In the summer of 2011 I began photographing my sister’s life. When my sister was born I was 3 years old and it didn’t take long for me to discover that she was different from most of us.
She had difficulty learning the most basic things like walking. But eventually she did. Other things she never learned like talking.
And while her body grew into adulthood, her emotional and mental development never exceeded that of a baby. And so from an early age we had a strong emotional bond that didn’t need words.
When my sister was 7 she left home and went to live in a care facility. She’s been living in an institution for the rest of her life. Far away and out of reach for the rest of the world.
My main motivation for documenting her life was to make her life visible. That was honestly not something she wanted because she couldn’t care less. I wanted to make her life visible.
So for a period I went to her home and spent a few hours being with her and photographing her. Sadly only a few months in, she unexpectedly passed away due to physical health problems she had had for a long time.
Like her life this personal project feels unfinished but I’m so very glad I did it. I’m forever grateful for the photos but honestly more so for the time I spend with my sister during what turned out to be the last months of her life.