In October of 2015, I contracted Spinal Viral Meningitis. I caught this disease after photographing in a Louisiana swamp. I was not wearing any type of mosquito spray because this was an impromptu photoshoot so there were around 200 bites over my body. Two days later, I fell ill. After two spinal taps, I was airvac-ed to Oschner’s Baton Rouge, then Oschner’s New Orleans and put in the cardiac intensive care unit. In total, I was hospitalized for two+ months, over a course of five hospitals. With the love and support of my now husband, friends and family, I recovered and healed. I never could have made it without them. It was the scariest and worst pain of my life but I endured. It made me appreciate how special time is, how fortunate I am to have such amazing, understanding friends that surround me, and how life is so fleeting. We must make the most of every single day. While I was sick, my husband was my fiancé. He stuck with me through the toughest time of our life and waited for me to walk down the aisle to him. “In sickness and in health” has a totally new meaning now.
An image of my husband holding me while I slept in the hospital
For a while, I kept this series to myself but many friends encouraged me to share because it could relate to someone or validate their feelings to let them know they are not alone. It’s so comforting (and almost therapeutic) to have an actual visual representation of what you feel inside- something to which is much harder to do with words. I’ve had this idea in my mind for a while now…to document or recreate my inner emotions from the whole meningitis experience into photographs. I created these images when I was very ill. I suffered from not only the illness, but also the subsequent depression, anxiety, and panic attacks. However, I didn’t create these images as a reminder of the pain, or to be depressing, or to seek attention. I created it as a reminder of how far I’ve come. When I look at these images, it also gives me a great deal of positivity and hope and drives to move forward. The worst is behind me and I am improving every day. I found that it’s comforting to have an actual visual representation of what you feel inside so I created a photo series expressing my experiences and feelings.
I was a skeleton of myself from being unable to eat. I couldn’t hold my self up.
Photograph of the aftermath of all of the shots, needles, and IV’s. It resembled physical abuse markings though ironically they were markings of something that was saving my life.
I felt like a pin cushion with all of the hospitals and shots.
I was drowning in my own depression and hopelessness.
Reaching for a glimmer of hope, but feeling like I didn’t deserve it. Feeling guilty for putting my family through everything.
This one was to portray the way even though I felt so weak and powerless on the inside, I had to look and act perfect.Put on the makeup. Wear nice clothes. Get up even though you do not feel like it. Fake it.
But then...finally getting the courage and strength to search for the light of recovery.
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