Opalanga Pugh spent more than 20 years as a professional storyteller. On Sunday, it was her friends who gathered to tell stories of her as they sought to raise both her spirits, as she battles cancer, and money.
“We all have stories to tell and to share,” said Vincent Harding, a friend of Pugh’s and former speech writer for the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. “She is a specialist, but all of us have stories.”
About 20 people gathered at the Mercury Cafe to tell some of those stories. Money — more than $1,000 — was raised in a silent auction and through other donations.
Although Pugh, 57, who is losing her fight against bone cancer, was unable to attend because of her health, friends signed a sheet and passed along messages.
Bills for Pugh’s hospice care are stacking up even with a large connection of friends who volunteer to take turns providing round-the-clock care. Pugh’s niece, Keisha Washington, estimates the cost at $2,000 per month.
“All money aside, however, it’s to show her how much people love her. All the love is — I believe — why she’s still with us today,” Washington said. “That’s what gets her through this.”
At the start of January, doctors told Pugh she would only live three to six months longer. Almost at the six-month mark, Pugh is still fighting, with her spirits high, Washington said.
Those who know her best say they aren’t surprised.
Ken Grimes, one of Pugh’s childhood friends, recalled when doctors first diagnosed her and asked if she was a strong person. “Everybody just laughed; we all know she is just so strong,” Grimes said.
Wendy Talley, another friend and one of Pugh’s primary caretakers, said she was acting as the messenger.
“She asked me to share how much she loves the community,” Talley said. “She said, ‘When you’re a single woman with no kids, you marry your community.’ “
Pugh, who graduated from Denver’s East High School, came to appreciate the power of storytelling while studying in Nigeria.
She studied with traditional African storytellers in Gambia called the Griots, who traveled from village to village spreading the word.
In Africa, Harding said, Pugh “learned it was a family thing. That’s how people learned: You get together to hear stories about your ancestors and other people’s ancestors.”
Pugh was featured on an NBC program with nine other African-Americans for work as an African-American “Living Legend.”
Her work cut across mental health, education and corporate fields, and she also served on the national board of Spellbinders — a storytelling program designed to train elders to tell stories in schools.
“She loves working with kids and encouraging them to develop their voice,” Harding said.
Pugh used many of her stories to teach history, and not only African-American history, Washington said.
Although her health limits her, she is still coming up with new stories, and her house is never without boxes of crayons and blank paper, her friends said.
“It was her way to contribute — that’s how powerful it is to her,” Washington said.
“If you want to honor my aunt, just tell a story.”
Yesenia Robles: 303-954-1638 or yrobles@denverpost.com
