James Rudy Muchelvene by Jatawny Muckeleve Chatmon

January 2010, my father James "Rudy" Muckelvene was diagnosed with stage IIII Prostate Cancer. After numerous surgeries to help fix the damage done to his bones by cancer, the cancer continued to break my fathers body down. On my parents 38th wedding anniversary (August 20, 2010) we were told that his Prostate Cancer morphed into a more aggressive cancer called "Sarcomatoid Carcinoma of the Prostate" and that he had less than 6 months to live. We REFUSED to believe we would lose him and fought desperately to keep him here with us....

Four months later, my wonderful father was no longer with us.

This is a story of a beautiful, dedicated husband, father and man who fought a painful battle against cancer, and his wife, my mother who never left his side.

My father wanted badly to SURVIVE so that he could tell his story. We are now left to tell it for him. THIS is the most painful thing we have ever had to endure. What hurts most is that no matter how hard we fought, how many tears we cried, how many prayers we said, how many arguments we had with nurses and doctors, our father is still no longer with us.

Through this story we hope to show that Prostate Cancer is not to be looked at lightly, 1 man in 6 will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during his lifetime. Early detection is key to survival. My sister has established a non profit by the name of Warriors Fighting for His Cure to raise awareness about Prostate Cancer and Sarcomatoid Carcinoma. Hopefully through our story, we will save lives.

3 days before my father passed, I found out I was pregnant. I was able to tell him. They say that God sends you life to comfort you when you lose someone you love... I believe this to be true...

Jatawny Muckeleve Chatmon is a New York City based photographer.
To view more of Jatawny's work, please visit her website.