Growing up, I have always enjoyed looking at photos as there are so many emotions and memories tied to photographs that cant be felt through stories alone. As I got older, my love for photos only grew. At the time, I was told by many people in my life that you can’t do anything with photography, and it won’t get you anywhere, I used to believe that until I had my accident that flipped my world upside down.
On December 26, 2022, my partner and I were rear-ended by a family member while we were travelling back home from a Christmas trip. We were at a complete stop when my now sister-in-law hit us, going around 30-40 km per hour. Our SUV didn’t take the brunt of the damage due to the fact that her car was lower than our vehicle, which caused her to slide under us and hit our hitch. The unfortunate part of that is my partner and I took the majority of the damage. Once we were checked out by doctors, we both were told we had whiplash with no concussion. I attended physiotherapy for many months to regain my grip on my left side and work on the intense pain I felt in my shoulders. An x-ray on my back has finally told me what was wrong with my shoulders. I was told I had bilateral cervical ribs and extra ribs near my collarbone, and I was diagnosed with thoracic outlet syndrome. As my physiotherapy concluded, I was given some difficult news: I wouldn’t be able to work above my head (at this time, I was working as a sheet metal apprentice for a local construction company).
Once I recovered enough to begin working again and attend college, I applied to Cambrian College, hoping I could explore photography and graphic design. Throughout my first semester, my love of photography continued to grow as I learned there were many places photography could take me. It didn’t matter if it was portrait photography or product photography.