I am a self-taught photographer and see myself as a social and political documentary photographer. I tell the stories that matter to me by making a series of images over time, that together build a picture of the issues I want to throw a spotlight on or add to existing conversations like the climate crisis or ending male violence against women.
I had taken early retirement in the autumn of 2017 in order to have more time to devote to photography. I have by and large been successful in that ambition, building bodies of work on a variety of subjects, to tell stories but also to improve and widen my photographic skills and practice.
Based in London, I mostly show my work in the open studios where I have a space, on Instagram and in exhibitions where it’s possible to show a series, however small, that will help to tell a story.
I love and have been heavily influenced by the work of photographers like Susan Meiselas and other UK women photographers like Tish Murtha, Laura Pannack and Margaret Mitchell. What has inspired me about these women is the immersive approach they take to their photography projects. The immersive focus of their work excites me and I aspire to it myself. So I began to look for photographic projects which matter to me and which I could immerse myself in.
Little did I know that my first immersive project would focus on my sister and her health battles.
My first close encounters with osteoporosis were in early 2018. My sister, Cath, was diagnosed with osteoporosis in the summer of that year. This is her story. It is also a story shared by many, many women and now by me. It is predominantly a woman’s condition.
In my sister’s case, it’s the story of facing the hard news of diagnosis, dealing with the impact of a changing and limiting physical condition on her work life, her health, her independence and her wish, like all of us, to have meaning in her life and not just to settle for living with and surviving her condition.
Osteoporosis is not in itself painful. However, fractures caused by osteoporosis are, and they rarely heal. This is my sister’s version of the condition. She has spinal compression fractures, making walking any distance painful as well as some upper body movement.
The battles that my sister has had to face, like many others, are largely invisible. My intention in putting together this story is to show the courage it takes to keep going in the face of often unbearable pain and lift the cloak of invisibility that shrouds this condition.
Her diagnosis followed several months of acute immobilising pain in 2018. It involved numerous GP and hospital appointments, various tests and body scans as medical professionals learned how best to diagnose and treat her condition. During that time my sister spent a few months living with me, and it was during that period I decided to document her journey.
Cath has been a keen photographer, accompanying me on several photographic adventures. She often had a better eye than I did. Over time carrying a camera has become more and more physically challenging. She still takes photographs, but now with her phone.
Birdwatching has also been one of her interests, and whilst she does occasionally have small expeditions, a bench to rest on and take her medication is now a needed respite requirement. Not always easy to find, although recently she has discovered that a nearby cemetery with a lot of tall trees has a number of benches where she can have a few moments ’rest whilst enjoying the sound of birdsong.
My sister has had a number of dogs throughout her life. These past few years have been no exception. She has a strong belief that dogs are companions who deserve companionship in return. Despite her condition she found ways of enriching their lives through the games they loved to play. One such game was “stick chase”, a favourite with her chocolate labrador, Whiz. Though both would be absolutely shattered afterwards they would also be so happy, and my sister would not let her pain prevent her from this shared pleasure.
When her beloved Whiz came to the end of her life, Cath decided to re-home a smaller dog made homeless in Gran Canaria. A challenge at the best of times. But my sister wanted to try. They were companions for a couple of years and had some adventures together before Splinter sadly came to the end of his life. They became adept at travelling on trams and trains.
My sister is nothing but resilient. Like many people she gets knocked down by the blows that life has dealt her. But she does eventually get back up again. She may never be as strong and as independent as previously, but she continues to look for things that can add meaning to her life. Determined not to live without dogs in her life, she has recruited the support of her dog-friendly neighbours and enjoys many hours dog sitting.
Her resilience is an inspiration to me. For some time she had an ambition to see The Hive at Kew Gardens. Having read about it, she really wanted to experience it. She got there and loved it. Even though she knew she would be wiped out the following few days, to her the experience was worth it.
However, the pain can be so great that for every several steps and physical actions there is a painful reaction. She lives on strong painkillers. Her pill box and some water are never far away.
Cath had a rewarding job as a team leader supporting young people with learning disabilities to gain work experience – work she loved and cared passionately about.
Since her diagnosis she has battled to remain employed. A battle that she lost in 2019 when first her place of work and then the Department for Work and Pensions decided she was medically unfit for work. These were huge blows to her sense of herself and to her confidence.
She still looks for opportunities to use her life and work experiences to support others on their journeys to have a meaningful life and in so doing enjoy a meaningful life herself.
I made all these images as Cath negotiated her life. I was mindful of the pain and exhaustion she was experiencing and was also inspired by her determination.Whilst her journey is challenging and physically painful, I have intentionally chosen not to depict her as a victim of her condition, although her life is indeed surrounded by the trappings of her condition.
I prefer instead to show her as a strong and determined female moving forward despite her condition, telling the story of a woman not beaten into submission by her condition, whilst being severely limited by it.
This visual story is a work in progress, as is Cath’s journey. The challenge in telling Cath’s story is to balance two wishes. My sister’s wish to bring to light the challenges of a condition rarely visible as it impacts mostly ageing women who are already often made invisible through the combination of ageing and being female. And my ambition to show her resilience, courage and determination, and her ability to bounce back from each of the many setbacks. Osteoporosis is not a condition that can be conventionally recovered from. Any recovering is hard-won, should be celebrated and used as an inspiration for others.
It can sometimes be hard to document the battles and successes of someone as close to you as a sister. Most of the time that I was with her I would have my camera with me, looking to make images that show her strength and resilience, and also her passions.
I used a fixed lens camera, so I didn’t get distracted with changing lenses, but also not to distract her from the enjoyment of whatever activities or adventures she was engaged in. It is a practice I have continued with in my other documentary projects.
Recently I was hospitalised for a couple of weeks following a fall and a couple of broken bones. I didn’t have my camera with me so I had to use my phone to show some of my experience of spending two weeks in a hospital bed.
As part of my own rehabilitation and encouraged by my sister’s determination, I have begun a photo project not far from where I live. Again, using my fixed lens camera, I have started a project that will hopefully last about a year in which I am able to build a story of the staff, the volunteers and the users of a community centre and the work they do to empower and enable those who live nearby.
www.instagram.com/mary_thompson68/