#SnapsforAdam

Without sugar coating this too much, I’m going to dive right in.

Recently, a close friend of mine… and hopefully after this, yours, was diagnosed with the big “C”. I know, I know. It’s not that I don’t want to write the word down, nor do I want to give it any more acknowledgment than it already needs, because as true is the adage for Kevin Bacon is… there’s a possibility that one in ever 6 people you know is affected in some way or other by Cancer.

The disease is no joke. I’m quite certain that my father – had he lived through the complications of his own demise – would have developed some or other degree of Cancer somewhere down the line. It’s a fact of life. But sometimes, just sometimes the bastard – referring to Cancer here and not my father – gets a ahold of those you consider invincible.

Adam is invincible. Well, at least in my eyes he is. I have never met a more diligent, determined and inquisitive person in my life. Adam and I spent a bit of professional working time together at a previous agency and I was immediately bowled over by him. Adam’s thirst for knowledge goes beyond the working confines of every day life and his approach to life is something I think we can all learn from. Adam has been diagnosed with Cancer and over this past weekend, I thought about doing something… something lighthearted enough to bring a smile to everyone’s face, while addressing and bringing about awareness of Cancer – in all forms.

SnapChat may not be familiar to you, but it is to us – myself, Adam and those closest him. When I was first introduced to it, it took me a while to understand the meaning behind the platform and why it was so special. Maybe I should let Adam himself tell you about is;

“Snapchat is an app that allows you to share pictures and short videos that delete themselves after 10 seconds. You can also draw or write on your pictures. It’s more fun than it sounds.” – Adam Skikne

That quote comes from Adam’s post entitled “Everything you need to know about Snapchat in 10 seconds (give or take)” on his amazeballs blog, Electric Sheep. Check out some of his other musing by clicking on the post title link. It’ll be worth your while.

So, back to SnapChat and why… well, I don’t really know. Maybe it’s because we’re all “there”, so-to-speak and it seemed like the proper thing to do. But what it has become is something bigger than what was initially intended and has formed part of the inspiration for writing this all. This was Adam’s first SnapChat to a friend about why I hadn’t joined SnapChat yet:

Now, I don’t care how you slice it, but that’s pure genius.

So, with this commonality for social media, connectivity and our collective love of SnapChat, I sent out this:

 

Now, I don’t know about you, but telling Cancer to go and f*ck itself is a pretty liberating thing. The response I got from our little circle of Snappers was incredible. WhatsApps, SnapChats in return and more. We decided to spread the word even further and have allowed screenshots of all #SnapsforAdam and to tweet them every day.

This way, we can all through a collective “F*ck You” in Cancer’s face AND we’re going to do it every damn day until Adam is better!

Hoping that it’ll catch on, we invite you to join us on Twitter under the hashtag: #SnapsforAdam to tweet your photos, MMS them, email them, Facebook them, whatever, as long as you’re flipping the “Big C” the “The Big Bird”.

Not enough?

Yeah, I thought you’d say that… there’s been a lot of hate going around on South Africa’s social media networks surrounding a sweet initiative that I thought was quite awesome to begin with. Have you seen the #NoMakeupSelfie posts for Brest Cancer? Yeah, me too. Initially, I thought they were very cool until the haters piled in to comment how posting images of yourself doesn’t cure Cancer. Well, to all those PHD Professors out there, I say… no f8cking sh*t. Of course it doesn’t. Stating the obvious does not make you clever. We all know the only thing that cures Cancer is Medical Research and Funding and kudos to those donating and funding Cancer Reaserch, but it’s no excuse to berate something that in essence comes from the heart.

Awareness is awareness. Let’s leave it as that. And if that has sold you, then please feel free to make a donation to CANSA – a South Africa Organisation who is going above and beyond the call of duty. CANSA is a leading role-player in cancer research, spending R6 million per annum on research projects. The scientific findings and knowledge gained from their research are used to realign our health programmes, as well as strengthen their role as informer to the greater benefit of the public. They may not be curing CANSA, but they’re doing a slightly better job than your berating attitude on Facebook.

If you want to do more than simply send Snaps, posting #NoMakeupSelfies on Facebook, then check out the details below:

Raise Funds online, click HERE

Choose to donate personally, HERE 

If you are not able to get in touch with your local CANSA Care Centre or are unsure which one to contact, please phone their Toll-Free Call Centre on 0800 22 66 22 or email at: info@cansa.org.za

So, whether you’re joining us in #SnapsforAdam or #Snapsfor… your own loved one, remember we’re all in it together because no matter how invincible we think you are, a little love goes a long way.