How has chronic illness inspired people to document their story through photography as a way of healing?

The persistence of illness has affected the majority, if not all people at some stage in their life, whether they are the person suffering or they are emotionally close to the person suffering. Crucially, all different sufferings are dealt with in unique and specific ways in order to accept and embrace chronic illness, however, the mechanism of treatment I am analyzing is the use of documentation. Based upon the historic processes of photojournalism or documentation photography, the focal point is to record chronicle events or environments, a factor I attempt to stay true to throughout my work as I portray the environment my subject does live in, thrive in, cry in, as well as the spontaneous actions in between which reinforce his condition. The photographic documentation of my younger step-brother and his ADHD has allowed me to cope with my own suffering of the illness, as well as me adopting a mentor or role model figure in order to aid how he deals with himself. This level of personal experience gives me an inclination and interest to the work I look to convey, leading me to study and explore the productions of other photographers who have captured chronic illness as a healing method. In researching and studying chronic illness, I discovered the work of Phillip Toledano, a British photographer who captures the deteriorating life of his father in the photobook “DAYS WITH MY FATHER”. Of paramount relevance, Toledano described how his relationship with his deceased father is “without embarrassment”, a factor which is true to my work also because as I’ve experienced and documented the suffering of my step-brother, we have become closer, more comfortable and vocally liberal. Toledano expanded by explaining how he was “very grateful” for the fact he could spend time with his father, embracing and analysing his deterioration as it brought the couple together in a unique way, demonstrating how documentation has aided the healing process of dealing with his father’s death. Simiarly to Toledano, the work I have and am continuing to produce is very individual to any assignment or photo-based objectives I have ever completed previously, as not only have I tried to include family, a factor I usually avoid due to the invasive needs for making a successful piece, I also turn the camera onto myself. Although it is not directly facing me, the camera often metaphorically portrays the struggles I once suffered, reincarnating Noah as a younger version of my own self due to our almost identical suffering. Much like Noah, I frequently found it hard to fit in during primary school and was penalized for my behavior as it was disturbing and distracting for the rest of the class. Due to children’s nature, I was then often singled out for being different or annoying, a feeling which Noah has carried on through his elementary studies, however, like Toledano, it has brought me and Noah closer. The invention of “Photo-Therapy” by the collaboration of photography duo Rosy Martin and Jo Spence in 1984 pioneered a new mechanism of healing and accepting self-image, which is a unique method I would like and have attempted to incorporate into my own imagery by exposing the ugly truth, and how there can be beauty in the verity.