LEESBURG, Va. (7 News) – Reporter’s Notebook: You probably don’t know the name, but you’ve seen his amazing photos. Doug Graham is one of the DMV’s most popular photojournalists. He has worked for many years on Capitol Hill for the Economist and Roll Call. His paintings of rural life in Loudoun County are considered iconic. He is also considered one of the best bowhunters around, not to mention the fact that he is battling stage 4 esophageal cancer. A few weeks ago, despite feeling bad, Graham tried to win his second straight Virginia State title.
Doug Graham travels the fields and forests of Northern Virginia with a purpose.
“I was nine years old when I went hunting for the first time and I loved it,” said Doug Graham.
That happened more than 50 years ago. Now an accomplished bowhunter, Graham mimics his prey by swiping past the grass like a white-tailed deer he’s following.
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“If you can sit in their living room and they don’t know you’re there, then you’re a predator,” Graham said.
Doug Graham is well-known in Northern Virginia for taking amazing pictures of rural life in Loudoun County. (Photo by Doug Graham)
Like any 65-year-old, Graham knows there are more days behind him than before. But this year, he competed for what may be the last time in the Virginia Bowhunting Association Indoor State Championship at Double X Archery in Leesburg.
“I’m hanging in there. I had some bad days leading up to this, but I was able to eat and drink last night, so I feel pretty good,” Graham said before the first day of the competition.
Last year, Graham won the state title multiple times. This year, he is shooting with a long tradition, a tool that has been around for thousands of years.
“The culture is difficult because there are no visuals. So, for us it’s about being calm and quiet and releasing the arrow cleanly,” Graham said.
On the first day, Graham admitted that he struggled. He can’t feel his fingers, even after losing his appetite. He also doesn’t have much energy, having lost 70 pounds in the past few months.
He told Double X Archery owner Tony Morgan: “I was stressed all day yesterday. Everything I put in my mouth came up. He added, “Esophageal cancer is like pancreatic cancer. It doesn’t give any symptoms until it’s too late.”
Doug has stage 4 cancer and has just completed eight grueling rounds of chemo. His sentence is a year again. Maybe less.
Douglas Graham documents his cancer journey with the help of reporter Tim Farmer and LoudounNow. In this picture his wife Dawn is helping him with his dock. (Photo by Douglas Graham)
“This is terminal. I’m not going to live with this. This is not something that I will have a long, happy life. It’s not just in the cards for me. Every day is a gift, and if I feel good, I’ll take it,” said Graham.
But Doug Graham, the bowhunter, is only part of his story. It has been a part of our lives here at the DMV for generations.
“When I got to Capitol Hill I started with Clinton and Lewinsky-Gate. That was my first assignment on Capitol Hill,” Graham added.
An award-winning photojournalist, he’s covered everything from Capitol Hill to bikers to life on the outskirts of the DMV.
Doug Graham is well-known in Northern Virginia for taking amazing pictures of rural life in Loudoun County. This photo is from Hillsboro, Virginia. (Photo by Doug Graham){ }
“I actually saw Congress when it was working and whatever is going on now,” Graham recalled with a laugh.
Despite his fighting spirit, Doug plunged into dark places these past few months. His beloved wife Dawn and their daughter insisted that he share his cancer journey and live in the same way he captured time and time again on film.
“It went very well. Better than yesterday. Nerves are very controlled today. We finished. I finished last. So the points should be better today than yesterday. I will be very happy when I am on the podium. I will be happy if I win the championship,” he said after two days of competition.
Tony Morgan, who owns Double X Archery and is one of Doug’s best friends, gives him the news. Doug won his second straight longbow championship. But it’s a different kind of phone that the two hold dear.
“He said I think this is my last hunt,” Morgan said.
Doug, knowing that time was running out, reached out months ago and asked Tony to go hunting with him one last time.
“We were in the woods, and he set up the camera to capture the scene,” Morgan added.
“I can’t even put it into words. My friends were like the highest level. It’s huge now,” said Graham.
Doug Graham is a guy with a keen eye for everything.
“Everything I do now in my life could be the last thing I do, the last time I do it. So, yeah, it means a lot,” Graham concluded.
Doug Graham not only shares his story with us, but he also documents his cancer journey with LoudounNow. Although Doug’s cancer has metastasized, he says he has responded well to chemo, which bought him time. He’s not sure how long, but he hopes to head west with his family and see a few of Yellowstone’s secrets.
A GoFundMe page has been set up to help Graham’s family during this time. Click here for more information.
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