Sayre Park was buzzing with good tunes (courtesy of Bo Hale), laughter and strength the evening of June 14, when cancer survivors and allies gathered to celebrate life.
Sue Drinker is still in remission after being diagnosed in 2005, going through some “serious chemo” and coming out the other side a year later. Early on in her journey, she decided to pay it forward and document fellow survivors through the medium of photography. “I started taking ‘survivor pictures,’ and I’ve done about 250 in the last 17 years,” she told The Sopris Sun.
Some of Drinker’s photos were on display at the event, organized by Valley View’s Calaway-Young Cancer Center. Most were taken in the past year. The portraits at the center of the party were of survivors Drinker first photographed when she was still sick, but reshot again recently; so, the verbiage accompanying those photos was about what it’s like beyond surviving a diagnosis, and living with cancer.
“I think it’s really important to celebrate the people who survive, and also to make the public less scared of us. I think people are afraid that if they talk to us about cancer or surviving, that it’s something that’s hard for us to talk about. I think this kind of event really elevates survivors as people who are ‘cool,’ people that you should be talking to. People who have been through a lot that you may go through in the future, or not, or your family or whatever. So, get to know us. Don’t be scared of us. Get to know us,” she encouraged.
Diane Heald, the nurse facilitator in Valley’s View’s Infusion Center, asked the crowd to join her in a moment of silence in honor of those who did not overcome their battles with cancer. Then, she introduced Jeanie Norris, a survivor and the event’s keynote speaker.
Norris, 63, discovered a lump last summer, was subsequently diagnosed with breast cancer and then began treatment at the Calaway-Young Cancer Center. She commended the welcoming nature of Valley View as a whole, from its valets to its doctors.
“The best thing of all, of course, was after completing radiation and being told that I was cancer-free … It has been quite a journey” Norris stated. “To take the scariest time of my life and turn it into an empowering turning point is nothing short of remarkable.”
She added, “A very wise woman at the Center told me, I can be sad and even fearful about cancer, and still be a happy person.” After departing from the microphone, Norris blew a kiss to Heald.
Portraits from Drinker’s “Survivor Series” can be found in the lobby of the Calaway-Young Cancer Center. Scroll on for additional photos of the June 14 event…
Arabella Marmolejo, who was diagnosed in November and is currently in treatment, excitedly accepts a mango, courtesy of Señor Mango. Photo by James Steindler
Survivor, Randi Kelly.
Bo Hale provided the tunes.
After her speech, Jeanie Norris blows a kiss to nurse Diane Heald.
Diane Heald, the nurse facilitator in Valley’s View’s Infusion Center.