A Story of Legacy, Love, and Fight
Dear Cancer, Stuart looked skinny the night he took his portrait. It was All Star weekend in Houston, Texas. NBA stars were everywhere and I was invited to take Dear World portraits at a party. It was a tough night. Most of the stars politely passed. I nearly didn't ask Stuart Scott, my childhood hero, to participate because of the "no thank yous." But I did. And he said, "Sure, but are you ok if I write 'ass' on my arms?" That was Stuart. Authentic, irreverent, fully himself even as you were trying to take everything from him. You tried to make him small, Cancer. But at that moment, he was larger than life. That photo started a friendship while he fought you. In his waning days, his publisher reached out, could they license my photo for the cover of his memoir? We said yes and donated the money to the V Foundation. The next year, his daughters called. Taelor and Sydni wanted to recreate the photos, to write a letter to their dad on the anniversary of his death. We spent the day together. We laughed. We cried. We reminisced about Stuart.
And here's what you need to understand, Cancer: You took their father, but you couldn't take what he built. You couldn't take the authenticity he taught them. You couldn't take the fight he modeled. You couldn't take the love. His daughters stood in front of my camera, the same camera that captured their dad, and they chose to be vulnerable. To be seen. To write "Dear Dad" and share their grief with the world. Just like he taught them. You thought you won when Stuart died. But you lost. Because now his fight is their fight. You don't get to win, Cancer. As Stuart said in his waning days, he didn’t lose to you. He beat you every day he was here and he lives on in us.. Boo-Yah. Click on the red arrow below to watch the short film, “Dear Cancer” on Youtube.
