Appreicate the Little Things
By Caitlin Lewis
This book is made to show the amazing story of Heidi and how she was able to get through Cancer. Each image tries to portray the simplest things as beautiful and wonderful. The words were all writen by me in different essays throughout the quarter, each one emphasising a different aspect.
The reason behind the name of the book was because of something Heidi said while being interviewed. I asked her about what she felt changed the most about her, and she told me that she learned to "Appreciate the Little Things." This little quote, though almost cliche, sounded both simple and truthful.
The first time I really met Heidi Lundberg was when my sister brought her home for a movie night. She greeted me with a smile and a friendly handshake, and I stayed up with them until late at night watching a movie and talking about life. I had seen her a few times before, during Marching band and around school, and I had heard about her friendliness and cheerfulness not only from my sister, but from some of my closer friends.
After that first meeting, I began notice her around more. Not really in my classes, but around school, during marching band, and sometimes at home with my older sister. She always seemed so kind and friendly, taking the time to acknowledge me with a smile or a wave. I didn't ever really speak to her, other then a friendly 'Hello' in the halls or a greeting at home.
Her existence in my life changed after she was diagnosed. I didn't know until I came home on Christmas to find my sister, locked up in her room. She was obviously distressed, and it took a lot of time to coax her out of the bad mood and get her to tell me that Heidi had been diagnosed. After that, she became a huge part of everything. At school there were wristbands and lanyards with her name on it, I even owned about five of each. There were projects and such designed to raise money for her, and consistent visits from my sister to go see her. After a few offers from my sister, I finally went to visit her along with my friend Jenny.
That was the day I learned about how strong, brave and inspirational a person can be, regardless of the situation they are in. She looked tired and weak, but still talked as though nothing was wrong, and seemed thankful just for our visit, even if it was just short. She smiled brighter than anyone and talked like we were back at home, like nothing had ever happened. And, without trying, she showed me how wonderful life is.
I choose to do the documentary on Heidi because I was not only interested in how her life has changed since, but how she was able to change the community around her. I wanted to find the negative and positive changes in her since she had been diagnosed, and what everyone else was able to do to help her. It was astounding to learn about what she went through, and see how that was able to change her through the eyes of herself, a close friend of hers, and someone she knew but not hugely well.
Even when I was just researching the topic, I found thousands of stories about the struggles cancer patients have to go through, and the toll that it takes on them. I read stories on people who had differing negative effects then Heidi did, people who didn't get the help from their community, people who were even drawing into depression from it, and how common that was for cancer patients. Just reading it began to put life's value and struggle into perspective for me, making me begin to second guess what I knew and how I lived.
Heidi has been through more things then I can imagine, struggling to surpass what I've never experienced and fighting a fate that isn't fit for anyone, much less someone as incredible as her. It is an honor to be able to make a documentary about someone so incredible and inspirational.
There are no images of Heidi Lundberg in this book. Sorry.