No matter who you are or where you live you have been touched by cancer. Be it through your peers, family members, or your own diagnosis.

Cancer leaves an ever growing path of destruction in its wake. The stories are heart wrenching and just as great in amount.

Today, I will share with you =John44NY's story.


=John44NY and his wife, Corina, met when they were only fourteen, shortly after her birthday. As it turns out she was only twenty five days his senior. Shortly after meeting, they drove off to another state to be wed; at 14 mind you. When the love birds turned 18 they had a wonderful family wedding. Every year, for the twenty five days after Corina's birthday, John would tell everyone that Corina was the elder in their family.

Then, at the young age of thirty nine, Corina passed away of liver cancer. Once she reached Stage 4 (meaning you have a 30-90 day life expectancy and are eligible to be on the transplant list) Corina lived for twenty eight and a half days. By the twenty third day she was brain dead and it took John five days time to gather the strength to request the plug be pulled. John says, "She was my best friend, my rock, my love, my lover, my soul mate, and the mother of our 3 children. Our youngest just turned 18 this year. After almost 6 years she is irreplaceable and I still grieve her passing. I miss so much about her in my life."

The year following Corina's passing John developed liver cancer. For four months he did chemo and radiation. He entered remission and returned to work for four years. The cancer returned two years ago and John has a three to five year life expectancy. A part of the cancer went into his bloodstream and was stuck in his lungs, causing John to suffer from a left and right pulmonary embolism and he is now 24/7 on oxygen.

John is requesting a portrait of himself and his family. He would like it to be of Corina and himself or his entire family.
This is not a contest nor a challenge but just a request.

If you make a portrait from the provided images (see below) please submit to the appropriate gallery and then note me (^PurpelBlur) with subject "For John" and a link to your portrait. I can forward them to John and after a month from posting this, I will feature all the portraits I recieve in a new article.

Click images for larger view.

Husband- John W. Peters III, Wife- Corina M. Peters 1961-2001, "39 years 101 days 13 hours 12 min, 35 seconds from birth to an angel"
Son- John W. Peters IV, Daughter- Cathleen M. Peters


Daughter- Kristina A. Peters (who was not born at the time of the first image)

Best Wishes all!