Beck Diefenbach photojournalist

In January, I wrapped up a long term story about Kevin Ballantine, a Northern Illinois University student battling Leukemia.

Unfortunately, the narrative is not over for Kevin. A year later, he is back in the hospital.

Canon 5D Mark 2 with 35mm f1.4

After a year of battle and recovery, Kevin’s Leukemia is back. I caught up with him and his family at the hospital in Chicago as he undergoes chemotherapy… again.

Recently, people have been asking me about Kevin, assuming his cancer is in the past. But it isn’t. And yet my story about Kevin ends with him healthy and returning to college.

On top of my concern for Kevin’s health, I am worried that the story I use in my portfolio (a combination of Kevin’s Story Part 1 and Part 2) is not currently accurate.

Canon 5D Mark 2 with 35mm f1.4

What Kevin is going through is extreme. And I don’t want to misrepresent his active battle with a view of the past.

So I am working on a re-edit of the story in hopes to more accurately depict Kevin’s current struggle with the six-lettered word.