Doctor Emily
The fight for Emily
The fight for 'Doctor Emily' is a series which was made for an awareness and fundraising appeal. The funds were raised to provide Emily with life changing hearing equipment that Emily did not have access to due to the postcode lottery. Emily spends so much time in hospital having reoccurring surgery on her ears that Emily considers it to be the norm. In this series I documented 'Dr Emily' caring beautifully for her toys and her Mummy. Health Care being part of my background I can state that Emily's bandaging skills are by far the most professional that I have ever seen!
As I sit and write this I can inform the reader that Emily is currently in surgery again. I have lost count of the amount of surgeries that Emily has had in the short time that I have known her. I edited the images with a deliberate softness and warmth for the purpose of the performative force of the content and emotional impact.
Challenge
I spent time getting to know Emily prior to taking her photograph, we became firm friends. I needed Emily to trust me and become familiar with my camera. I allowed Emily to explore my equipment and to show Emily that I equally trusted her with my belongings, we built a bond. Emily became comfortable around the camera, even learning how to operate it to some degree. Towards the end of the project Emily even stopped to pose for the camera!
Value
The benefits of this project was that Emily got access to the equipment which means that she is able to hear. The downside is that this is only a temporary fix, the equipment constantly needs updating therefor Emily's Mum is working hard to fundraise in order to make this possible. For more information please search: Hearing for Emily