Justin Mark Campbell (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
likefatherlikeson) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
dreamlikenewyork2016-06-13 07:42 pm
likefatherlikeson) wrote in dreamlikenewyork2016-06-13 07:42 pm
"And know that I meant something in somebody's life."
Who: Justin and co.
What: Tony Awards, 2016
Where: New York City
When: Sunday night
Justin didn't think he would win this year. It had still upset him that he couldn't go to the Tony Awards because the Footloose cast were doing a performance as one of the showcases. Even if he wanted to, he couldn't do it. He was still too ill and in pain. Jeff was going to be doing it, which was fine. They shouldn't lose the honour of a Tony showcase just because of him, but something inside him had been all choked up thinking about it. He wasn't well enough to process the loss.
Around lunchtime on Sunday, just at the end of the family sessions, his dad had come to his room and brought Caden with him. Justin had been wiped out from the session and ready to crawl into his bed and sleep. He didn't expect a change of events like this. What happened was that he did win. He won Best Lead Actor in a Musical, and the Isabelle Stevenson Awards, awarded to 'an individual from the theatre community who has made a substantial contribution of volunteered time and effort on behalf of one or more humanitarian, social service or charitable organisations, regardless of whether such organisations relate to the theatre.' Caden's visit to him early that day turned out to be a game-changer.
Justin had no idea that the entire group of his Broadway family had arranged to accept any awards he won in his honour. In fact, he only realised this when his name was called and they all went up on stage for him, lead by Caden. He had watched, stunned and choked up with tears, and he had watched from backstage right before Caden came to him and helped him walk out on stage, holding him carefully by the arm. Caden's game-changer had been arranging with his dad to get him gate leave from Four Winds to attend the awards for a short time, on the chance he won.
There was no doubt Justin wasn't well. He did his best to at least get in the designer couture suit his mom chose for him to be made weeks ago, before he got sick. He wanted to hug everyone as soon as he was on stage, but that wasn't possible. Before he even got beyond that thought, he was getting a standing ovation from everyone in the audience, just getting up on the stage when he was fighting the battle of recovery he was.
The only thing stopping him just standing there and bawling was the fact he knew this was being televised and he didn't want to look back in twenty years and see himself looking like shit, and then some. This time, he couldn't make much of a speech. He had a lump of overwhelmed emotion in his throat as he accepted the award, and all he could do was say thank you to everyone, and blow a kiss to the audience while he fought with himself not to burst into ugly sobbing.
Presley accepted the Isabelle Stevenson Award for him. Justin went out with him on stage, but Presley spoke about the Shades of Violet Foundation and how important Justin had become to the entire organisation, not only in fundraising, but bringing many inclusive fundraising charity ideas to the table that made the recipients of the charity feel included and like they, too, were making a contribution. He said his lost his own mom to suicide, and he knows that mental illness can be an incredibly hard battle to fight, that many don't survive. Justin was both a fighter and a survivor, and the fact he still wanted to share his talent, hard work, and huge heart with others to help them made him worthy of the honour of the award.
On top of all that, Autumn also won the female category, and Kyan and Reecy both won the breakout categories. Justin didn't have the energy or strength to see anyone after his appearance, and left with his parents before the awards were over. They hadn't known he was coming. Caden hadn't told anyone in case Justin had ultimately been unable to make it. He knew everyone would have hoped to at least seen him to give him a hug, but he also knew that they would understand he wasn't up to it yet. Soon. Hopefully soon.
Getting into the car, his mom sat in the back seat with him and bundled him up in a soft blanket, giving him a gentle hug and a kiss on the head. Only there, away from people who admired him for what he had achieved, he finally broke down and bawled his eyes out the whole way back to Westchester. He was sweaty and exhausted when all was said and done. The emotions just all got the best of him when he was still too shaky to process and regulate them.
This whole thing might wipe him out for days and knock back his recovery process. But it was worth it to remind him that no matter how bad he felt, and how much he didn't think he could go on sometimes, there was plenty of reasons for him to keep fighting. Maybe not that night or the next few days to come, but soon.
Hopefully soon.
NARRATIVE, COMPLETE
What: Tony Awards, 2016
Where: New York City
When: Sunday night
Justin didn't think he would win this year. It had still upset him that he couldn't go to the Tony Awards because the Footloose cast were doing a performance as one of the showcases. Even if he wanted to, he couldn't do it. He was still too ill and in pain. Jeff was going to be doing it, which was fine. They shouldn't lose the honour of a Tony showcase just because of him, but something inside him had been all choked up thinking about it. He wasn't well enough to process the loss.
Around lunchtime on Sunday, just at the end of the family sessions, his dad had come to his room and brought Caden with him. Justin had been wiped out from the session and ready to crawl into his bed and sleep. He didn't expect a change of events like this. What happened was that he did win. He won Best Lead Actor in a Musical, and the Isabelle Stevenson Awards, awarded to 'an individual from the theatre community who has made a substantial contribution of volunteered time and effort on behalf of one or more humanitarian, social service or charitable organisations, regardless of whether such organisations relate to the theatre.' Caden's visit to him early that day turned out to be a game-changer.
Justin had no idea that the entire group of his Broadway family had arranged to accept any awards he won in his honour. In fact, he only realised this when his name was called and they all went up on stage for him, lead by Caden. He had watched, stunned and choked up with tears, and he had watched from backstage right before Caden came to him and helped him walk out on stage, holding him carefully by the arm. Caden's game-changer had been arranging with his dad to get him gate leave from Four Winds to attend the awards for a short time, on the chance he won.
There was no doubt Justin wasn't well. He did his best to at least get in the designer couture suit his mom chose for him to be made weeks ago, before he got sick. He wanted to hug everyone as soon as he was on stage, but that wasn't possible. Before he even got beyond that thought, he was getting a standing ovation from everyone in the audience, just getting up on the stage when he was fighting the battle of recovery he was.
The only thing stopping him just standing there and bawling was the fact he knew this was being televised and he didn't want to look back in twenty years and see himself looking like shit, and then some. This time, he couldn't make much of a speech. He had a lump of overwhelmed emotion in his throat as he accepted the award, and all he could do was say thank you to everyone, and blow a kiss to the audience while he fought with himself not to burst into ugly sobbing.
Presley accepted the Isabelle Stevenson Award for him. Justin went out with him on stage, but Presley spoke about the Shades of Violet Foundation and how important Justin had become to the entire organisation, not only in fundraising, but bringing many inclusive fundraising charity ideas to the table that made the recipients of the charity feel included and like they, too, were making a contribution. He said his lost his own mom to suicide, and he knows that mental illness can be an incredibly hard battle to fight, that many don't survive. Justin was both a fighter and a survivor, and the fact he still wanted to share his talent, hard work, and huge heart with others to help them made him worthy of the honour of the award.
On top of all that, Autumn also won the female category, and Kyan and Reecy both won the breakout categories. Justin didn't have the energy or strength to see anyone after his appearance, and left with his parents before the awards were over. They hadn't known he was coming. Caden hadn't told anyone in case Justin had ultimately been unable to make it. He knew everyone would have hoped to at least seen him to give him a hug, but he also knew that they would understand he wasn't up to it yet. Soon. Hopefully soon.
Getting into the car, his mom sat in the back seat with him and bundled him up in a soft blanket, giving him a gentle hug and a kiss on the head. Only there, away from people who admired him for what he had achieved, he finally broke down and bawled his eyes out the whole way back to Westchester. He was sweaty and exhausted when all was said and done. The emotions just all got the best of him when he was still too shaky to process and regulate them.
This whole thing might wipe him out for days and knock back his recovery process. But it was worth it to remind him that no matter how bad he felt, and how much he didn't think he could go on sometimes, there was plenty of reasons for him to keep fighting. Maybe not that night or the next few days to come, but soon.
Hopefully soon.
NARRATIVE, COMPLETE