well.. you are reminded just why suiters are so necessary and why they do what they do.

The entire family let their cares and worries slip away for those short 10 minutes.. Their son was just a kid, and they were just teaching him how to skate. No illness, no worries, no thinking of what could happen tomorrow, just living in that moment.

I think that it changed everyone who was there just a bit. Now I know why we do what we do, and the good we can do when we take the time to put on a suit and make someone smile.