LANCASHIRE, England — A Lancashire, England, father hopes an emotional photo of his daughter will help promote childhood cancer awareness.
Jessica Whelan, 4, was diagnosed with stage 4 neuroblastoma, a cancer that starts in the nervous system, in September 2015. Her dad, Andy Whelan, has been posting about her progress on a Facebook page dedicated to her.
He recently shared a photo that captured the heartbreaking reality of the disease.
"This is the hardest photograph I have ever made, it is in fact my own four year old daughter," Whelan wrote in the photo’s caption.
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In the photo, Jessica has a look of anguish on her face and a single tear streaming down her face.
"This photograph was made in a moment that we as parents could offer her no comfort, her pushing us away whilst she rode out this searing pain in solitude," Whelan said. "This sadly, for us as a family, is not a sight that we see rarely. This is now a familiar sight that we see regularly through each day and night, its frequency now more often. This is the true face of cancer, my baby girls blood vessels protruding from beneath her skin, a solitary tear running down her cheek, her body stiffened and her face contorted in pain."
As a photographer it is important to capture the truth and the reality of a situation, too easy it becomes to capture...
Posted by Jessica Whelan - A fight against Neuroblastoma on Saturday, October 29, 2016
He hopes the photo opens people’s eyes to the realities of childhood cancer.
"With this photo I do not mean to offend or upset, I do mean however to educate and shock those that see it in it’s context," he wrote. "Perhaps by seeing this photo people not in our position will be made aware of the darkness that is childhood cancer, perhaps these same people may be able to do something about it so that in the future no child has to suffer this pain, so that no parent has to bear witness to their own flesh and blood deteriorating daily.
"If this photograph only serves as a purpose to make people think twice about this evil and put into perspective what it does to a child then it has achieved its purpose," Whelan wrote. "Research needs to be done, cures need to be found. Too long now has this been allowed to happen."
Whelan and his partner made the difficult decision to stop Jessica’s cancer treatment as her body stopped responding to it. She has since been spending her final days with her family.
The family started a GoFundMe page to raise money to give Jessica as many happy memories as possible before she dies. It has more than surpassed it's $22,000 goal, raising over $103,000.
"We have been overwhelmed with the support we have received this last twelve months and we are eternally grateful to all involved in various fundraising attempts," Whelan said in a Facebook post.
Cox Media Group
