The Alzheimer's Stories: Debbie & Andrew

A linguist told me "squirrels" is the hardest word to say in the English language. I started a project called Squirrels Stories for the things that are difficult to talk about.

Debbie's mother has advanced Alzheimer's Disease. When she visits her mother, she hopes for a good day. You can hear more stories at www.SquirrelsStories.com of people living with cancer. You can also follow along at www.facebook.com/SquirrelsStories.

Debbie’s mother has advanced Alzheimer’s Disease. Every time Debbie visits, she is hoping her mother is having a good day. 

Sadly, soon after this was recorded, Debbie’s mother Elmeree Elliott passed away.  

Andrew is doing research to better understand how Alzheimer's Disease works. You can hear more stories at www.SquirrelsStories.com of people living with cancer. You can also follow along at www.facebook.com/SquirrelsStories.

Andrew is a Biologist doing research to better understand how Alzheimer’s Disease works, and he hopes to impact the disease.

Squirrels Stories by Jamie Courville is a collection of stories; it is a place for things that are difficult to talk about; it is where these amazing audio portraits were originally published.

Jamie Courville spent twelve years in the film business wearing one hat or another on projects large and small, including  continuity for Muppets, editing video art and documentaries and founding a video collective. These days, she likes to record the voices and faces of people who are seldom heard and strive to get them to places where they will be. You can find her on Twitter here. 

David & Betsy

A linguist told me "squirrels" is the hardest word to say in the English language. I started a project called Squirrels Stories for the things that are difficult to talk about.

David is waiting for the pathology report after surgery to remove a tumor from his kidney. You can hear some of his radio work here.

David is waiting on the pathology report after a surgery to remove a tumor on his kidney.
You can hear some of his radio work here @soundcloud.com/shortwaveology. This is part of a larger group of audio portraits called Squirrels Stories of people talking about living with cancer. To hear more visit www.SquirrelsStories.com. You can also follow along at www.facebook.com/SquirrelsStories.

Betsy has been out of the woods for ten years after a battle with a rare and deadly fallopian tube cancer. If you would like to talk to Betsy about her experience write to me here. 

Here is Betsy’s advise for others who may receive the same diagnosis.

Betsy has been out of the woods for over ten years after an extremely rare fallopian tube cancer. She was told not to be a statistic. Betsy has offered to talk to people about her experience. Please let me know if you would like to reach her. This is part of a larger group of audio portraits of people living with cancer called Squirrels Stories. You can hear more stories at www.SquirrelsStories.com. You can also follow along at www.facebook.com/SquirrelsStories.

Betsy, before and after.

Squirrels Stories by Jamie Courville is a collection of stories; it is a place for things that are difficult to talk about; it is where these amazing audio portraits were originally published.

Victoria & Jonah

A linguist told me "squirrels" is the hardest word to say in the English language. I started a project called Squirrels Stories for the things that are difficult to talk about.

Victoria is trying to get her life back after the removal of a brain tumor. She is getting a little better every day.

Victoria is trying to get her life back after the removal of a brain tumor. This is part of a larger group of audio portraits of people living with cancer called Squirrels Stories. You can hear more stories at www.SquirrelsStories.com. You can also follow along at www.facebook.com/SquirrelsStories.

When Jonah was diagnosed with stage 4 Melanoma he did not expect to live more than six months. Nearly five years later, his scans have been clean for almost a year. 

When Jonah was diagnosed with stage 4 Melanoma he did not expect to live more than six months. Nearly five years later, his scans have been clean for almost a year. This is part of a larger group of audio portraits of people living with cancer called Squirrels Stories. You can hear more stories at www.SquirrelsStories.com. You can also follow along at www.facebook.com/SquirrelsStories.

Learan & Andrea

A linguist told me "squirrels" is the hardest word to say in the English language. I started a project called Squirrels Stories for the things that are difficult to talk about.

Learan lost his wife to breast cancer a year ago. Now he is a single parent to two boys. 

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Andrea is coming out the other side of chemo for Stage 3 breast cancer. It has not been an easy road. 

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Update: It has been over 6 months since Andrea’s last cancer treatment. She said being sick was like a dream.

Squirrels Stories by Jamie Courville is a collection of stories; it is a place for things that are difficult to talk about; it is where these amazing audio portraits were originally published.

Michael

A linguist told me "squirrels" is the hardest word to say in the English language. I started a project called Squirrels Stories for the things that are difficult to talk about.

Michael is a thirty year old artist living in Brooklyn and fighting leukemia. When recorded, he was waiting for a stem cell transplant. To read more about Michael's story, visit his blog. You will find some lovely photos there as well.

Michael is a thirty year old artist living in Brooklyn and fighting leukemia. At the moment, he is waiting for a stem cell transplant. To read more about Michael's story visit his blog at http://poppstrong.tumblr.com. This is part of a larger group of audio portraits of people living with cancer called Squirrels Stories. You can hear more at www.squirrelsstories.com, and follow along on the Facebook here www.facebook.com/SquirrelsStories.

Update: Michael has made it through his transplant. He talks about reaching the 100 days milestone and looks to the long path of recovery ahead.

Michael is a thirty year old artist living in Brooklyn and fighting leukemia. This is a follow up piece to a portrait made before his stem cell transplant which you can listen to here https://soundcloud.com/squirrels-stories/the-transplant. He has made it through the transplant and now has to stay well. This is part of a larger group of audio portraits of people living with cancer called Squirrels Stories. To listen to more, please visit www.squirrelsstories.com. You can follow along on the Facebook here www.facebook.com/SquirrelsStories.

Squirrels Stories by Jamie Courville is a collection of stories; it is a place for things that are difficult to talk about; it is where these amazing audio portraits were originally published.

Jamie Courville spent twelve years in the film business wearing one hat or another on projects large and small, including  continuity for Muppets, editing video art and documentaries and founding a video collective. These days, she likes to record the voices and faces of people who are seldom heard and strive to get them to places where they will be. You can find her on Twitter here.