In 2010 I decided to bring to fruition a project on cancer I have in my head . I knew it would not be an easy road but also believed it was a worthwhile road. I said from the beginning that I would keep the project somewhat quiet. It has been a difficult road for me in many ways; trouble finding funding, a hard drive crashed with a good number of images while I was trying to back it up, addition of a new member to our family, and family illness. Over and over the participants, their families, and my own experiences have reassured me that it is a worthy project. I can’t rate the experiences as to which are the most important or most interesting for my story line, and it actually seems I just sort of muddle my way through as these people and their battles pass by. This week’s shoot was a little different because the experience left me wanting to share what I had gleaned knowing Colonel Bill Beaman.
I met with Bill spring of 2010, he had been fighting pancreatic cancer for around three years; although his athletic build, sparkle in his eye, strong voice and charismatic smile hid it all quite well. During our conversation he didn’t seem to hold anything back. I asked him what had surprised him about cancer, and he thought for a second and offered this. He said “friendships” then went on to explain that many people who he regularly socialized with quickly drifted away. He said he had thought they would be the people to stand beside him through thick and thin, but they wouldn’t return his calls. Some stopped asking him to do things with them and others seemed to even avoid him. Sad… but the other side of the coin was that there were individuals who seemed to take their places, who quickly moved in to support him and Dianne. People who he had before considered just acquaintances were suddenly the ones he was counting on. As I stood at his funeral yesterday I saw probably 300 to 400 people who “cared”. I had to wonder though who fell on which side of that fence. Were some there because they secretly had abandoned Bill and needed to get it off their chests? Who were those who stepped up and provided support to a friend in need? I mention this because I know how prevalent cancer is, and I know just about everyone is faced with the decision whether to tuck tail and run or to be the one who steps up as the support. Which are you?
The second thing I was impressed with was Bills priorities. I put a slide show together for Bill’s family, and one their images really struck me. One of Bill’s names for Dianne was “Daisy”, and while they were in Hawaii on a trip he woke up early one morning and outside their window made a heart and spelled out Daisy for her out of white rocks before she woke up. Now one might think that being a colonel in the army, civilian representative to the army for the state of Montana, a successful business man, and community leader might be a bit above such things. Not Bill. He loved Dianne and wanted her to know it inside and out. Why do I mention this? I think this is a fantastic example to men that no matter who you are you need to not forget to do little things to tell your wife how much you love them.
I had not planned on it but Bill’s family asked me to shoot a little at the burial. Here are a few images taken a little less than a year ago and then grave side.
If you knew Bill and would like to view his Memorial Slide Show Click Here: Bill Beaman’s Life
