No one wants to hear the words "Your child has cancer." When you look into
the face of someone with cancer, you may have no idea what is going on
beyond chemo and radiation. It's human nature to turn away. But it is real
life, often raw, and it's going on in homes all over this country, where
more than 1 million people are diagnosed every year. Billions of dollars are
given toward cancer research but virtually nothing is given to help families
through the emotional and financial challenges to allow them the time to
spend with their dying child. Through the eyes of Cyndie French and Derek
Madsen, we can see that this could have been the most precious gift in the
most vital moment. This yearlong story chronicling single mom Cyndie French,
40, and her 11-year-old son Derek Madsen is not an ordinary cancer saga. The
photographs often take us places where we don't comfortably go, showing the
emotional impact on finances, job loss and the complex relationship between
a mother and her pre-adolescent son. They take us beyond the doctor
appointments that hold bad news to the unrelenting anger of a small boy
faced with neuroblastoma, a rare and aggressive childhood cancer, as his
mother is torn between giving up her business, throwing carwashes and trying
to make money and care for her dying son. The emotional impact on them is
significant enough to tear at the fabric of what defines a family, parental
guidance and support. Derek died at home in the arms of his mother in May
2006. This isn't a story about his death. It's the story of how he lived and
how he was guided with the unconditional love, persistence and patience of
his mother despite all odds.
