A Memorial in Bloom: Community Support Grows from a Garden of Love

Neighbors Alicia Barger and Ron Klemkowski shared a love of gardening. They were also both cancer patients at GBMC. When cancer claimed Ron’s life late last spring, Alicia turned her grief – and his garden – into a beautiful tribute to Ron’s memory and a source of support for GBMC’s Sandra and Malcolm Berman Cancer Institute.

Their friendship began when, soon after moving into her new home, Alicia and her husband, Michael, took their dog for a walk and stopped to chat with Ron and his husband, GBMC’s Director of Hospitalist Medicine and Vice Chief of Staff J. Christopher Greenawalt, MD, who were also out walking. It wasn’t long before Alicia realized they were talking to the owners of her favorite house in the neighborhood. They quickly bonded over a love of gardening.

"Ron and I would have conversations about how our [cancer] treatments were going. But mostly we talked about plants and flowers,” Alicia recalled. The two shared a fondness for zinnias, in particular.

Zinnias bloom in a range of colors and each stem, with its single bloom, can grow to anywhere from 6” to 4’ tall. They can brighten the garden for months, until the first frost, but, as annuals, must be planted each year. Both Ron and Alicia believed their impact on the landscape was worth the extra effort.

Cancer patients understand, perhaps more keenly than most, the importance of recognizing what is and what is not within one’s control. A garden can be planned and planted, and then nature decides what will flourish. When Ron’s pancreatic cancer proved incurable, he turned his attention to not only his own quality of life, but that of those he loved. And he planted a glorious garden.

Alicia has been more fortunate. Her breast cancer is in remission. She and Ron talked about that, too. Though “it was hard to know what to say,” she recalled. She didn’t realize how far his illness had advanced until it was too late. And then she saw his garden.

“I didn’t realize Ron had planted the flowers knowing he wouldn’t be here to see them bloom,” Alicia said.

The garden was stunning. For everyone who loved him, the flowers were a bittersweet reminder of Ron.

Alicia had been toying with the idea of a small, homegrown seed business when she had an inspiration. She talked to Chris and got his permission to harvest the seeds from the zinnias Ron had planted. She would sell them through a social media account, with the proceeds going to the Sandra and Malcolm Berman Cancer Institute at GBMC, where she and Ron had both received expert care and been grateful for the kindness of the team.

In November 2023, Alicia contributed the proceeds from the seed sales, just more than $1,100, to the Berman Cancer Institute.

Dr. Greenawalt expressed his deep appreciation for the community's support.

"Seeing Ron's love for gardening blossom into this incredible act of generosity is truly heartwarming. It's a beautiful way to honor his memory and support a cause that has touched our lives so profoundly."

For those interested in joining the waitlist for these meaningful seeds, please visit Alicia’s Instagram, @dirtyballerinaplants. Individuals wishing to make a monetary donation in Ron's memory can do so by visiting gbmc.org/give.