"We love him and we care about him:" Pittsburgh area artist paints portrait to support baby undergoing heart condition treatments
NEW CASTLE, Pa. (KDKA) - A chance meeting in the checkout line at a Hobby Lobby store is giving a New Castle family hope.
Fine artist Ron Moore heard about our earlier report on "Baby Luca" about two weeks ago.
Luca Turco is 2 months old and battling a heart condition as well as several surgeries at UPMC Children's Hospital.
Recently, a pizza shop in New Castle threw a fundraiser for Luca and his family, who happen to own another pizza shop in town.
RELATED: Pittsburgh-area community rallying around baby undergoing treatments for heart condition
Moore said word of that story moved him so much, he asked the woman for pictures of baby Luca and his big brother Nico.
"I do a lot of portraits of folks across the country who have passed away in different tragedies," he said. "I said, but I also like to do portraits that give people hope. I wanted to do a portrait of Luca and his brother. Because in the photos that I've seen of them together, you can't mistake the love that the big brother has for him and it's like a partnership, like a Batman and Robin kind of a deal."
That's when Moore got to work, creating a portrait as a gift to the Turco family.
He's a grandparent himself, so his heart went out to the young family.
"We have several grandkids, and I just can't fathom the thought of what I would do if any of my grandkids had issues like that, or any of my kids or so right away," Moore said. "I thought I wanted to do something to bless them."
Right now, Moore has his own battle with Parkinson's.
"No matter what you're diagnosed with, you can choose to allow it to destroy you, or you can choose to have a different mindset," he said. "I don't get a whole lot of opportunity to meet the family in person. and so I wanted to meet them in person to present this to them. This, from me as my way of showing that we're praying for them. and if we love him and we care about him."
Moore said baby Luca's parents invited him to drive the hour to the Turco Pizza Shop, where he'll personally present his portrait to the family - using his gift to spread kindness and hope.
