A few months ago, I got a call from Danielle Thurston. We are connected in several groups and both write for AdvancedBreastCancer.net, but we didn’t know each other all that well then. What she shared with me created such excitement that I stalked her a little, watching for it to unfold.
In essence, Danielle has created a pictorial version of what I often write about, the experience of living with a terminal disease as a parent. For those of us diagnosed prior to menopause, many of us have young children. Some of us have older children. The bottom line is that when a terminal patient still has children that rely on that parent for care, guidance, and total support, that is a relationship that is affected significantly.
Danielle’s mission is to show the world the visuals of parents and children still living life, still connecting, still growing and thriving. The faces of these men, women, and children should haunt those who discount the significance of this disease or want to turn it into a chronic disease, easily managed. News flash, it’s not. Yet, we parents do our best to ensure our children have the best possible lives despite what we struggle with.
Danielle’s goal is to have at least 116 men and women to participate in this project, highlighting the fact that 116 men and women are killed by Metastatic Breast Cancer (MBC) in the United States, every single day. Think about that for a second, 116 men and women who have families, children, friends, lives, are lost every single day in the United States. When I heard these statistics and started learning more about the MBC population, I’ve been more and more saddened by this epidemic that so many are simply unaware of.
Danielle is seeking to change that lack of awareness with this project. Are you excited? Does this sound like something you’d like to participate in? Well, you are in the right place. Here’s how to participate:
I’ve sent in my pictures and I would encourage each of you with children, no matter how old they are, to participate. Danielle would like to have as many as possible to create a campaign around a significant day to show these and highlight these relationships.
A picture, after all, is worth 1000 words!
No Half Measures 