Kwetsbare kracht
Haarlem 2023
In the beginning of 2021, my friend Stiene was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin cancer. A roller coaster of treatments and uncertainty followed... which luckily led to her to remission in 2022. She is still recovering and learning to deal with the side effects.
I don’t think I get even close to feeling what it must have felt like being confronted with your own body like that, and having to put trust in all the treatments that will change your body for good. But I can relate with feeling unsafe in my body, because I’ve lived most of my teenage years living with a derealization disorder which led to panic attacks.
So when Stiene reached out to me, and said she wanted to do a shoot around this topic of feeling safe in your body and about supporting each other during this period of uncertainty, everything in me said YES.
The shoot was together with Nzinga, a beautiful woman who was dealing with a similar cancer type, who has been a big part in Stiene’s healing journey, receiving support, tips, understanding and their connection was a way to feel more safe during these intense times.
Speaking from my own experience, going through those heavy times also gave me a perspective on life that has given me more gratitude for the things I see many people take for granted.
It is this silver lining, that I think photography can bring to light. Which helps to accept the ups and downs of life, and to honor and respect it in some way. So that is what we tried to do. I hope it shines through.
There are also analog photos of this shoot, taken by the talented De Donkerekamer.
