New Beginnings/ Old Friend

This  morning I saw Philadelphia native and award-winning photographer Bill Aron discusses his latest book, which celebrates the will to live and triumph over cancer. New Beginnings: The Triumphs of 120 Cancer Survivors follows 120 men, women, and children who vary in age, ethnicity, and diagnosis, but who all decided that the words “you have cancer” were the start of a new beginning, not an end to their lives. The book is a project by and for cancer survivors: their words, Aron’s photographs.

When I got the email about the program from the Gershman Y, I emailed Bill and asked if he was the Billy Aron whom I knew in the mid 60’s. Sure enough he was at Penn when I was at Temple and we hung around with the same crowd for several years. He showed slides of the images in the book and told highlights of stories that were both touching and inspiring. I bought the book and look forward to reading it cover to cover.