The last week in March is one that I will never forget. (2/20/16-2/26/16)

 

The Backstory:

It was like every other sunday afternoon. I was sitting, editing some photos I took the previous week, when all the sudden I felt a massive what I thought was a "cramp"that went from my back to my chest. It felt like i had an elephant on my chest and it was stopping me from breathing even a single deep breath. Trying to releive the pain, I took some asthma medicine because I thought it was that, I took pain meds, a hot shower, but the pain still did not go away, It only got worse. That is when I decided to call 911. A few minutes later they arrive and it is  2am. I have never felt so scared in my life. The began to take my vital and my heart rate was at 142 sitting still.

 

A half an hour later my mom and I rush to the hospital where I was instantly admitted. Over the course of the next 2 days I would be attatched to IV'S, have blood tests taken in the middle of the night, x-rays and cat skans of my lungs, and really bad food. The diagnosis was a collapsed lung. The whole in my lungs was sized at 10% and therefore healed on its own. The entire expereince was one of the scariest I have ever felt, and I am incredibly thankful to even be alive. 

 

The Purpose:

After being discharged two long days later, the thought hit me. That I should be thankful for the little things like a deep breath after a long day, or even a short one. I never thought about how much I appreciated it until it was taken away from me. That is when I took it upon myself to start a new project that documented my recovery process, and also the excruciating pain I went through just hours before being called in.  

 

This project is a series of self portraits that reflect the pain and recovery process of having a collpased lung, and the process I went through to cope with the fear and suffering that went along with it. I am forever greatful for what has happened, and thankful for being able to complete a single full breath.