Several months ago I wanted to have photos taken with my mother and our family, as a way to capture her spirit and to give us comfort. Unfortunately she passed after 10 years with Alzheimer’s before I made that happen.
Note to Self: Life is Short. Make Sh*t Happen.
But Taylor Hulett did make something happen. “I’m a professional photographer and my whole life changed when I met a group of residents with Alzheimer’s and dementia. I saw so much beauty and emotion in their expressions even as they and their families faced unimaginable pain.”
Exactly Taylor. Exactly.
Taylor has created a new book called About Faces: Expressions of Alzheimer’s and Dementia. These are ruthless diseases that wreak havoc on the people that have them, and those that love them. But there is a tenderness, a beauty and a grace that can be seen, too. And Taylor does an exquisite job of bringing that forward for all of us to experience.
His press release about the book launch sums it up quite well.
"Hulett realized one thing—his words couldn’t be about Alzheimer’s, the disease. His book couldn’t be about symptoms, what to do, or how to do it. No—it had to reach deeper. It had to be about how family members feel. How they cope. How they stay strong. When interviewing the individuals introduced in his book, he realized those afflicted with Alzheimer’s or dementia lose their connections as the diseases strengthen their grip. They have families—a wife, or husband. Kids. Grandkids. Slowly, however, memories of them fade and connections sever, leaving them without the joy of belonging to someone. Something. Hulett’s book is about raw, unrelenting emotion."
I applaud Taylor for this effort, and I expect that this won’t be the last we hear from him. Learn more about the story behind the book and the author, or place your order here.
NOTE: I do not make any money from the selling of this book. My goal is simply to share this profound experience with those who may find some peace and compassion from reading it.