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I
met Barb Tarbox at her first presentation, which was to a class
of about 30 students at a junior high school in Edmonton. Like everyone
else in the room, I was moved by her presentation. But it was not
until the following day, when I was sitting at home sick, that I
realized I had to do something more than the story that appeared
about Barb in the paper that day.
I called Barb at home to ask her if I could document the rest of
her life. It was a difficult question to ask, and I felt as though
my tongue was tied in a knot, but Barb cut me off mid-sentence and
simply said, “Greg, let’s do it.”
I was a bit surprised by her response, as I really didn’t
think she would be interested in having a photographer following
her during her final months. I asked her to give it some thought,
as it would also involve her husband and her daughter. She very
quickly said that she had the most wonderful husband in the world
and that Mackenzie would get used to me being around. We talked
for a while longer about what would be involved in a project like
this, and then Barb told me to get well soon so we could begin.
That was the beginning of the most amazing story I have ever worked
on.
After photographing the story for a couple of weeks, I quickly realized
that Barb’s story needed a more talented writer than myself
to do it justice. So I asked reporter David Staples if he would
be interested in joining me on this project. David and I had already
teamed up on other major projects, so I knew that we would be able
to work together on a sensitive story like Barb’s.
It is very important to find someone who will work as a team member,
because a story like this needs a balance of copy and images. Just
as I expected, David was the perfect teammate. Not only was he helpful
in terms of keeping me directed as the story evolved, but he was
also a friend who helped me get through some of the tougher times
during Barb’s journey,
The only major roadblock occurred on February 2003, after we ran
the first large story on Barb. The piece was unlike anything that
had been written about her before and pointed out some of the problems
she was having, including the conflict that was occurring between
Barb and her best friend Tracy Mueller. Tracy was no longer interested
in going to Barb’s presentations. As well, Barb’s personality
was worsening, in large part due to the spread of the brain cancer,
which was something else no one had ever written about. Barb had
never received any negative press before, so it was disturbing for
her to read about her problems, especially when they were written
by David Staples, someone she considered to be a good friend. Barb
was so unhappy with the story that she sent an e-mail to us through
her friend, letting us know that there would be no part two to the
story. Fortunately for us, her husband, Pat told her that everything
in the article was true and that she should let us continue with
the story. She didn’t talk to us for about a week, but eventually
she agreed to allow us back to cover the final months of her life.
Barb’s continued smoking was a huge public relations issue
for her. She was often called a hypocrite, but would counter by
saying that her oncologist had told her that she would not get any
extra time by quitting after she was diagnosed with stage four terminal
lung cancer.
I think that the photograph of her sleeping with a cigarette in
her hand, taken days before her death, is one of the most powerful
images Barb left us with. Even though she was unable to take a drag
from the cigarette, she needed to be wheeled into the smoking room
of the palliative care ward just to let it burn in her hand. This
was a very common sight in the final days of her life, and if Barb
had quit smoking we would not see the power of this terrible addiction.
I would suggest to anyone wanting to work on a story like this to
be prepared for an emotional roller coaster. Both David and I shed
many tears after Barb’s death, but we take some comfort in
knowing that her story will likely save many lives in the future.
We ran a story just before the one year anniversary of Barb’s
death, and found that in one school alone, there were five students
and 10 parents who had quit smoking after hearing Barb speak.
David contacted 16 adults who wrote e-mails to Barb promising they
would never smoke again. Of this group, 14 were still not smoking.
It’s possible Barb may have been able to help hundreds of
people quit smoking. This is quite an accomplishment for someone
who had never spoken in public before.
We have just published a book called Barb’s Miracle, which
made us both realize, as we relived the previous year over again,
the importance of this story. If you are interested in looking at
other pictures from the book or finding out more about the publication,
you can do so at barbsmiracle.com
A
Selection of photographs:
B7
Barb falls asleep while holding a cigarette in the smoking room
of the palliative care ward on May 2. She often fell asleep without
even smoking a cigarette.
B102
Barb talks to 4,000 students at the Red Deer Centrium Arena. This
was the largest presentation she did.
B16
Barb celebrates her 42nd birthday on April 10 with Tracy and Craig
Marler at the Delta Inn in south Edmonton.
B73
Barb receives the last rites from Father Mike Mireau on May 12.
B103
Barb speaks to over 1,000 kids at the Jubilee Auditorium while
standing in front of a projected picture of her taken shortly
after she was diagnosed with lung cancer in September.
B19
Barb listens to a group of students who surround her following
her final talk, which was at Louis St. Laurent school on April
17. She was so tired after her presentation, she had to sit in
her wheelchair. She used a cane during her presentation.
B75
Barb rolls up her sleeves during one of her speeches to allow
students to see her withering body.
B107
Barb opens her last Christmas present while her daughter, Mackenzie
holds onto an angel that Barb had given to her. This was their
last Christmas together.
B26
Barb’s best friend Tracy Mueller dabs her lips with water
as she looks toward the window of her hospital room. Barb took
a sip from the cup a moment after the picture was taken.
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