Lasting Portraits for Close-Knit Sisters | Coconut Creek Family Photographer
Lasting Portraits for Close-Knit Sisters
I was contacted to take some lasting portraits for four sisters. Gillian, the niece of one of the sisters and daughter to another sister left me a voicemail. I called her back and we chatted about the session and what their needs were. I soon realized this was going to be a somewhat hard session to do.
Gillian explained to me that the youngest of the sisters, Margurite, was recently diagnosed with cancer. She had started treatment and they were hopeful all would go well. She told me that the sisters were very close and they wanted to get some nice, smiling portraits of the four of them together.
To make it easier on them, I went to their home with everything I needed to take some nice portraits. Ironically they lived less than a mile from my first townhouse. The same one my dad helped me buy. Outside, Gillian filled me in on some of the details of Margurite’s illness. She was diagnosed with metastatic lung cancer. It had already spread to her brain and liver. I tried to hold it together, but could feel the tears welling up in my eyes. You see my dad had lung cancer 17 years ago. Same type – non-small cell lung cancer. Both had radiation to the brain. The only difference was that Margurite had never smoked.
I pulled myself together before going inside. This was an important session for obvious reasons. The sisters were all very lovely ladies and you could feel the love and positivity they shared. (Margurite is the one in the photo with the beautiful smile and butterflies on her top). Anyway, they showed me walls filled with family photos and told me the some of the stories behind them. I found out that they also had had two brothers, one who passed away in his 40’s from a heart attack and the other died in the World Trade Center…. My heart sunk even further.
They have certainly been through a lot together. Margurite was about to start chemotherapy. The new targeted therapy that came in the form of a daily pill. The sisters sounded hopeful, but I knew the odds were not good. The lack of funding for lung cancer research pretty much guarantees a measly 15% survival rate. It’s been the same statistic for the last 17 years and then some. Something that really angers me to my core.
Anyway, the session went well. I didn’t want to take too long as I could see that this was a tiring experience for Margurite. They had just wanted a few portraits of the four of them and we got that. After we wrapped up the session, we all hugged and said our goodbyes. I was so honored to do the session for them and I knew they would always treasure these images.
Thinking about the things we shared in common, I cried the whole way home. Knowing what they are facing and what they are about to face, really hit home.
I sent them the images and the prints they ordered. Gillian called me a few weeks after the session to thank me again and to update me on Margurite’s condition. Hospice had already been called in as she had become bedridden. It’s been a few weeks since I’ve heard from her and I want to reach out to Gillian again, but afraid of the news I might hear. This family really touched me and my heart goes out to them.
