Photojournalist Visits to Share Hope in Fight Against Cancer

The School of Health Professions joined forces with the School of Journalism Monday night to welcome Pulitzer-Prize winning photojournalist, John Kaplan for a showing of his documentary, “Not As I Pictured.”

Taking pictures was a sort of coping mechanism Kaplan used while dealing with his fight against lymphoma. From the early stages of his rigorous chemotherapy treatments all the way through his first day in remission, Kaplan photographed some of the hardest, most trialing moments he’s ever faced.

SHP faculty member, Dr. Renee Stucky praised the documentary as a “beautiful, life-affirming testimony of illness.” With clinical expertise in adjustment and coping with chronic illness, disability and pain, Stucky said, “we will all be confronted with loss or disability at some point in our life, ” the documentary is, “a testimony to the realities of living with a diagnosis.”For Kaplan, photographing his fight was a means of humanizing his illnesses as well as an outlet of hope for families and patients.

Stucky stressed the importance for patients to find meaning or make sense of their diagnosis, much like Kaplan, who used photography as a therapeutic mechanism and healing journey. Stucky noted that, although everyone responds differently to his or her diagnosis, it is important to find an avenue to cope with illness as best as possible to make the journey more bearable.

For more information about Kaplan and to receive a free copy of “Not As I Pictured,” visit http://www.lovekillscancer.org

Film director John Kaplan, SHP faculty Renee Stucky and photojournalism professor David Rees.

Renee Stucky and John Kaplan

Renee Stucky and John Kaplan answering audience questions after “Not As I Pictured” showing.