PERISCOPE for some is simply a social media app for others its where we met our perifamily. Our family suffered a loss of a special member so this post is for you @IAmHolyOwl. We love you always.

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This blog post is in Memory of

Jake William Rogers @IamHolyOwl
July 28, 1984 - August 13, 2015

Jake's Obituary:
Jake Rogers, 31, passed away peacefully on Thursday, August 13, 2015 at University of Washington Medical Center in Seattle, surrounded by the love of family and friends, following rejection of a double lung transplant. Raised in Glendale and Kanab Utah, Jake spent his days creating wonderful paintings and unique art pieces loved by many. With unending positive optimism and a contagious sense of humor, Jake made friends everywhere he went. This includes his time spent at the University of Utah studying graphic design, in Portland Oregon where he created some of his most amazing artwork, and his time spent in hospitals receiving care for cystic fibrosis. Physicians, nurses, and patients alike fell in love with Jake's unending positivity, and his creative antics. Whenever and wherever the trial, Jake has gone through it with a smile on his face and a joke to tell. Jake loved the outdoors, was fascinated with outer space, and found beauty and art everywhere he went. While he never let his physical condition hold him back, now he is limitless.
Jake is survived by ten nieces and nephews that absolutely adore their Uncle Jake, four siblings, and his loving parents Russell and Julie Rogers.

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PERISCOPE - My Introduction to Periscope & Meeting people who will eventually become my Perifamily. 

Back at the very end of March a social media app called Periscope was purchased by Twitter and launched to iphone users. This app would allow us to view live broadcasts all over the world all the while chatting with others who were watching the same live feed. 

It was about day 5 or 6 of Periscope that I stumbled into a room where someone was painting live from her studio apartment in Los Angeles. This someone would be @AmandaOleander.  Amanda would paint, listen to great music (her personal favorite Angus & Julius Stone) and talk to us. It was before the rooms got overloaded giving us real time to get to know Amanda, and for her to get to know us. It also allowed us viewers time to easily interact and become friends.  It is here where I met my first Periscope friends @Murpo, @PerpetualBri, @Jellybean_1969, @NealRushing, @CarsonFire45, @theSmaku, @SherryRae77, @DanFillman80, @IamDaniBeck, @1of3Spartans, @alpha_Omega_X1, @IamDaniBeck, @1Justice4All, @hiAnthony, @org0198 and the very special @IAmHolyOwl.  

It did not take long at all to get past our screenames and learn each others actual names.  My name is @Heatco but Jake would always greet me with "Hi Heather", "You staying up late tonight again?", "How are you?".  While watching the process of Amanda creating a beautiful art piece we all would spend hours joking, talking about music, our day and it is here that I learned Jake was in the hospital. In the following 5 months of knowing Jake I believe he was in the hospital.  Jake informed us he had Cystic Fibrosis and a year ago had a double lung transplant.  He went on to tell us he was having some rejection issues but not to worry he would get through it. Jake dealt with each hurdle with optimism and even a beautiful smile.  I watched Jake develop a friendship with Amanda as they were artists and kindred spirits. I saw him and the guys develop their bond...his daily tweets with Murpo, his beard club with Neal, His conversations with Keith/Carson (aka Ralph) and his joking around with Bri. His strength was awe inspiring. We never doubted he would get through his health issues and join us outside the walls of the hospital. Somewhere along the way one of the guys developed a mantra for Jake "You Got This" and not a day went by that we didn't say this to him.  We were there for him in the hospital, during his cross state lines ambulance trip to a different hospital (and all the delays), and in ICU even during his final days. Not only did it stretch out across the United States but globally as well. 

Jake was very open about his illness and treatments as evident on his twitter and instagram accounts.  But I remember he once told me he would prefer nobody ask about it during Amanda's periscope broadcasts that he would be happy to tell us in twitter direct message but does not want to take the attention away from Amanda and what she is doing. Selfless.  That was Jake. We took our perifamily onto twitter and created private direct message group and interacted daily.  Some had private persicope broadcasts just for the "fam".  And as we spent more and more time in Amanda's 'room" the family grew and grew.  I rememember the slight panic we had when the "droids" were coming how we were so afraid it would take away from the intimacy we had in these different broadcasts. However, the droid users and others kept coming and our beautiful perifamily continue to grow, adding incredible, caring people along the way. Although it became more difficult to get into Amanda's broadcasts (which we often call her room) there was an upside, our family was blossoming.

Early on in Periscope the Earthquake hit Nepal and Amanda Oleander (@AmandaOleander) decided to raise money for relief efforts. She created an illustration called World Hug and many of us stayed the entire 8+ hours from the first line drawn to the very last.  The "regulars" would help Amanda answer questions we knew answers to while Amanda would focus on her drawing.  Jake would be the go to guy to answer the questions, 'what song is this?' and 'who sings this' and 'what music channel is this'.  Jake was an extremely talented artist who painted till he took his last breath. You must visit his
instagram @JakeRogers to see his art and much of his wisdom that he shares on his page.  Jake also loved music and was the master of making mixes  Jake has many of these mixes saved on the app Spotify under @JakeRogers.  He had a mix for every emotion and experience.  I remember when I was having diffivulty sleeping I asked for his help with a music list and he directed me to a mix that helped both me and my daughter fall to sleep and one we listen to often (see Immersion on Spotify by Jake Rogers). Amanda's community of viewers which was significantly smaller than it is today raised $1145 for Nepal. I can't even imagine what it would be today with her nearly 425,000 followers. 

Another special day on periscope was the day Amanda and @xoxoLizza (#lovebugnation #pocketpals) took us to see the Dalai Lama for his 80th Birthday Celebration.  I happened to be home sick for those few days and watched along with Jake and other perifam members as we were moved,motivated and simply in awe of the experience. I am so glad we all got to see that and experience it with Jake.

Jake spent his days and nights in the hospital but thanks to this new app Periscope he was able to escape the walls of the hospital and see places all over the world.  He was able to make deep connections to people who adored him.  Looking back over his tweets it is apparent how much love he had for his buddy @murpo and his painter in arms @amandaoleander among others.  No matter what his day was like or how his treatment made him feel he would smile and ask how you were.  He scoped from the hospital a few times with some labored breathing but we held on to each of his words and rooted him on to have better days. 

We as a perifamily had created a gift box for Jake that included some gifts to make his hospital room warmer and to remind him of the love we have for him.  It was a photo album, a himalayian salt lamp, a Dalia Lama book, his favorite tea, a mug that said You Got This, an Amazon gift card for art supplies, an original sketching of an Owl by Amanda that said Team Jake, a limited edition Panda print and a collage that was framed that had each of us holding a sign that said #TeamJake, or others 

who were creative enough to carve Team Jake in wood, write Team Jake in Sand etc. We kept very quiet about what we called "the Jake Thingy" box and privately tweeted about it.  I won't forget one night while Amanda was playing chinese checkers with her Grandma Bita (who adored Jake), Jake asked me what that Team Jake sign was he saw in Amanda's apartment.  I played it off "What sign?" and he told me where it was on the floor, near the couch.  I played dumb, "I don't see it" jumped out of the room and DM'd Amanda to "HIDE THE TEAM JAKE SIGN".  That was her and Bita's sign for their picture in the collage we made.  He asked a few others and everyone played dumb as well. LOL. 

The box was together and Jake told us he was probably going home in a few days so we collectively decided to hold on to the box to see if we could send it as a homecoming gift.  But than suddenly Jake took a turn for the worse.  He had to go in ICU along with some organ rejection he now was battling an infection. 

Jake spent about 3 weeks in the ICU.  We heard from him less and less as he told us the worse he felt the less he felt like communicating.  One of our members Jellybean_1969 (Christine) was in contact with his mom and would give us updates.  We never gave up hope and we took Jake's cue that he would get through this too. It was a Friday when a direct message came to our twitter group and stunned us all. It was from Jake where he personally thanked us for past few months and told us he had been told he had only a few days to possibly a few weeks to live. We were shocked & saddened.  Moments later I opened a periscope broadcast room so we had a place to go chat with each other, support each other and cry together. I couldn't say much just focused my camera on a burning candle and tried to cope along side my friends. 

Our world was shaken.  None of us expected we had to face a day without Jake.  We were all convinced he would beat this.  Even after hearing these words many continued to hold on to hope for a miracle. We scoped to each other, joined in on Amanda's scope watching her cry over the news, we cried and we just comforted each other. We also decided its time to send the box and overnighted it.  We wanted him to feel our love, encouragement and friendship like a blanket around him and thought the lamp, pictures and other items would do just that.  

Well boy were we in for a treat. Jake, with the help of his lovely parents, broadcasted on Periscope opening his gifts to us. It came in two seperate shipments nearly a week apart.  The first scope he looked strong. He could not speak as he had tubes breathing for him but you could see his eyes and his smile through those beautiful eyes. He opened the lamp and the collage photo frame from the #teamjakers and we knew the purpose of these gifts were served.  His father later told us that the lamp was on nightly and added warmth like a campfire to the room. 

He held the phone and read everyones words to him.  I, unfortunately, was making dinner for my family and missed it live but watched the replay many times over. We made him happy. He felt the love. In a situation where you feel helpless to do anything this meant the world to us.  It was all we could do. He gave us his sign of love by making his fingers into a heart and everyone kept repeating words of love, adoration, encouragement to him. Hearts were flowing and soon after the scope was done so were the tears. Once again we got together to comfort each other. My phone rang (yes we crossed over from Periscope to twitter direct messages to now calling each other) and my sweet @IamDaniBeck was crying having just watched the replay finishing it within seconds of when I finished and we just cried together. I watched @Jellybean_1969 scope a very emotional broadcast. Later that night I saw @perpetualbri trying to get words together through her tears.  And @AmandaOleander gave a very heartfelt broadcast. We were starting to face the possibility of losing our perifam member but hoping upon hope that he would pull through and our miracle would somehow still happen. 

Less than a week later he received the second box of gifts and broadcast from ICU again opening the gifts. His hands were too shaky to hold the phone, he had weakened from the previous scope, so his amazing parents were helping him and he opened the rest of the presents. The items were well received by both Jake and his parents. His dad said they will read the Dalai Lama inspirations by the the salt lamp they have had on every night.  His mother couldn't wait to see the album of photos and see our faces.  And Jake...sweet Jake brightened up eyes wide looking at the owl sketch from Amanda and hugging his panda print. As an artist and as a individual with a kind heart and soul he adored Amanda Oleander who was for sure his kindred spririt.  They dreamed of painting a collaborative painting one day.  Perhaps that day will happen

many many years from now when Amanda is reunited with Jake at a very very very old age. Jake still had his humor.  He even used the tube the art print came in as a telescope (close enough to a periscope ---to joke with us).  While he had a bout of nauseau his mom tended to him with his nurse and his Dad showed us the wall of Jake. The pictures from his childhood, the pictures of his nieces and nephews and his siblings, his Mother's art work, his Native American flag and statue given to him by a chief who actually gave him the name holy owl.  

The phone battery died and that was the last time we saw Jake. We were given word he had a good day the very next day and if he has another good day he would like to scope with us. That day never happened. We were given word through our Jellybean that Jake passed somewhere in the middle of the night between August 14-15th. 

When Amanda announced she was making a special owl painting

for Jake we all flocked to her broadcasts to watch her creation titled, Holy Owl.  100% of this painting proceeds were going to Jake's family for medical expenses. Jake was never one to ask for help but his final request prior to his passing was help with his funeral expenses.  The perifam donated and promoted this quest and the fund got much more than Jake could have imagined. He got to see that before he died, bringing him great peace I am sure. 

We have watched 'our' Amanda continue to rise to success, painting masterpieces along the way and even finding love. Her viewership has skyrocketed and she has been in many different forms of media including magazines &television. Different broadcasters have different communities and even different names for their followers.  Several adopted the perifam name so now we also tag ourselves as #PFO standing for Peri-family Oleander. Amanda has grown into the person on Periscope with the largest following...she is also the one with the pne of the largest hearts.  I believe we attract people like ourselves.  Amanda does not put up with negative people or "trolls". She will simply block them. She tries to inspire her viewers.  She encourages her followers to interact and share what they do for a living. She wants to build a network along with a family of followers. She supports and even promotes fellow artists.  She is humble, charitable and loves go laugh. We have met her family on her visit to North Carolina.  She has embraced her perifam and in return the perifam not only embraces her but also each other.

Although much of this post is about how we met Jake and how special our connection to him was, it is only a sample of what this group of people have become to each other.  We all have different reasons why this app called Periscope has changed our life.  Those who are not familiar with the app do not understand this. How can a social media app mean so much to people and how can it possibly make people become such good friends. Well to those who don't understand I will try to explain.  You see through Periscope we welcome people into our lives...literally into our home.  Its not an anonymous person sitting behind a computer any more. It is a face to a name.  One person may broadcast (or "scope") one minute from their car during their lunch break, another may scope from their family room, and yet another from their kitchen cooking a delicious meal.  We get to know each other on bad days supporting each other, laughing on good days and everything in between.  

Even though this app has only been around 6 months I know I have made lifelong friends.  We have tragically lost one of our members and it has brought us even closer. We communicate daily through calls, texts, direct messages and group twitter messages.  We truly have become a family.  This may sound cheesy to some, hokey to others....but for us who consider ourselves part of this perifamily and part of the periscope community its our reality and we are truly thankful our lives have been forever touched by the special soul that was Jake but also for each other.

Dedicated in Memory of

@IAmHolyOwl
who will forever be the heart & the very best part of our perifamily and whose smile and spirit will be missed by so many.  Breathe and Paint a masterpiece sweet Jake.
#perifam
#pfo
#teamnosleep
#teamjake 

Jake Rogers we will never forget you.