Putting A Face on Cancer™ is my ongoing photographic project incorporating survivors of all types of cancer who reside in the Roaring Fork Valley of Colorado and beyond. It is my dream, and the hope of each of the participants that, through the sharing of our faces and quotes, we can pass along the strength and resilience which we all hold dear, to those who explore this collection. Our common experience with the diagnosis of cancer, the prospect and survival of treatment and the reality of living with a deadly disease, makes us a unique band of sober and appreciative individuals. By showing up as who we are now, we hope that others may find their own reservoirs of strength to face cancer and move beyond it.
Our mission is exposure, healing, community and spirit. As our survivorship numbers grow and our stories repeat themselves, it becomes hard to imagine a world where the prognosis and diagnosis of cancer is automatically perceived to be a death sentence to be born alone, in fear and desperation. Cancer is most definitely a wake-up call and a journey of pain and mortal questioning, but these things are the very stuff of life, and survival for any period of time, becomes life on a higher and a richer level. We are here to openly and enthusiastically share with those who are facing a similar path and with those who love someone who is about to walk that path… we are here to be who we are… products of a life changing experience… survivors with courage… livers of life.
Each Friday morning you will find a new survivor’s story here, along with their portrait and their quote. I hope our shared experiences bring light, companionship and perhaps a smile into the lives of those people walking that same mile in our shoes.
Sue Drinker
Comments:
From the first time I went to the Cancer Center at Valley View I have admired your pictures. There is one specifically that is of a woman and it says “It’s just a bump in the road.” that I admire the most. That picture and that saying got me through my chemo treatments and continue to get me through my new diagnosis of metastatic breast cancer. Your pictures and stories are amazing and continue to give me strength to keep fighting!
Mission
Our mission is exposure, healing, community and spirit. As our survivorship numbers grow and our stories repeat themselves, it becomes hard to imagine a world where the prognosis and diagnosis of cancer is automatically perceived to be a death sentence to be born alone, in fear and desperation. Cancer is most definitely a wake-up call and a journey of pain and mortal questioning, but these things are the very stuff of life, and survival for any period of time, becomes life on a higher and a richer level. We are here to openly and enthusiastically share with those who are facing a similar path and with those who love someone who is about to walk that path… we are here to be who we are… products of a life changing experience… survivors with courage… livers of life.
Each Friday morning you will find a new survivor’s story here, along with their portrait and their quote. I hope our shared experiences bring light, companionship and perhaps a smile into the lives of those people walking that same mile in our shoes.
Sue Drinker
Comments:
From the first time I went to the Cancer Center at Valley View I have admired your pictures. There is one specifically that is of a woman and it says “It’s just a bump in the road.” that I admire the most. That picture and that saying got me through my chemo treatments and continue to get me through my new diagnosis of metastatic breast cancer. Your pictures and stories are amazing and continue to give me strength to keep fighting!
Thank you!
Tiffany Myers
Gypsum, Colorado