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Before Mom Says Final Goodbye to Son Dying of Cancer, She Softly Sings in His Ear

By KSN NEWS

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On May 11, 2006, Cyndie French had to say goodbye to her 11-year-old son, Derek Madsen.

French put aside her business and spent all her time with her son whose life was slowly taken by cancer.

(Picture from Twitter)

When Derek was 10 years old, he was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer call neuroblastoma.

Photographer Renee C. Byer who worked for the Sacramento Bee newspaper journaled the family’s heart-wrenching story through a year-long photo journey titled “A Mother’s Journey.”

Byer was allowed to capture every aspect of her son treatment and the emotions of their family.

French is said to have always had a smile on her face, ensuring on the outside she was positive for her son. But on the inside, she was dying herself.

French tried her best to keep the smile on her face while she was terribly depressed on the inside.

“I’m going to do whatever it takes to make him happy, to see him smile,” said the determined mother. Never mind the fact that money was low, medical bills were high, and she was barely able to keep a roof over their heads.

It would be only months later that Derek’s life dwindled away slowly, day by day.

French would hold her son while he medicated on their couch.

“I was exhausted beyond belief but I had to do this. He would call my name and always expected me to be there,” said French.

Byer captured a moment of French racing Derek down the hall of UC Davis Medical Center. They were barefoot and trying to find joy in a dark place.

Cyndie French ve oğlu Derek: Bir annenin öyküsü https://t.co/G1Swc0OKQ9 pic.twitter.com/15GbuD4D8E

— indigo dergisi (@indigodergisi) June 12, 2016

This picture proves the mother had a strong will to keep her son distracted during even the worst of times.

It would be just be months later that Derek’s life dwindled away slowly, day by day.

French used to hold her son while he lay medicated on their couch. He was forced to spend nearly the entire day on his side.

“I was exhausted beyond belief but I had to do this. He would call my name and always expected me to be there,” said French.

Just days after that photo was taken, Cyndie held her son in her arms and rocked him peacefully to sleep, singing in his ear. “You are my sunshine, my only sunshine.”

Her friends circled around her, crying and consoling her while she kissed Derek’s forehead as he passed away in her arms.

Byer would later go on to win a Pulitzer Prize for the feature photography in 2007.

It was a project that touched Byer so very deeply that she started advocating for families of loved ones with cancer so they didn’t have to struggle the same way Cyndie French did while losing her young son.

Cancer an evil disease that has affected so many families around the world and Byer managed to capture a mother’s final moments with her son in a way that words cannot do justice.