Diana Liang photographed St. Baldrick’s Ambassador Luke and his family at Lake Michigan in 2012. You can see more of Diana’s work at www.dianaliangphotography.com.
Do you think you have a lot going on in your life? Perhaps you are a parent. Maybe you have a lot going on at work or you have a business you’re giving every bit of yourself to. You could be working on a new career. Maybe you are doing all of these things at the same time.
Most of us have (or think we have) a lot going on in our lives. Hopefully whatever it is that you are focusing on in your life right now is something that matters and something that makes you happy.
Sometimes, life hits us hard on top of everything that we have going on. And. It. Hurts. Bad. The most important thing is how we decide to use that, what we get out of it, and what we decide to do.
Cancer is one of those things that hits us hard. It can change your life in a second.
Imagine how life changed for this family when one of their boys was diagnosed with cancer. Just imagine. My heart gets so heavy just thinking about it. But they got through it and now they are doing something about it.
Luke is one of five St. Baldrick’s Foundation 2013 Ambassadors. St. Baldrick’s Ambassadors represent the thousands of kids touched by childhood cancer. Coming from all areas of the country, ages, disease types and treatment statuses, they are a reminder that childhood cancer doesn’t discriminate and that one in five kids diagnosed in the U.S. will not survive. St. Baldrick’s is known for their head-shaving events to raise money for childhood cancer research. Luke’s mom has shaved her head more than once.
I photographed Luke and his family last summer on Lake Michigan. It was an out-of-this-world touching experience. Although I didn’t know them previous to that day, I felt so close to them. They opened their hearts to me, and I could sense their pain and their joy.
I wanted this day to be a day of celebration that Luke is here and healthy, and that is exactly what we did. We met at their lake cottage and headed to the beach because that is Luke’s favorite place to be. It just so happens to be my favorite place to be as well.
And there…
we celebrated…
in the grass, in the sand, in the water…
until the sun went down.
As he came out of the water, Luke showed me the scar on his chest. There it was. The scar said, “Something bad happened, but that just made me stronger.”
What do you decide to do about your scar?
September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. Get involved. Help cure childhood cancer.
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