The best thing about my job as a wedding vendor is the opportunity to meet and work alongside some pretty awesome professionals here in North Carolina. Better yet, develop relationships with truly wonderful & loving people who are as passionate as I am about delivering exceptional service to engaged couples who are planning their wedding day.

One such family is headed by Doug and Cynthia (Cindy) Carroll the owners of the awesome wedding venue, Shady Wagon Farm in New Hill North Carolina. I met Cindy this past June while photographing a wedding here, and was absolutely charmed by the openness of her faith and her delightful hospitality shown to me and our mutual clients. To say that she runs a tight ship when it comes to the organization and direction wedding vendors would be an understatement, haha, but that is because she knows that at the end of the day, it's all about how her staff and vendors made you feel, this is what you'll remember if you choose to host your wedding at her farm venue. That feeling of being well taken care of so that you don't have to worry about a single detail on the best day of your life is absolutely the best thing one could ever ask for in terms of hiring a wedding coordinator and event venue. Best of all, Cindy, her sweet family, and chosen professional vendors are 100 percent committed to delivering an exceptional service experience to their couples with loving smiles and a humble servant's heart. Rare qualities indeed!

A few months ago I learned that Cindy was battling ovarian cancer. The news hit my heart like a ton of bricks. She was such a bright and cheery person when we spoke in June and I couldn't believe that this wonderful soul was currently engaged in the fight for her very life. Cindy is the picture of upbeat event owner, optimistic and engaging on every level. It was difficult to reconcile this news with the mental picture that I had of her in my mind from our prior meeting. The other thing that struck me hard was that her news of a cancer diagnosis was something that I, and my own family have dealt with in recent times. There are few things harder to deal with in this world than getting the news that you've got cancer (or are in the stages where you've got to "keep an eye on developments"). The strength required to carry on with life's day to day challenges while living with a cancer diagnosis is unfathomable. To think about what Cindy and her family were going through while trying to run a successful business just broke my heart.

 This past August, I found out from her event co-ordinator Monica West, that Doug and Cindy would be hosting a fundraiser charity event to benefit the Lineberger Cancer Support Center at the Shady Wagon Farm and immediately offered to photograph the event for them. I wanted to show my support for the incredible Cure-Rated for Ovarian Cancer organization and for the Carroll family by donating my time and talent to raise awareness and money to fight back against this horrible illness. There is simply no better way for me to tell them that I adore and respect their family than by capturing photographs which would document the loving support they would receive from the North Carolina Triangle community during the evening to come.

The Cure-Rated for Ovarian Cancer Gala event was held on the evening of September 23rd, 2018 to raise money for the lifesaving research being done at UNC Hospital's Lineberger Cancer Support Center.

At times, watching friends and families laughing and hugging one another while knowing why we were all here, was profoundly a difficult experience while taking the photographs at times during the night. Watching these wonderful people coming together in resolute defiance to the evil's of cancer is a powerful experience. The thing was, though it was tough emotionally, there was simply no place I'd rather be in these moments then behind the lens. There was such an outpouring of love in the room that this feeling of connectedness is something that hasn't yet left my spirit even as I write these words. 

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I want to take the time to personally thank the researchers, doctors, and nurses of the Lineberger Cancer Support Center, the organizers of the Cure-Rated for Ovarian Cancer Charity, all of the awesome vendors, and lastly to the to wonderful members of the Carroll family. Thank you for your support and steadfast love as your actions are saving the lives of women like me. My heart and prayers will always be with Cynthia Carroll and all of the other strong, loving women who battle with this unfathomable darkness by wielding a glorious light which shines for all to see.
 

If you'd like to see all of the photos captured at the Cure-Rated for Ovarian Cancer event, check out this link below...

https://sallysiko.zenfolio.com/cure/rated/for/ovarian/cancer/2018