Putting a Face on Cancer

Sue Drinker photos

Courage and enlightenment are the two words that come to me when I think of people who have survived treatment for cancer. Treatment “knocks you upside the head” and turns you upside down then spits you out to continue your life as if nothing has happened except that everything is changed—forever.

Today, it is rare to find someone whose life hasn’t been affected in some way by cancer. Still there is a stigma that prevents some of us from being fully informed and from seeking help. Many call it the “Big C.” The word “cancer” is most often spoken in hushed tones. People don’t know what to say, how to face the dread that accompanies the diagnosis—so they tend to avoid the discussion— a tendency that serves no one well.

Putting a Face on Cancer is an exhibit of cancer survivors from up and down the Roaring Fork valley and beyond. It is a collection of 60 portraits taken by Sue Drinker, herself a survivor. While the pictures are anonymous you will recognize the faces—they are your friends and neighbors and as eclectic a group as is the population of the valley. They have stepped up to tell anyone who is interested that they are alive and thriving and willing to share their experience openly with anyone who wants to know.

In addition to the portraits, which will be hung around the gazebo in Paepcke Park on September 9th, there is a notebook of individual “impressions” shared by these survivors and beautifully compiled into readable form by Paul Hilts, himself a member of the gallery exhibit as well. The community is invited to explore this exhibit and to connect with the subjects of the photographs over the course of the festivities associated with the Aspen/Snowmass Ride for the Cure®. Celebrate the courage and discover how common the bond is between women (and men) and their families in the fight against breast cancer.

The exhibit will be up in the Paepcke Park gazebo from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. from Friday, September 8th thru Saturday, September 9th at 6:00pm for everyone to see. We expect the exhibit to grow exponentially as more and more survivors step up to be counted and acknowledged. —Georgia Hanson, survivor

Survivors interested in joining others in the “Putting a Face on Cancer” exhibit should call Komen Aspen at: 970-920-0250.