THAT WAS HER Last THANKSGIVING. SHE PASSED AWAY THAT FOLLOWING JUNE.
It was November 2012. Thanksgiving. We decided to have a "cancer will not defeat me" photo session. My grandma was one strong woman and she was determined to beat any illness that struck her. I captured this image of my grandmother during that shoot. She always so proud of me and told me I had a gift. I can still remember this day like it was yesterday. Every time I look at this photograph, I close my eyes and hold it in my hands up against my chest. I'm taken back to this very moment when my grandma is smiling. She's a bit cold, but she so happy to have her family there supporting and loving her. See, my grandma was the glue to my family. All she ever wanted was for her family to be together. I start to feel the ache in my stomach as a rush of emotions overcome me as I get a rush of memories flooding my mind. Then all of the sudden I begin to laugh when I open my eyes and see the photo again. I remember the moment right after this photo was taken when we realized my grandma had her shoes on the wrong feet. We all laughed that day. If you look closely, you can notice it too.
She and some other family members had come down from Indiana to visit. She had been diagnosed with ovarian cancer. And while her cancer journey is another story for another time, I am here to tell you what this photograph above means to me. Let's take a trip down my memory lane...