a while ago, i posted a bit on sam and team sam but i wanted to post a bit more about sam and his family (this probably won't be the last time either). i originally met sam quite a while back through kiele's deaf itinerant teacher (sam lost most of his hearing because of chemo)...and last weekend, i had the honor of photographing sam and his family.
meet sam.
a seven year old boy battling neuroblastoma for the second time.
a boy who is a bit shy at first, but warms up so quickly.
a boy who loves to have fun.
a boy that is so full of life, you can see it sparkle in his eyes.
meet sam.
a young boy.
a fighter.
a survivor.
in case you don't know what neuroblastoma has the potential to do, click here to view renee c. byer's pulitzer prize winning photos.
after just viewing beyer's photos, which i've seen plenty times before.
i sit here and sob.
i sob every time i view them.
i just can't imagine.
i just don't get it.
no child should have to go through that.
i can't imagine, as a parent, watching my child go through that.
why?
i just don't know.
damn it, i just don't know.
after a long break...needed to recompose my thoughts
******************************************************************
i often check sam's progress report, hoping that one day i'll see that his cancer was miraculously cured. not yet. but what i did read was beautiful, touched my soul and had me it tears...once again. an entry written by sam's mom and dad. written to sam, for his seventh birthday. just in case some of you never visit sam's website, i wanted to post sam's birthday entry here (originally written on july 13th and shared here with permission from sam's mom).
Happy 7th Birthday to Sam, our amazing little (getting big) boy! Sammy, you are our inspiration. You have a wicked sense of humor and a quick smile that goes straight to the heart. I love to watch you laugh (a couple of nights ago you were laughing so hard at Charlie Brown that you couldn’t breathe very well). You are shy with people who don’t know you but anyone who takes the time to get to know you is always a fan for life. You are so mechanically smart that you can fix things and figure out puzzles and mazes way beyond your years. You have always been freakishly coordinated (rode the neighbor’s razor scooter at age 2, rode a bike without training wheels on your 4th birthday and can hit a ball pitched anywhere near your strike zone). You are becoming quite the skateboarder these days. You are my fashion consultant and always help me pick out what to wear if I’m going somewhere. You always want to wear the latest and coolest stuff and are an Imelda Marcos of shoes (you are currently out with your father and Andrew trying to talk Dad into buying you new colored Converse for your birthday). You remember things about people and what they like and what they wear, details that we are amazed you catch and you are very kind. You are a great big brother. You love torment both your little brothers (and me) but you produce acts of kindness towards all of us that take my breath away. You are very persistent and will try anything (including different types of food).
You have taken what would bring most adults to their knees in stride, mostly with a smile and just get on with it. You take 40 pills a day without complaint and are proud to show people that you can now take 4 at a time. I’ve seen you throw up and then run out to play with your brother and your friends as if nothing is wrong. Your father and I sometimes want to shout from the rooftops about how wonderful you are and what an amazing spirit you have even after all you’ve gone through and are going through. We want the world to know that you are our hero and our friend.
You have skipped soccer camp for the last two days and I couldn’t get out of you why you didn’t want to go but I think it has something to do with your birthday wish that you wrote last night with your tutor: “My birthday wish is to run faster.” I would give anything to be able to give you your wish.Your daddy is working so hard to find medicines that will give you your speed back. You didn’t dwell at all though. As soon as your tutor left you said to Andrew and I, “Come on, let’s go outside and play basketball” and we did.
Sammy, we love you and we are so proud of you. You teach us how to live every day.
Love,
Mom and Dad
i leave you with that. words of inspiration. not from me but from a family that i so geatly admire. a family committed to finding a cure and seeing their child survive. i leave you with words of encouragement...encouragement to live every day to it's fullest.
if you're interested in helping the fight against neuroblastoma and medulloblastoma, please visit the magic water project.
meet sam.
a seven year old boy battling neuroblastoma for the second time.
a boy who is a bit shy at first, but warms up so quickly.
a boy who loves to have fun.
a boy that is so full of life, you can see it sparkle in his eyes.
meet sam.
a young boy.
a fighter.
a survivor.
in case you don't know what neuroblastoma has the potential to do, click here to view renee c. byer's pulitzer prize winning photos.
after just viewing beyer's photos, which i've seen plenty times before.
i sit here and sob.
i sob every time i view them.
i just can't imagine.
i just don't get it.
no child should have to go through that.
i can't imagine, as a parent, watching my child go through that.
why?
i just don't know.
damn it, i just don't know.
after a long break...needed to recompose my thoughts
******************************************************************
i often check sam's progress report, hoping that one day i'll see that his cancer was miraculously cured. not yet. but what i did read was beautiful, touched my soul and had me it tears...once again. an entry written by sam's mom and dad. written to sam, for his seventh birthday. just in case some of you never visit sam's website, i wanted to post sam's birthday entry here (originally written on july 13th and shared here with permission from sam's mom).
Happy 7th Birthday to Sam, our amazing little (getting big) boy! Sammy, you are our inspiration. You have a wicked sense of humor and a quick smile that goes straight to the heart. I love to watch you laugh (a couple of nights ago you were laughing so hard at Charlie Brown that you couldn’t breathe very well). You are shy with people who don’t know you but anyone who takes the time to get to know you is always a fan for life. You are so mechanically smart that you can fix things and figure out puzzles and mazes way beyond your years. You have always been freakishly coordinated (rode the neighbor’s razor scooter at age 2, rode a bike without training wheels on your 4th birthday and can hit a ball pitched anywhere near your strike zone). You are becoming quite the skateboarder these days. You are my fashion consultant and always help me pick out what to wear if I’m going somewhere. You always want to wear the latest and coolest stuff and are an Imelda Marcos of shoes (you are currently out with your father and Andrew trying to talk Dad into buying you new colored Converse for your birthday). You remember things about people and what they like and what they wear, details that we are amazed you catch and you are very kind. You are a great big brother. You love torment both your little brothers (and me) but you produce acts of kindness towards all of us that take my breath away. You are very persistent and will try anything (including different types of food).
You have taken what would bring most adults to their knees in stride, mostly with a smile and just get on with it. You take 40 pills a day without complaint and are proud to show people that you can now take 4 at a time. I’ve seen you throw up and then run out to play with your brother and your friends as if nothing is wrong. Your father and I sometimes want to shout from the rooftops about how wonderful you are and what an amazing spirit you have even after all you’ve gone through and are going through. We want the world to know that you are our hero and our friend.
You have skipped soccer camp for the last two days and I couldn’t get out of you why you didn’t want to go but I think it has something to do with your birthday wish that you wrote last night with your tutor: “My birthday wish is to run faster.” I would give anything to be able to give you your wish.Your daddy is working so hard to find medicines that will give you your speed back. You didn’t dwell at all though. As soon as your tutor left you said to Andrew and I, “Come on, let’s go outside and play basketball” and we did.
Sammy, we love you and we are so proud of you. You teach us how to live every day.
Love,
Mom and Dad
i leave you with that. words of inspiration. not from me but from a family that i so geatly admire. a family committed to finding a cure and seeing their child survive. i leave you with words of encouragement...encouragement to live every day to it's fullest.
if you're interested in helping the fight against neuroblastoma and medulloblastoma, please visit the magic water project.
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