January 21, 2008
(All Images © Jed Share 2005)
My friend Carl Thiel and I have just finished working on Drawing Closer, a fictional short movie based on some of my experiences with kids suffering from childhood cancer. (Watch this space for more information regarding the film and the festivals where the movie will be shown)
Acting in the movie reminded me of a visit I had a with a group of delightful kids who are suffering from childhood cancer. (See above) It was one of the most memorable weekends I have ever experienced.
The strength, faith, hope and love flowing from the families of these children is unbelievable. I honestly don’t know if I could ever handle what these families are going through myself. Their steadfast hope and resolve is unbelievable.
I was with these families to take photographs for a book and a television piece we (the Candlelighters Childhood Cancer Foundation) are doing to gather national and international support for children in treatment, survivors and the families of those who have passed away from cancer.
During the weekend I spent most of my time on the floor of the National Children’s Hospital doing my job as the Doctor of Mischief. My task was to make the kids feel at ease so we could capture their personalities on film. I wrestled on the floor with little kids with cue ball heads. I joked and shared incredible stories with an amazing teenager from Bulgaria. I made an idiot of myself trying to distract kids from the camera and that awful cancer shadow that stalks them twenty-four hours a day.
My friend Jed Share (a world class photographer) Ruth Hoffman (Executive Director of the Candlelighters) and myself (world class buffoon) cried and laughed the whole weekend. I cannot tell you how full my heart feels after celebrating life with these kids and capturing their courage and hope on film.
We spent three days taking hundreds and hundreds of pictures and then on the Saturday night we all joined together in the old Post Office in Washington D.C. to light the incredible Candlelighters Christmas Tree. The tree was adorned with thousands of gold ribbons to support kids in treatment, honor those who are no longer with us and celebrate the precious lives of those who have survived childhood cancer.
After the tree lighting I had a real hard time saying goodbye to my new friends, especially to a little four year-old chap named Alex. We really bonded and I had a huge lump in my throat when I saw Alex’s bald little head hang in sadness when he said goodbye to me.
“Can you be my friend for always?” he said when I hugged him goodbye.
“Yes, Alex,” I whispered in his ear. “For always.”
From kids with cancer at the National Children's Hospital to the kids in the refugee camps in Darfur. From kids dealing with post traumatic stress from wars in Africa, the Middle East and Pakistan to the kids in your neighborhood. Let's send warm thoughts across the planet to any child whose is suffering today.
Posted by trevor at January 21, 2008 04:43 PM