Life

(medium: photography)

This can happen to anyone. Several years ago, I had no understanding of cancer: I had no idea of what people with this devastating disease experienced, how their appearance, emotions, and lifestyle changed. And then my mum got sick.

When I asked her for a permission to photograph her, she agreed. For both of us, that was not easy, but that’s how we found a way to cope with my mother’s illness, to talk about it, and to overcome our fears. We spent a lot of time together: photoshoot was a distraction, we were going through our difficulties together, and it felt liberating. We found the strength to move forward. At that time, my mum sometimes read her poems, which were full of hope. 

The fear of an illness lives inside all of us. The important thing in situations like ours is to avoid dealing with this fear on one’s own.  You should let love fill your heart so that you can open it to the world. 

Life doesn’t stop once you’re diagnosed. Being with mum during her illness, just being near her helped me gain new understanding of myself. You reassess your values and purifies your soul. What is more, you feel more physically present and more aware of time — every single day you try to share every moment with your family and loved ones.

It was a long and painful journey, but despite that, there was  some light. Thank you for being a ray of sunshine, my dear mum, that light is still with us.