- Image by Maile Wilson, used with permission
When I went to Shutter Sisters yesterday morning I figured I’d check in for a quick visit, see some fantastic photos and be out of there and on my way to getting ready for work. That’s not what happened. Yes, I saw some fantastic photos in the above images by Maile Wilson, one of the official Sisters, but as I read her words that accompanied her images, I thought of my own two sons (now adults) and was moved to tears by the story she told of Karen Hansel. In Maile’s words below (images and words used by permission):
Behind the lens, I noticed how much her son looked like mine. I couldn’t help but wonder what it felt like to hug your child while you have cancer. I thought about my own son’s eyes, his neck, how it gracefully slopes up to his little ears. I didn’t want her to know I felt like crying. Because I didn’t want her to feel like I thought cancer defined her. More accurately, she would be defined as strong and warm, with a certain kindness that develops only when you realize how much it matters. At the end of the shoot she hugged me. And I felt grateful, like my work had a purpose. I also felt like I would give anything for her to get better.
If you’d like to help, Karen Hansel is fighting Stage 4 breast cancer, which has spread throughout her body and bones, most recently discovered in her liver and one lung. She’s a single mother to Dominick, age 12. And we’re reaching out to help offset the cost of her cancer treatments. Please consider purchasing a raffle ticket for $20 and/or sending a donation of unwanted, broken or mismatched gold…
Raffle prizes:
Thank you, thank you, thank you! xo
Update on Thursday, July 16, 2009 by Maile Wilson
A million thank yous to everyone! xxoo
After reading her words, I immediately sent an email to receive further instructions about the raffle tickets, and Maile responded back right away. As I went about my morning routine, getting ready for work, an idea started to formulate and by the time I heard from Tracy Kubinski, Karen’s sister-in-law, I knew what I wanted to do, I just needed to get permission to put my idea into action. This is where you all come in.
In partnership with Mpix, I am auctioning off an 8″x8″ print of “Make a Wish”, pictured left, which will be beautifully printed, matted and framed by Mpix. Mpix rocks, let me tell you! I use them exclusively for my printing needs, but I haven’t been a customer for too terribly long. I sent them an email yesterday morning, asking them if they would be willing to help offset the cost for donation and within less than 20 minutes they came back with a resounding yes. Awesome!!
Okay, now this is really where you come in. Let’s see how much money we can raise for the Karen Hansel Benefit Fund. In the comments below, state your bid! As I told Maile and Tracy, I’m crossing my fingers and toes and hoping that you will bid and bid and bid some more to help raise some money to offset Karen’s treatment. The auction will remain open until Sunday morning and so this post doesn’t get buried, I won’t be posting anything new until Sunday morning when I announce the auction winner. Thank you!
Place your bid through the comments and let the bidding begin!! And please help spread the word on your blogs and mention this post, and the one on Shutter Sisters, too!
If you would rather bid anonymously, send me an email or contact me through the form on my Contact Me page.
I’m going to throw some extra goodies into this auction, as follows:
- if the bidding gets to $100-$149, I’ll include one of my glass necklaces
- $150-$199 will receive one glass necklace and a bottle stopper
- $200-$299 will receive one glass necklace, a bottle stopper and a Christmas ornament
- bids more than $300 will receive one of my glass bowls, which is very similar to this photo below – this bowl is a “second” as it is slightly lopsided. If perfect, it would retail for $450.
[please note - auction extended until 5:00 p.m. pdt]
