I created a page on facebook just for the Enduring The Burn project. I want it to take on a life of it's own, and was afraid it wouldn't do that if it was just an off-shoot of Robin Wilks Photography. I have another two survivors lined up to participate. I just need to hammer down the photo dates, etc. I am hoping with it's own page, the project might find more survivors who want to get involved.

I have set up the Enduring the Burn page under the Projects tab, here on the website. There is a gallery where I will post pictures of the survivors, as I go. I have set up a form that can be filled out by survivors who want to participate in the Enduring the Burn project that will go directly to my e-mail so that I can contact them as soon as possible. There is also a model release pdf form that will need to be filled out and either mailed to me or scanned and e-mailed to me before I can proceed with any portraits/photographs.
I have also set up ads on Facebook, Craig's List and various burn foundations in hopes of finding burn survivors who are interested in partcipating. When I spoke with the Shriner's Hospital's P.A. Catherine Comroe, she said, "I think the project sounds very interesting and would be worthwhile not only to survivors but to their families." Ann Jobin at http://asktheburnsurgeon.blogspot.com had this to say, "I think its a great idea to have a book on burn survivors as it would give great encouragement and hope to people who suffer from burns." These are only a few of the e-mails I have received with positive feedback regarding Enduring the Burn.

If you are reading this blog and know of a survivor that you think would be a good fit for this project, please contact me through the website. I would love the chance to propose the project to them, as I am certain that they will feel as strongly about this project as I do!

As you can see, I have named the photo-documentary project. I wrote the intro with my part of Samantha's story already, but need to edit it. It took me a long time to write what I already have, because even after years of going through all of this with Sissy, I sat and cried the whole time I was writing. Re-living a story like hers is just as traumatic the one hundred and first time as it was the very first time. With that being said, I thought I would post the first paragraph for you. Let me know what you think.

en·dure (verb)

1.       bear hardship – to experience exertion, pain, or hardship without giving up

2.       tolerate disagreeable things – tolerate or accept something that is extremely disagreeable

3.       survive – to last or survive over a period of time, especially when faced with difficulties

 

        I titled this book “Enduring the Burn” for several reasons.  The survivor has to endure not only the physical pain, but also the mental pain that goes with living through a burn injury.  The scars run deep, again, both mentally and physically.  You have to have endurance to be a survivor.  But the survivor isn’t the only one who suffers. The family members also share the survivor’s pain.  While they don’t feel the physical pain that comes with dressing changes or therapy, they do feel the emotional pain of watching someone they love suffer through such an experience. In both cases, enduring seemed to be the best word choice I could come up with. 





 

As you may or may not know, cancer is not the only thing that is close to my heart. My oldest daughter was severely burned when she was a baby and we spent years in and out of the hospital with her burn care. As I researched the Cancer project, I found that there are a lot of similar projects already out there, and not a lot of funding available. As I sat there researching grants and such, a friend of mine mentioned the fact that Cancer was not the only thing that had touched our lives. The more I though about it, the more I realized, that while Cancer had touched several people in my family, the burns I was intimately familiar with. I was the one who went through each and every one of Samantha's 40+ surgeries with her. I did all of her dressing changes and handled all of her at home burn care. I sat down and talked with Samantha about the possibility of doing a Burn Survivor project instead. She was very interested and said that she thought it would be a great project. I did some fact finding and e-mailed some of the people I know from the different hospitals we have been to and also some of the foundations that we are associated with. The general consensus is that it would be a worthwhile project not only for the burn survivors, but also for the family and friends of the survivors. So I have gotten in contact with a burn society to see what direction I should go from here. I was excited about The Face of Cancer, but I cannot pass up an opportunity to work hand-in-hand with my amazing daughter on a project of this scope. So stay tuned and I will keep you updated on how this progresses.

Just an update on the project. I researched a bunch of grants this weekend. I found a few that would apply, but not many. This type of project, I think, is going to be difficult to get funded. I am going to have to find a few creative ways to get it done, I can tell. That's okay, though. This is very close to my heart and if I want it to happen, I am just going to have to find a way to make that happen. I am still looking for approximately 25 people who are interested in being a part of "The Face of Cancer" project and sharing their cancer story with me. If you are, you need to understand what will be involved. I am going to be following you around for 1-2 days, taking pictures (tastefully, of course) and learning more about you and your cancer experience. I am also going to need to need you to write your cancer story, in your own words, for inclusion in the book. If this is something you, or someone you know, might be interested in, please contact me via the contact page here on my website, or on facebook. Either way will work.