Photographs provide awareness on illness: Exhibit takes viewers through life of breast cancer patient

The Martin Art Gallery has seen some powerful displays throughout the years, but none read as beautiful, or as heartbreaking as the current exhibit, “Representing Disease: The Stephanie Images,” by Charlee Brodsky.The pictures tell the story of a woman, Stephanie Bryam who was diagnosed with breast cancer and treated by excision, only to be tested positive for cancer again later. In this black and white collection of photographs, Brodsky depicts the life of a woman who has suffered, regained hope, suffered more and in the end was able to look onward toward the future.

Many of the opening images capture the aftermath of the extraction operation. Images of her chest and the shadows that line the scars where her breasts had once been haunt the mind. Continuing throughout the collection, one finds that Brodsky had Bryan hold objects over her chest representative of breasts. Leaves, pine cones, clip-on earrings and in one picture, hands tell the viewer that there is a definitive loss of something.

Essentially the story goes that Stephanie Bryam had been diagnosed with breast cancer. Her doctors felt that if they simply removed her breasts, the cancer would be removed as well.

After the surgery, there was a brief period of release where Bryam was forced to learn how to live with the loss of, essentially, her identity as a woman and coming to terms with what society dictated a woman was.

After having just accepted this fate, it was discovered that the cancer remained. She underwent chemotherapy which led to the loss of her hair, and eventually she passed away. Although this does appear to be an extremely sad and depressing story, it is actually one of hope. The entire time, Stephanie never lost hope that she would come through in the end. She persisted in looking towards the future. Although she has since died, her story now goes on and tells many people the importance of treating cancer.

Although each photograph is significant and adds its own importance to the overall story, some images are far more spellbinding than others. One set of images is Stephanie simply turning her head. The first shot is the back of her head, and each one after that is taken with her turning slightly so that ultimately she is looking at you over her shoulder. The caption that goes along with this photo and the several others in the “post-chemo phase” of her life discussed that people look at people with abnormalities differently. The turning of her head makes a viewer feel ashamed and guilty of just that. After having looked over almost every inch of her body, the head turn almost makes a person feel like she is aware that you’ve just seen her at her most vulnerable point.

Another image that stands out is an image taken during the chemo. She simply sits back, closes her eyes and lets the medicine sweep through her. Although one can only imagine what she is going through at the particular moment in time, she almost looks contented. The expression on her face gives the viewer a feeling that she has hope and that in the end; it will all be “OK.”

Between the pictures are pinned small peices of paper stating what was going on through that particualr segment of time when the photo was taken. These peices of paper tell poetry, quotes and sometimes just a narrative of what is going on. One caption towards the end of the exhibit stated that at some point her doctor wanted to do reconstructive surgery. She said that she didn’t understand why he would just assume she would want to have breasts again.

For Charlee Brodsky, proffessor of Photography at Carnegie Mellon University, this was his first experiance taking shots of a person over an extended period of time. In order to do this, he had to devote himself entirely to the cause and came to be close, personal friends with Stephanie. He was one of the people that was with her when she died on January 9, 2001. One would think that he would conclude his documentary with a final glimpse of Byram in the hospital, but he refused. While taking her photos, Brodsky had worked with Byram every step of the way. If they could not take the picture together, then it would not be worth the film.

The exhibit will be in the Martin Art Gallery from now until October 31. This breathtaking compilation of a woman struggling against all odds while remaining resolute and confident throughout it all is truly an aspiring sight and makes you question how you live your life.