The Portraits Project

Latest Stories

Bo Cooke

“My first experience with cancer was with my grandfather. He was undiagnosed lung cancer that had metastasized to the brain and I got a phone call that he was going into emergency surgery craniotomy and this was in 1996. They opened him up realized the magnitude and how much the spread was closing back up and he never regained consciousness and I held his hand when he passed away and it was really incredibly moving to me that science couldn't find it. He was undiagnosed. He was a lifelong smoker and it was frustrating to me that nothing could be done.”

Dawn Davis

“One of my family members was stricken with cancer back in the 1980s when cancer research wasn't very thought of or sought out or you know there wasn't very much technology going on back then. She passed away from lung cancer she survived cancer for about nine months her from hearing from her brother, my father-in-law. She was very very outgoing. She has had a great personality so even though somebody has cancer at least I know that cancer doesn't ruin their spirit their drive and their determination which is what I think crushes a few people when they have cancer so she, her soul, and her spirit lived on through her family and her name was Sharon Davis.”

Linda Porcello

“The best support anyone can have is through prayer and to encourage them and help them in whatever they need to deal with it themselves. I will never forget that when I was diagnosed with cancer one of my best friends was more upset than I was because you know she didn't want to lose me. My attitude of course was that well you know it's cancer then we're going to treat it take care of it and if that doesn't work then we'll have chemo if that doesn't work then we'll have radiation and if that doesn't work then I get to die and go see Jesus. So I couldn't lose. It was a win situation for me but tammy was upset because she figured it was terminal. Well god wasn't finished with me yet as they say and so I survived.”