REPORT #1741
"I just would hope that if I was ever in that situation that there would be someone like me who would do this for me."
Amanda Johnson
Flashes of Hope
Columbus, OH
PICTURE PERFECT
PORTRAIT OF A STRONG SPIRIT: Flashes of Hope is a non-profit organization whose mission is to create portraits of children who are battling cancer and other terminal illnesses. Through the portraits, their goal is to help children feel better about their appearance as it changes during the course of treatment; for example, losing their hair. For the parents and family, they hope to immortalize the child's "beauty, grace and dignity."
In 2001, Allison Clarke founded Flashes of Hope in Cleveland, Ohio while her and her husband Kip's son was fighting a successful battle with cancer. Today, there are 25 chapters nationwide. Each month, a group of volunteers turn hospital playrooms, waiting rooms and hallways into a photography studio. Award-winning photographers volunteer their time as well as makeup artists and stylists. Children are photographed on their own as well as with family members and sometimes even with their favorite nurse. They are given prints of the photos as well as a CD for making additional copies.
A PARENT'S WORST FEAR: According to the National Cancer Institute (NCI), cancer is the leading cause of death by disease among children in the United States between infancy and 15 years of age. It results in more deaths than cystic fibrosis, muscular dystrophy, asthma and AIDS combined, says the Candlelighters Childhood Cancer Foundation. Each school day, 46 children are diagnosed with cancer and one in 330 children will develop the disease by the time they turn 20. Over the past 30 years the prevalence of pediatric cancer has increased; however, mortality has dramatically declined. In the 1970s, the combined five-year survival rate for childhood cancers was less than 50 percent. Today, it is almost 80 percent, and the 10-year survival rate is more than 75 percent.
A HELPING HAND: Twenty-five dollars can provide a child with a photo shoot. To make a donation to Flashes of Hope, visit https://donate.flashesofhope.org.
SMART WOMAN CONTACT:
Andrea Woods
amwoods@insight.rr.com
