Doctor Grymm's Steampunk Heart

Photo Credit to Jessica Duckett

Doctor Grymm's Clockwork Heart

"Some say Doctor Grymm's cruelty proved he had no heart... So he built one"

This tag line, although written for the display in our show, is not completely accurate. This clockwork heart was actually built as a gift for a very great and kind man. My wife's father.
Allan Deblasio has not had the easiest road, but you would never know that by his strength, dedication, kindness, tenacity, and love for his family. Several years ago, he underwent heart surgery to replace a faulty valve in his heart. It was replaced with an artificial valve. He walked away from it fine but was now accompanied by the constant sound of a ticking heart. A sound, he and others, grew accustomed to. Allison was just a young girl at the time and tells stories of it vividly. Fast forward to earlier last year, it was found that the valve had a slow leak so they would have to go back in to replace it with the valve from a pigs heart. This time the procedure was much more evasive and they had to crack his ribs to get in. The replacement of the valve was successful although was followed by much pain and discomfort as one would expect.


The most major change that could be noticed right away, was that the ticking that was caused by the artificial heart, had stopped. This was a little disconcerting for Allen as he had lived with that sound for a good period of his life. He was certain that his trusty Lab dogs wouldn't recognize him without it. A thought that was proven untrue when he returned home to heal. This second surgery was just before Christmas. It was then that I came up with the idea to build Allan the Steampunk Heart.
Oddly enough, besides being married to his beautiful daughter, we had somehow bonded over the strange Steampunk devices I have been building over the past year. Most likely because Allan comes from a long line of "tinkerers", including himself. I honestly can't tell you how much I enjoy sharing each new gadget I invent, with him, but it is very close to how I feel when I bond with my own father over such things. I guess because I had lost so much time with my own dad over the years, it made it significantly more important to have those moments in my life. Besides the fact that it is the way that Allan raised Allison, that makes her the person she is today. Encouraging at every step of her journey and reminding her that she can do anything.


To continue, the Steampunk Heart was presented to him on Christmas day with the lighthearted yet appropriate placard attached, reading "Takes a Lickin' and Keeps on Tickin'". This piece was built for several reasons, but mostly it was there to remind him of how big of a heart that man has for the people he cares about, and secondly it was to remind him of the familiar ticking sound that he once had. I clearly remember that when he opened it, although his eyes were thankful of the gift, his body and mind were tired. Healing had not gone as easily as planned and in fact seemed to be taking longer than expected. this continued through several more weeks and trips to the hospital until one test eventually showed that a new problem was the culprit. Allan developed Pancreatic Cancer, and as many know, this is not treatable.
Being that Allan had also had Cancer earlier in his life, he was prepared for what the next few months would bring. This was a huge blow to our family and we are all dealing with it on a daily basis. Preparing and spending as much time with him as we can, to let him know what he means to us. But we are dealing with it. The DeBlasio family is very close and if Allan has taught us all nothing else, it is that we all need to stick together when times are tough to ride out the storm and still be OK on the other side of it.
Personal note: Having dealt with Cancer taking the life of a close family member myself, it is amazing to me to see how such a similar and horrible problem effects two different groups of families. Where in the problem arose in my own family and sent almost everyone on a separate, selfish personal journey through Hell, My new family is bonding together and are preparing themselves the best that they can, knowing that they have each other to count on.


The Steampunk Heart will proudly be displayed at our show in dedication to a man who embodies what life is all about. Living each day to the fullest, and letting the people he loves know how much they are loved, daily.


That is what having a heart is all about, right?
~Doctor Grymm