The first thing you should know about Fast Boy (aka Ezra) is: he makes bikes. Amazingly beautiful bikes. Bikes doubling as works of art or works of art doubling as bikes, I can’t decide which. This is how I stumbled across his Flickr; I’ve found there are few bike nerds out there that do not know of his creations.
In 2008 Ezra found out he had cancer. He had chemo, radiation and surgery and fought it off in knightly fashion. Last May, he celebrated one year cancer free.
Then, in September, it came back. This time, the surgery even more severe. More chemo starts soon.
It’s a weird cliché to experience, but this sense of knowing of someone else’s completely different but equally indescribably horrible experience is comforting. Not in a “I’m not alone” sense, though. I’m not supposing uniqueness, but people like Ezra and I, we have been forced to exist in a space that not many understand. We will never say FML. The fact that our lives are fucked is self evident, every day. But we still must live those days.
And Ezra lives. He cooks, enjoys the company of friends, takes pictures of his hot wife, plays with his dog and maintains a will strong enough to say “fuck cancer” in a way no one ever doubts. Even though his body cannot lift it, I know his mind is crafting new beauty from steel.
Fast Boy’s circumstances are different than mine, but having both been burdened with the terrible fullness of what life can hold, there is a common fight to be had for the good parts. I only know him through his words and his lens, but he inspires me in that fight.