Inside the Story: Year 12 with Cancer | Gabbie’s Story
The Age’s graphic feature article Year 12 with Cancer| Gabbie’s Story was a new way of presenting a heart touching story to readers.
In this exclusive subscriber behind-the-scenes, Multimedia Editor, Matt Teffer, explains that this feature came about from a desire to experiment with a new way in which we present stories. He also talks about his journey with illustrator, Simon Letch, and using a graphic novel-style approach in bringing this inspiring story to life.
Increasingly, news organisations such as like Fairfax Media are looking to engage readers with long-form pieces that sit outside the regular news cycle. Year 12 with Cancer: Gabbie’s Story came about from a desire to experiment with the way we tell these stories.
I have a background in screenwriting and thought the techniques of writing for film would translate well into a graphic novel-style format. The beauty of a graphic novel is that it can convey emotional truth and a person’s interior world in a succinct yet compelling way.
Through a contact at Chris O’Brien Lifehouse we heard about Gabbie Wehbe, a remarkable young woman who had just been through a year of chemo and radiotherapy after being diagnosed with sarcoma cancer – all while doing her HSC. When it was first suggested that Gabbie would make an ideal subject, I must admit I had concerns. Would we be harming her treatment and study? Would there be a narrative arc to propel the story?
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