The day after Payton Slaymaker passed away, I was contacted by a friend of mine who wanted to figure out a way to somehow preserve the support the people of Kosciusko County had shown Payton and her family. The largest visual clues were the signs that popped up all over the county in support of Payton. This article is a digital keepsake, if you will, for Payton’s family and friends and everyone who loved her.
The incredible story of Payton Slaymaker has been told by friends, families, organizations, media outlets and many others all over the world far more eloquently than I ever could. Her “Fear is a Liar” mantra, inspired by the song by Zach Williams, became the rallying cry in her fight that ended last week. Throughout Payton’s battle, the community that was her home stood by her side, emphatically reminding her and her family that they were not alone.
I’ve always been proud of Kosciusko County and the way our community stepped up to support a girl most of them had never met was staggering. From fund raisers to signs to good old fashioned prayer, there was no doubt where the people of Kosciusko stood – firmly behind Payton and her family.
In a way I haven’t seen businesses and private individuals band together in years, Payton’s face and message started popping in yards, on signs, on business storefronts and anywhere else her message could get across. While the signs helped Payton and her family get her story out, they had what might have been an unintended consequence – to serve as manifestations of the community’s love and support for the Slaymakers.
The signs will eventually disappear but her memory and the way Payton changed our home never will. The affect she had on the community was evident during her battle against brain cancer and will be felt for years and even generations to come.
DISCLAIMER
The businesses and private property owners did not ask to be included in this article, the images or the video nor did they pay any kind of fee to be featured. My brother Ted, who shot and produced the video, and I simply drove around on the Saturday after Payton passed away, shooting video and taking pictures as we came across them.
Rest in heaven, Payton.
