About Arty Heald

Arty Heald was born on July 26, 1978 in Bogota, Columbia and was adopted by American parents. Arty loved playing with blocks as a child. From childhood, Arty displayed excellent hand/eye coordination and the ability to understand the world in terms of shapes and images.

In adulthood, Arty became a good all-around athlete and a gifted spatial thinker. This would eventually lead to his affinity for tennis and a career in architectural/CAD drafting.

Arty is probably the calmest person you might ever meet. In fact, Arty is so level-headed and relaxed that upon hearing he had developed an extremely rare and aggressive cancer (Renal Medullary Carcinoma) Arty was not flustered. His response was to simply ask the doctors what steps needed to be taken and to better his situation.

Arty and his family on his wedding day

Those that love Arty know that his calm behavior is also his way of taking care of others. By remaining relaxed, Arty tries to pacify the worry of his family and friends.

We are worried and we need your help. Arty’s cancer isn’t just rare, it’s extremely rare (approximately 50 people in the United States have had it). The cancer is related to the sickle cell anemia trait which Arty inherited from his biological parents. Unfortunately, Arty’s son Pierce is also a carrier of this trait.

A rare form of cancer also leads to added pressure and financial burdens. This is one of the reasons we have started the web site. We realize that there are many people in the world that suffer from various forms of cancer and they are all special in their own unique ways.

To us, Arty is not a statistic. He is a special person and we love him. We hope this web site shows you how special he is to us.