"When you die, that does not mean you lose to cancer. You beat cancer by how you live, why you live and the manner in which you live." -Stuart Scott
Beloved ESPN commentator, Stuart Scott, died on January 4, 2015, but he left a strong legacy of kindness, generosity, and excellence. Something that his daughters, Taelor and Sydni Scott embody through their work.
Recently, the both penned a piece commemorating their father's life, published on Essence.com.
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A Message from Taelor:
As his oldest daughter, my dad and I shared a love of the art of storytelling. From my journey with my dad’s illness, I know that while cancer creates vulnerability, we can all lean into our collective vulnerability to find our collective strength. We share these words of comfort and hope from our dad with anyone who has lost a parent or loved one to this disease:
“When you die, it does not mean that you lose to cancer. You beat cancer by how you live, why you live and the manner in which you live.”
A Message From Sydni:
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As his youngest daughter, I know our dad’s story didn’t end the day he died. My journey without our dad continues with grief as an unwelcomed partner along the way. At times, grief mangles my sight and clouds my understanding of hope. But I have also been lucky enough to be drawn back from that chasm, reminded by the people I love of the implicit agreement I’m a part of. With grief still by my side, nevertheless, I can – and must – try to make life better for those who still have a chance to keep their families and communities whole, and we can all be a part of that process.
For us, it has meant making the most of the precious time we have been given. Our plan is to tackle health disparities in cancer research and treatment through a partnership with the V Foundation for Cancer Research, an organization our dad was associated with long before his diagnosis. Since his passing, the V Foundation started the Stuart Scott Memorial Cancer Research Fund to address the inequities in cancer, such as the overall higher death rate for different types of cancer and the underrepresentation in clinical trials, which find, test and validate effective treatments for Black and Brown people. The Stuart Scott Fund also supports minority cancer researchers that are underrepresented in the cancer research workforce.
With her new short film, Mod Squad & The Spectacular Paper Caper, the eldest Scott child, Taelor, aimed to not only immortalize the memory of her father’s first family, she drew from the tales he told about his childhood and wrote a film based on several different situations he shared with his two daughters over the years.
The film debuted at the Martha’s Vineyard African American Film Festival (MVAAFF), and aimed to raise awareness about the disease that claimed Stuart’s life, cancer. The film looks to amplify the mission of the charitable organization, the Jimmy V Foundation to which all net proceeds in excess of production cost will go to the research fund, according to Taelor’s team. The film will be widely released next year.
“I wanted to make sure that people know the importance of early detection, screenings and contribute to the research efforts to find a cure,” Taelor said. Her father died after battling a rare form of cancer for seven years, years that he was able to spend with his family due to an early screening.
Stuart Scott was a passionate voice for improving outcomes for African-Americans and other minorities battling with cancer and other debilitating diseases. The Stuart Scott Memorial Cancer Research Fund, an entity of the Jimmy V Foundation, allocates dollars to minority researchers to fight cancer in minority communities. Through the love of his family, his legacy will forever live on.
For more information about the Stuart Scott Memorial Cancer Research Fund, follow @TheVFoundation
To keep up with updates about the Martha’s Vineyard African American Film Festival, follow at @mvfilmfestival
Jasmine Browley holds an MA in journalism from Columbia College Chicago, and has contributed to Ebony, Jet and MADE Magazine among others. So, clearly, she knows some stuff. Follow her digital journey @JasmineBrowley.
