ALAN'S JOURNEY

ADD YOUR OWN INSPIRING STORY

“Earn This” – by Irina Baranov, Alan’s sister
I first met Alan when I was 9 (and my parents brought home this boy-baby from the hospital.. after assuring me for 9 months that my mom was pregnant with a girl and I was going to be getting the sister I had requested).  But after a couple hours of protest, I realized that he was here to stay, so I might as well get to like him.  And did I ever!  He was such a wonderful baby.  Words can’t describe how much my parents and I adored this little blonde, beautiful bundle of joy.  Although his timing wasn’t perfect (he arrived just one year after we had emigrated to America and weren’t yet comfortable in our new country), and his gender wasn’t the one his sister requested, he was an absolute gift.

To watch him grow, was to marvel at how self-motivated a child could be.  He set goals for himself and put his all into every endeavor – whether it was school work, extracurricular activities, community service or relationships.  His interests and passions ran the gamut from intellectual pursuits, politics and business to music, travel, community service, and humor.  His dream job was to become a socially-responsible entrepreneur by day and work the clubs at night as a stand-up comic.  He was brilliant, yet warm and funny and silly.  As he grew, and became the kind of man everyone wishes their son would become, he never lost his charm, his sweetness, his idealism.  He wanted to make the world a better place – and he did.

I’ve been so touched by stories from Alan’s friends and people’s whose lives he touched, about what an incredible difference he made.  How his actions in the classroom, or in the boardroom, or within a friendship or relationship, would alter the course of events.. would elevate people and feelings and situations to higher planes.  Every story exemplifies so clearly who Alan was and the effect he had on others, and on his remarkable ability to show a perspective that was real and wise and helpful.

I’m fortunate to have thousands of my own stories, but one of my favorite ones can be summed up in two words:  Earn this.

I watched the movie Saving Private Ryan with Alan back in 1998.  For those who haven’t seen it, this the story of a World War II army unit, led by Captain Miller  (Tom Hanks) who is ordered to take his squad behind enemy lines on a dangerous mission to find and retrieve one man: Private James Ryan (Matt Damon). The youngest of four brothers, Ryan is the last survivor, the other three having all been killed in action within days of one another.  The United States Army Chief of Staff takes the opportunity to alleviate some of the family’s grief when he learns of a fourth brother, Private James Ryan, and decides to send out 8 men (Captain Miller and his squad) to find him and bring him back home to his mother.  In the end, out of a team of eight, only two of the men sent out to find Private Ryan survive. The last to die is the Captain, and in his last words to Ryan are "Earn this. Earn it."

Obviously, there wasn’t a dry eye in the theater, but Alan turned to me and said, “that’s how I’ve always felt.”  And later explained.. that he felt so incredibly fortunate to survive the cancer that attacked his body as a baby.  He felt that he couldn’t understand why he got to live, while so many other babies/children who were diagnosed with Wilm’s Tumor, did not.  He didn’t know why/how he got to live, but he knew that he had to “earn it.”  And boy did he!

He was simply the best.  The best brother, son, uncle, friend, boyfriend, family member, student, colleague, etc, etc, etc..  He never stopped looking for opportunities to go above and beyond.  To give of himself.  He lived an inspiring life.  And in his final hours as his life was nearing its end, he hugged me, winked and said, “well, I know you wanted a sister, but was it ok that you got a brother after all?”  And I somehow choked out a cheerful “You betcha!  Wouldn’t have it any other way!”

The gift of Alan.  I will try to earn this for the rest of my life…

Amanda Wuest – childhood friend
I can't express to you how much Alan meant to me.  I think of him and miss him every single day.  I really appreciated you sharing his essay on philosophy of life that he did when he was younger, I actually hung at my desk at work so when I see it I am reminded of Alan and about what's really important in life.

I have so, so, so many fond memories of Alan.  I remember him being new to our middle school back in 5th grade.  When we were little on the bus (before his voice changed he would later remind me), he would sing us Billy Joel's "Piano Man" if we begged him long enough.  I remember getting his bar mitzvah invitation and attending.. I remember the 24 hour relays we did with Mrs. Ruckel where we'd stay awake on shifts all night walking around the track.  I remember him signing my 7th/8th grade yearbook and signing his name and drawing a little Bell to go with it.  I remember on our senior year trip to Disney World... the whole grade went to a medieval dinner show.  He had an idea that night, we pretended it was our wedding anniversary just so we could hear them announce our names on the loudspeaker and we got 2 goblets to commemorate the occasion.  Somewhere I still have mine.  I remember attending countless Penn Basketball games with him... which were some of my favorite college times.  One night, when UPenn scored 100 points everyone in attendance got a free cheesesteak at the local shop -- you can bet Alan and I were in line.  As I remember, the line was long and we waited a loooong time for those free cheesesteaks.  I also remember him being so proud of his niece and nephew, I know I've said this before, but he cracked us up carrying around the school photos in his agenda/wallet.  I remember thinking I better step up as an Aunt because Alan sure had me beat.

To me, one of his most admirable qualities was I could talk to him about anything -- and somehow he always provided me a unique perspective.  Whether it was relationship advice, or talking just talking about general news and politics, he would always mention something I hadn't thought of before.  While he never really spoke of all he went through when he was so little, it now makes sense after reading his empathy essay and how he was able to relate to other perspectives after being through so much.

I always thought it was so great how you all traveled together to see so much of the world.  I'm glad he was able to see so much of the world & be happy with the people he loved.  You & your husband raised an amazing, one of a kind, son.  I'm so grateful I was able to call him a friend for the years we had together, as I'm sure I'll never meet anyone quite like him again.  He truly changed my life & made me a better, happier person.

Debbie Friedberg– childhood friend
In the spirit of the section, “Inspiring Stories,” as opposed to sharing one story, I would like to share years of memories of Alan. 

I met Alan way back when we were in middle school.  Alan’s family moved to Huntingdon Valley, but more importantly Alan moved to my neighborhood.  We lived within blocks of each other.  Not only were we classmates, friends, and neighbors, the Bell family also joined Beth Shalom.  We became Hebrew school friends and carpool buddies.  Carpool multiple times a week is how I first got to know the wonderful Bell family. 

It was quite evident even back in elementary school that Alan was special, talented, creative, and extremely intelligent.  While I think Alan would have significantly changed the world, and probably have won the Nobel Peace Prize if given enough time, he actually did change the world in his own way!  Any student that had the privilege to be in a class with Alan would agree that he enriched their education.  Like many of Alan’s Lower Moreland friends, I was lucky to be in multiple classes with Alan each year until the day we graduated.  He challenged the teachers and students, made the classrooms lively and exciting, offered helping hands to classmates, and was one of the most creative individuals in developing projects, presentations, and essays.  His intellectual curiosity and entertaining humor was constant.  Alan won endless awards in high school, all which he deserved.  He was also active in volunteering and giving back to the community.  Socially, Alan was the life of the party!  He was not shy in breaking out his dance moves.  From bar/bat mitzvahs, sweet sixteens, school dances, and proms, Alan was always having a blast. 

Some of my fondest memories of Alan include:
• His classroom presentations
• Hebrew school carpool
• Walking to and from his house
• Dancing at parties
• Hearing stories about the Bell family
• Alan getting in the front of the room during AP Economics and literally teaching the class.  I understood Alan’s instruction much better than that of the teacher   : )
• Swim parties at the Bell house
• Senior Class trip to Disney – pictures of Alan from that trip are classic

Alan was kind, intelligent, humorous, adventurous, creative, ambitious, absolutely adorable, passionate about his family, and a humanitarian.  He was truly special and unique!  I will forever hold and treasure these memories of Alan!

Dana - colleague
I first met Alan in December 2002 when I was interviewing for an Associate position at Novantas.  As an undergraduate entering “the real world,” I was equal parts intimidated and precocious, prepared to speak confidently of my extra-curricular activities, to solve case questions, and to nod earnestly when high level executives told me of their future plans.  What I wasn’t quite ready for was talking like a human and selling myself as a person.  Sensing this, Alan approached me with a joke, a tactic I later watched him use on other equally clueless undergraduates.  New to the firm himself and with a full plate of consulting work, he was already emerging as a leader.  He put me at ease and forced me come out of my grey-suited shell.  He made me laugh.  And, in doing this, he encouraged me to smile and enjoy the opportunity I had to meet new people and showcase my personality.

From the start, I realized that Alan was one of Novantas’ best resources and someone I could look up to.  He appeared to learn new things instantly – expose him to a new program or type of problem and suddenly you had an expert in front of you.  His intellectual curiosity, seizure of responsibility, and compassion for every team member made him the ideal person to work with.  He possessed an incomparable, almost superhuman willingness to go out on a limb and offer assistance no matter how late the hour or daunting the task.  Every engagement on which he was staffed was made better for his involvement – boring weekly meetings were spiced up with easy to understand charts and exciting conversation.  He sliced and diced and presented the results with verse.  However, the most impressive part was not his outstanding products but the genuine interest he had in all aspects of the work and the people.  When he sat with executives or associates in the call center, they got his full attention and, in turn, he their unparalleled respect.

Alan was a leader not because he had a booming voice but because he was so personally and professionally engaging that people gravitated towards him.  He was a dichotomy, a person smart enough to get 1600 on his SATs and yet so kind that you couldn’t hate him for it.  He was an individual who stood out from the crowd for all the right reasons and made people laugh with him.  He transformed situations and gave people hope.  I was fortunate to count Alan not only as a colleague but also as a confidant.  He listened to me when I needed a compassionate shoulder.  He advised me when I had more questions than answers about my career.  He inspired me with his actions and his words.  He brought out the best in me when I didn’t even know what I had to offer.  And no one has ever looked better in a brown bobbed wig. 

Watching as he continuously demonstrated an earnest interest in the direction Novantas took, I once asked him how long he would remain here.  I could not fathom how a person with so much fire would plan his career.  His response was simple and honest.  “I will stay at Novantas as long as I continue to learn new things and be challenged.”  Such a short sentence but a profound lesson in perseverance and appreciation that will remain with me forever.

Ms. Claire Service – teacher
In doing public relations for the district for thirty years, I was privileged to cover Alan’s many awards and to serve on a committee where he was the student rep.

What a wonderful young man and how much he added to our group.

He made Lower Moreland proud with his many outstanding accomplishments.

We were blessed to have known him. In his too short life, he made a great impact.

I have retired but will never forget Alan.

Avi Mermelstein – childhood friend

While I look at this website, I am trembling.

You can't have perspective on a person's life until after he is gone. While he is still alive, still working, you don't know how many people he has affected.

Until now, I could only talk about my own relationship with Alan. He was my friend. I knew he was other people's friend.  I knew he was other people's family. I knew he was other people's colleague. But I didn't understand the scope and the depth of his impact.

Seeing these things reflected back from our childhood is like looking into the past with a different lense.  Now instead of living a relationship with a person, I am piecing the fragmented reflections into a picture of the original soul.

I didn't know Alan was diagnosed with cancer as a child. He told me he had a kidney operation. That he had one kidney, and because of that he couldn't play contact sports.  We had special rules when we played basketball. He could foul me as much as he wanted to, but I wasn't allowed to foul him.  That was fine with me. This was my friend and those were his limitations. I didn't think about it any more than that.

Looking back, now it is a little easier to understand why Alan had such a passion for life. Why he wanted to squeeze all the juice out. Why he didn't let any relationship go untended. Why he bought birthday presents for so many people. Why he was so incredibly close to his family.

But Alan went further.  He wanted to help all of humanity. All the volunteering that he did wasn't to put on a resume. It was real. He wouldn't let any opportunity go by to try to help others.

And he was driven to excellence.  He really believed that things can be changed if you just put your mind to it. And he was so grateful for his second chance. Looking back, it does seem like he was an older person in a smaller younger body.

It's hard to understand how in such a short life a person could accomplish so much.

Reading about his impact on the Lower Moreland Steering Committee opened my eyes. I knew he was involved in it, but I didn't realize what an impact a high school student was having on setting policy. I think  that was because of how seriously Alan took his task here on earth. When other people realized he was for real, they took him seriously.

But the other side of the coin is Alan's humor. Humor was always an important part of Alan's life.  He loved irony, he loved satire.  I remember him practicing his standup routine and showing me the video of his first performance.  I wished I could have been there. But I didn't really have to see a performance to know it. We got by in English, Chemistry, and Physics, Spanish, Phys. Ed. and more by humor.

Now I can more fully appreciate the humor in his life. With the intimate knowledge that life is  hanging by a thread, who can take themselves that seriously? Man's end is dust.

Humor helps us get by. It makes the days enjoyable.

May his memory inspire others,
Sincerely,
Avi

Samuel Harmatz - Lower Moreland Graduate

Dear Alan Bell's Legacy Foundation,

I hope this message finds you well. I am writing to you with an inquiry about how to stay connected with the Foundation's activities. I cannot express to you in words how incredibly touched I am after carefully reading through the foundation's website and learning all about Alan. In passing through the High School Front Office, I always saw the picture of Alan shaking President Clinton's hand, and I definitely see that Alan was truly a very special young man in his academic achievements, the way he handled adversity, and the positive, lasting impact he has made on the people around him. While I unfortunately did not have the pleasure of meeting Alan in-person, I certainly believe we would have been excellent friends and see a lot of myself in Alan too.

I would like to introduce and provide you with some background about myself. I was born with a combination of disabilities. I have a physical disability (Essential Intention Tremor) which significantly affects my upper body. As I like to say, I am another version of Katherine Hepburn. My tremor is getting worse as I grow older, with my whole upper body shaking significantly on a more consistent basis now. The things that make my tremor worse are: Lack of sleep, caffeine, and intimate experiences with females. Uncontrolled shaking when I put my arm around a girl-now that's a problem for me! Also, I have learning disabilities (Non-Verbal Learning Disorder) which cause me to process information differently than most people.The learning disabilities have provided definite challenges while in school. Adapting to my tremor and learning disabilities throughout my life has been the making of me, and I definitely have empathy for those who struggle. There are options for medication, but I refuse to take them because these disabilities have become an integral part of who I am.

The activities which I have excelled at initially happened because of my disabilities. I got started in tennis as therapy for my tremor. Playing tennis helped develop the different muscle groups and helped with my gross motor coordination. Also, playing tennis helped mitigate the secondary effects of my tremor, such as poor body awareness in space and balancing issues. I have the tendency to fixate on things, and, like Alan, do the best I can with what I am given. At Lower Moreland, I won 2 State team and doubles championships for the Lions (Picture is still in the front lobby of the High School). As a junior tennis player, I achieved tennis rankings of number 6 in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware, as well as 200 nationally. I went undefeated in tennis throughout my 4 year of college and was Captain my senior year. Tennis has given a lot to me, and I like to give back to the sport. I worked for the Special Olympics growing up and still teach tennis to players at all sorts of levels. My learning disabilities have caused me to learn how to approach problems from multiple angles. I did not start speaking until I was about 4 years old. Currently, in college, and in high school, I have been a tutor in the math, sciences, and language areas.

In addition, I have been taken a non-traditional path in my academic travels. I went to Pine Road and Murray Avenue through 5th grade. From 6-8 grade, I was home-schooled because I wanted to go ahead in the subject areas. These home-schooling years provided me with an opportunity to discover how I learned/studied most efficiently with my disabilities and allowed me to focus on my tennis game as well.

At Lower Moreland High School, I graduated 5th in my class and was fortunate enough to be accepted to and attend MIT. While at MIT, I was a neuroscience major. The mystery surrounding the brain and the opportunities it can potentially provide to improving the lives of those struggling is what drew me towards this major. As an undergraduate, my neuroscience research was focused on alleviating childhood blindness populations in third world countries. After graduating from MIT, I was in the MD program at Dartmouth Medical School but ended up leaving the program after 3 months. I quickly realized that medical school was not the right path for me. Specifically, I decided that I did not want to be practicing medicine with my life, and I did not want to spend all that time obtaining skills I would never be using a debt along the way. For a few years, I worked as a lab technician where I focused on developing drugs for PTSD and depression. I ended up applying to PhD programs and was lucky enough to be accepted to Stanford University. I am currently a second year PhD graduate student and would like to devote my graduate studies towards tackling the basic scientific questions in biology, which can ultimately lead to the improvement of human health. Even with my disabilities, I am drawn towards the hands-on field of research in biology. My philosophy is never be afraid to take the bull by the horns and carve your own path!

I hope to serve an an inspiration for people with disabilities to achieve their ambitions. I would like to continue conducting research to improve the lives of those struggling. The way for me as not been an easy one, but I have learned so many important life lessons because of my experiences. I feel that I connect with disabled individuals quickly and have a great appreciation for their unique perspectives on life. My two closest friends are both wheel chair users. Also, I still volunteer my time as a personal care assistant for people with significant disabilities. Many times, I feel like I get more out of it than they do.

If possible, I would like to kept informed with how the foundation is doing. I am currently a graduate student living on the cheap, so I do not yet have the financial resources to donate money. However, I would be happy to hear about other ways to contribute. Always love sharing my story with others. Like Alan, I have maintained a strong connection with the Lower Moreland community, and a large part of my accomplishments so far have been because of the community.

Reading about Alan's story has been a true inspiration. I am an avid admirer of how he handled his adversity and the legacy he continues to leave by touching the lives of others in such a positive way. Even though I am living in California, I try to visit my family on the east coast a few times every year. Meeting Alan's parents/ family would be something of great interest to me if the option is available.

I look forward to hearing back from you!

Most Sincerely,

Elia Samuel Harmatz ("Samuel")