A passion for life
2009/11/23
In Canada people are keeping track of their year with an unusual calendar: Heather Kenalty, an employee of EMD Serono Canada, created fascinating portraits of people afflicted with multiple sclerosis. The result of her work is 12 calendar pages full of passion for life, gratitude and confidence.
© Merck
EMD Serono Canada employee Heather Kenalty created fascinating photographs of people with multiple sclerosis
EMD Serono Canada employee Heather Kenalty created fascinating photographs of people with multiple sclerosis
A radiance you see in people who are at peace with themselves and the world. A smile so wide it shows off nearly every tooth. Eyes that convey satisfaction and thankfulness. Appreciative. It also happens to be the word under the photograph of Bill Cowper, 34. Bill is one of 12 people photographed by EMD Serono Canada employee Heather Kenalty for a calendar featuring multiple sclerosis patients. Bill’s picture is on the December page. The end of the year for a man who doesn’t by any means see his illness, multiple sclerosis (MS), as an end. He is, instead, grateful for every hour of life.
Heather, who is 35 and works for EMD Serono in Canada, launched an unconventional project with the 2009 “Life is Beautiful” calendar. Her job responsibilities include territory management as well as providing marketing support for the MS medication Rebif®. In her private life Heather loves taking photos. When her team was considering how they could do more for MS patients than they already do at work, she thought of combining the hobby with her job. She produced a calendar for MS patients — with MS patients. “I didn’t want to make portraits of any Olympic champions or Mount Everest climbers. I wanted usual people who lead normal lives despite their disease,” Heather says. She turned to doctors and nurses, who recommended individuals like Bill Cowper, people who have multiple sclerosis but refuse to let it dominate them or get them down. “Their lives don’t consist solely of the disease. They love life for what it is,” says Heather, who was impressed by how strong the patients are.
She invited 12 people to pose before her camera, one for each month of the year. But first she asked them a question: “How would you describe yourself in one word?” “Positive”, “unstoppable”, “optimistic” were the answers. And also “appreciative” like Bill, who lives in Toronto and was diagnosed with the incurable illness in 1998. “I’ve gone through some rough stretches, but they never made me forget how to smile,” Bill recalls. “Over the years I have learned to deal with the MS attacks. Mostly those episodes are stress related, so I try to go for a walk during work or take more time for myself.” He considered it a privilege to be able to support this project, whose proceeds go to the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada. “Heather did something wonderful — she gave MS a new image.”
Heather, who is 35 and works for EMD Serono in Canada, launched an unconventional project with the 2009 “Life is Beautiful” calendar. Her job responsibilities include territory management as well as providing marketing support for the MS medication Rebif®. In her private life Heather loves taking photos. When her team was considering how they could do more for MS patients than they already do at work, she thought of combining the hobby with her job. She produced a calendar for MS patients — with MS patients. “I didn’t want to make portraits of any Olympic champions or Mount Everest climbers. I wanted usual people who lead normal lives despite their disease,” Heather says. She turned to doctors and nurses, who recommended individuals like Bill Cowper, people who have multiple sclerosis but refuse to let it dominate them or get them down. “Their lives don’t consist solely of the disease. They love life for what it is,” says Heather, who was impressed by how strong the patients are.
She invited 12 people to pose before her camera, one for each month of the year. But first she asked them a question: “How would you describe yourself in one word?” “Positive”, “unstoppable”, “optimistic” were the answers. And also “appreciative” like Bill, who lives in Toronto and was diagnosed with the incurable illness in 1998. “I’ve gone through some rough stretches, but they never made me forget how to smile,” Bill recalls. “Over the years I have learned to deal with the MS attacks. Mostly those episodes are stress related, so I try to go for a walk during work or take more time for myself.” He considered it a privilege to be able to support this project, whose proceeds go to the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada. “Heather did something wonderful — she gave MS a new image.”
Twelve months, twelve stories
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