Blog 8- Humans of NY

 While I read several moving pieces in searching for a post to analyze, the Humans of NY post I selected was a three-part series that focused on a mother talking about losing her daughter Shannon to ovarian cancer. I selected this story for its celebration of Shannon’s life as told through her mother’s eyes. Shannon was a 23-year-old preschool teacher when she was diagnosed with stage four ovarian cancer. Her mother described her as shy but loved people– especially children. Even through treatments, hair loss, and becoming sicker, she was still thinking of others–not wanting to ruin family events such as her mother’s birthday. One significant holiday for Shannon was Halloween. She went all out with costumes, treats, and pumpkins. Ultimately, Shannon was placed in hospice and died on Halloween. 

Aside from learning about Shannon–and relating to her in terms of age and family experience– the story intrigued me with its mention of the spiritual and Shannon’s mother’s grief. It was explained that days before Shannon died, despite them not being particularly religious, Shannon was at peace and claimed to have seen angels. While this in itself is not uncommon for those near the end of life, what was eerie was Shannon’s mother’s experience after. Shannon’s mother explained that she broke down one afternoon after Shannon’s death in the laundry room and asked God for a sign Shannon was okay. She then frantically searched the room and found a photo book which appeared empty. She shook the book and one single photo fell out– a picture of Shannon dressed as an angel. Shannon’s mother then knew her daughter was at peace. 

While the narrative itself was powerful with themes of spirituality, love, grief, and illness woven throughout, I thought the photos selected helped strengthen the story. In the first post of the series, there was a simple headshot of the mother in her home followed by old photos of Shannon. The pictures showed her familial ties and love of Halloween through an inclusion of a photo taken in costume. The next post was the mother sitting on Shannon’s gravestone. The photos after focused on Shannon’s battle with cancer, showing her first with short hair and then later with it all shaved. The photos taken also included her mother and a baby, once again reinforcing the idea Shannon was a loving, warm person. The last post of the series had only two photos– the first was the mother sitting on a stool next to the washing machine, and the last was the photo of Shannon as an angel. This was a powerful way to end the story as it helps the audience with setting and also shows the “sign” Shannon’s mother got from her. The text in combination with the images evokes empathy from readers. It implores them to see Shannon as her family did, celebrate her achievements and kindness, and to relate to her or the mother. I believe the purpose of this story is to comfort those who are grieving and to continue giving life to Shannon through stories (preserving her memory).  

Read the full story here: https://www.instagram.com/p/CMck-1BHz00/?utm_medium=copy_link