Kathy Sartore was first diagnosed with breast cancer seven years ago. She had a recurrence this year, but thanks to early detection, her prognosis is excellent.

In August, Cole Sartore, Joel and Kathy’s 18-year-old son, was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma. He is currently undergoing chemotherapy, and has a very good chance of not only complete remission, but also of being cured.

Though it may be hard to believe, the Sartore’s are actually thankful

Below is the essay from The CBS Sunday Morning Show with Charles Osgood.

A link to the piece that aired is also now available. Please click here to view:

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=50135805n

Thankful ….by Joel Sartore

Back home in Nebraska, Thanksgiving means gratitude, a look at the past year, a pause to hold hands around the table and count our blessings.

At our house, we hold hands tight these days.

My wife Kathy, a seven-year breast cancer survivor, had a recurrence in January. Her mother passed away not long after. I thought the only way things could get worse was if she backed over our dog in the driveway.

How wrong I was.

On a July vacation in Minnesota, we found a small, painless lump on the neck of our 18-year-old son, Cole. Five days later at the doctor’s office, we were facing a stage-three lymphoma, with chemo until the end of the year.

That’s when the condolences started in.

Friends approach us haltingly, as if we’ve already lost a child. They ask us to tell the story just one more time, ‘How is he doing? What happened? Why you?’ Some even tear up.

We tell them that we’re doing okay, but they don’t believe us, not for a minute.

But you know what? We actually are okay. And by that I mean we’re doing well.

Thankful, even.

Here’s why. In the history of humanity, there’s never been a better time to have cancer.

Genetic science leads us now to therapies at the molecular level. Early detection, nano-technology, immunotherapy and even vaccines against cancer-causing viruses mean that cancer death rates have finally started to fall, though slightly, 1 percent a year over the past ten years. Slow progress to be sure, but going in the right direction at last.

Want living proof? For both Kathy and Cole; the odds are overwhelming they’ll both be just fine.

And though outcomes still depend on what kind and what stage, just look around you. We’re all surrounded by survivors.

There’s my brother Paul , and my father. My little boy’s third grade teacher, and my boss at National Geographic. Even Cole’s girlfriend, and her mother. The list goes on and on.

Ask any of them if they’re thankful.

Every day, they’ll say, every day.

So what are you thankful for?

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Some support for the project is being provided by National Geographic. The zoos and rescue facilities I’ve worked at have all been incredibly generous with their time. One of the most important sources for funding, though, is individuals just like you.

If you like this work and want to see more of it, please consider purchasing a print from the project.

When you find a picture you like, there’s a “Buy This Print” button just to the right.  Click on that to start.

In the world of fine art photography, our prints are ridiculously cheap – 8 x 10s are $40 – and we do that because I want people to see these images and talk about the species they show.  A print above the right kitchen table can have just as much of an impact as one in a gallery.  You’ll get a signed archival print, and the proceeds will fund additional shoots.  National Geographic has supplied some of the funding, but it only goes so far.

On a typical shoot, I go through half a roll of background paper and a few yards of black velvet.  The sale of one 8×10 print covers the paper, and an 11 x 17 will supply me with velvet.  It’s not a lot, but multiply that by 50 shoots or a hundred and it really adds up.  We reuse what we can, but once a hippopotamus or chimp has had its way with background material, there’s not much else to be done with it.

Another way you can support the Photo Ark is by visiting and patronizing your local zoo.  Zoos and aquariums are vitally important to conservation today.  Not only do they fund and manage captive breeding programs, but they are increasingly involved in conservation of habitat in the wild.  Find an accredited zoo or aquarium in your area here.

Last but not least, learn more about your favorite animal.  A simple web search will likely lead you to the organizations working on its conservation.  Support them.  And share what you know with your friends and family.  The more people who are informed and who care, the better.

Click here to return to the Photo Ark gallery and pick a print.

Why Studio Portraits?

Well, first, some of the species in the project simply can’t be found in the wild any more. Another reason for this portrait style is that it gives equal weight to creatures big and small. Some of the frogs I’ve photographed are the size of a thumbnail, and this is a way for me to put them on equal footing with bigger animals like lions.

Why the Photo Ark?

This effort started life as The Biodiversity Project and the goals are still the same — but the new name is much easier to remember.

Which Species Do You Photograph?

Though I started with amphibians, as I went from place to place, I’d hear about other species in trouble — primates, reptiles, migratory birds, and more.  So now, I photograph anything that will hold still on a background long enough for me to take a picture.

Media Coverage:

NBC Nightly News (with video)
NPR’s Morning Edition and The Picture Show blog (with audio)
PBS News Hour
New York Times Lens Blog

For Updates:

Follow Joel on Twitter
Become a Fan on Facebook

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Joel’s photo of a tree-climbing lion in Africa’s Albertine Rift is featured on the cover of NG’s 50 Greatest Pictures special issue.

The Ishasha region of Queen Elizabeth National Park is home to some very unusual lions.  Unlike most other members of the species, these lions climb trees to nap during the day, waking up at sunset to hunt.

Signed prints of this image are available directly from Joel, though this website — just click on the link below the image.  The 50 Greatest Pictures special issue is available through National Geographic’s website.

Photos and the story behind them are below.  Both images are available as a signed print through this site — just click on the image to find out more.

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Storm Painting

“It was one of the most thrilling rides I’ve ever had,” says Joel. The violent wind tossed the little Cessna plane around ‘like a cork on the ocean’. Struggling not to break his nose on his camera, he focused on the tempestuous raincloud emptying itself over Uganda’s Lake Albert. His aim was to capture an image that spoke of the seasonal rain cycle in the Albertine Rift but also the drama of the moment. ‘We could smell the rain as we bounced in and out of pockets of cold air,’ says Joel. It was only later, once the plane had landed, that the pilot revealed how tricky it had been keeping the plane in the sky against the force of the down-draughts, some pushing down at 1,000 feet per minute.

View “Storm Painting” on the Veolia WPoY site.

See more images from the Albertine Rift on this website.

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Balancing act

In a death-defying manoeuvre, a mountain goat stretches to reach a mineral lick. Joel knew it was a favourite lick and had stationed himself at the other side of the gorge in Glacier National Park, Montana. When this female arrived, he watched as, slowly and methodically, she first balanced on all four feet on a single, tiny ledge and then pushed out with her front legs and wedged herself into the crevice, her rubbery hooves spread out for maximum grip. ‘They never rush,’ says Joel. ‘They have to be so careful about where they put their feet, testing each foothold, because every step could be their last.’ When she’d finished, the mountain goat reversed the move, carefully balancing again on the tiny ledge and then slowly turning around so that she could climb back up the mountain face and rejoin the rest of the herd.

View “Balancing Act” on the Veolia WPoY site.

See more images of animal migrations on this website.

The exhibit features over 60 striking photographs of amphibians that stretch our notions of beauty and shed light on the tragic decline of some of Earth’s most magnificent species.

Amphibians showcases the incredible diversity of these species, which include frogs, toads, newts, salamanders and more. Large-scale images give visitors a close-up look at these endearing and expressive creatures–from the strange to the comical, the camouflaged to the canary yellow.

Sadly, many amphibians are on the brink of extinction. The exhibit also highlights the widespread losses these species are experiencing due to environmental factors, such as pollution, habitat loss, climate change, and disease.

More information on Amphibians: Vibrant and Vanishing is available on the Musem’s website.