Design
A Project Born from the Heart: The Story of Igor and Amor Simples de Doar
There are projects that are born from the heart even before they're born from the mind.
This is one of them.
I saw a photo of Márcia holding a little cloth doll. Simple. Delicate. Full of meaning.
I asked who it was. And she told me.
The reference I kept in my heart
!Márcia holding the little Igor doll
Igor was an oncology patient of Amor Simples de Doar e Dançar (ASDD), the support group for Brazilians with cancer in Ireland, led by Márcia. The podcast idea came from Igor himself. And the mascot was the way Márcia found to honour him and keep that memory alive forever.
When he passed, Márcia had a little cloth doll made from a photo of them on one of the group's gathering days.
Details only God could orchestrate.
That story landed in my heart.
And stayed there.
Until on June 17th, without any pretension, I simply picked it up and made it.
Each pose, a story
I used the photo of Márcia with the doll as reference. And something beautiful happened: the AI didn't copy. It created.
A little crochet doll was born. With a beanie, scarf, a buttoned jacket and jeans, just like the original. And little shoes with a green ribbon.
And the sunflower. Because a sunflower always turns its face toward the light. Just like ASDD does with each patient it welcomes.
Then I started creating Igor in different poses, and in each one I felt I wasn't creating alone.
Igor waving to those who arrive. Arms open for those who need welcome. Hands on the heart for those who are afraid. Sitting in prayer for those seeking faith. Hugging those who are alone.
Each gesture was born from an intention. And each intention from a sensitivity that came from Him.
The scene that stopped me
At some point in the process, an idea arrived. I don't quite know where it came from. But I know it wasn't only mine.
What if Igor were beside a small table, with a little vase of sunflowers, and he picked the flower and offered it to whoever was watching?
When I saw that scene finished, I stopped. I breathed deeply. And I cried.
Because that's exactly what Amor Simples de Doar does every single day: it offers. It offers presence, care, hope. Without asking anything in return.
That scene wasn't created by me. It was revealed to me.
When he came to life
Seeing Igor in motion was one of the most emotional moments of the whole process.
Him waving. Him hugging. Him offering the sunflower with those little hands stretched forward.
A character born from a conversation kept in the heart, coming to life on a screen, to never leave again.
In that moment, I understood I wasn't doing a design project. I was being an instrument of something much greater.
My voice, his story
The reveal video was put together with great care. Each scene chosen with intention. Each transition designed to move.
And in the end, I decided to narrate it with my own voice. Because this story deserved to be told that way: with presence, with emotion, with truth.
The first to know was Márcia. I sent her a video, with no warning, no ceremony. Just with my heart in my hand and the message: I made something for you.
She watched it. And watched it again. And again. A few dozen times, by her own count.
And today, Márcia showed it to Igor's mother.
And the mother, the one who lost her son, who carried the pain only a mother knows, sent an audio thanking Márcia for all the support given to her and the family in every moment.
In that instant, I understood.
I wasn't doing design. I was being used by God to touch lives I've never met in person. Like Márcia, whom I only know through video, but with whom I share a connection that can only come from Him.
Our friendship began on a day when I was going through chemotherapy. A video. A message. And God weaving something neither of us planned.
What Márcia carries is unique and special. And soon I'll bring that whole story here, about the group and the importance it holds for the Brazilian community that grows day by day in Ireland.
For now, I'm left with the certainty this project gave me:
"When we place ourselves in God's hands, even design becomes prayer."
AI was the brush. Love was the paint. And the hand that guided it all was His.
[signature: https://fftqviokdbvmoosrrivg.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/blog-images/manual/amor-simples-de-doar-logo.png | Brazilian Cancer Support Group in Ireland]
> "Igor. Forever the heart of Amor Simples de Doar."
[tools: Claude Code | ChatGPT | Flow | CapCut]
- #igor project
- #amor simples de doar
- #emotional design
- #ai and art
- #story of overcoming
- #human connection