At a reunion of BNI-Small Brabant, a business network we had both been members of, our paths crossed again. There, Michel told me about his father Peter's situation. He had been diagnosed with a serious, aggressive form of metastatic prostate cancer. All his plans for the future vanished in an instant.
Ten years earlier, Peter and his wife Hannie had already had to say goodbye to their daughter, Michel's sister. It was completely unexpected. The grief was, of course, inconsolable, and became even heavier when they realized how few photos they had of her. Michel and Hannie did not want to make that mistake again.
Although it was emotionally very difficult for Peter at first, and Hannie has been struggling with indelible grief every day for ten years, they decided to capture the moment now. So that they wouldn't be left empty-handed again after Peter's death!
For years, a large portrait of their deceased daughter hung above their fireplace. But now the time had come to move it to a less prominent place so that Michel and his girlfriend Melissa could have that spot in the living room. Because they too are missed every day, as they live in Antwerp and Peter and Hannie live near Amsterdam.
Meanwhile, Peter was busy listing everything he still wanted to say to everyone he loved. With memories he wanted to leave behind. With the question: How do I want to be remembered?
He wrote, talked, and reflected on what really matters. Ultimately, this photo shoot was also an essential part of that. The photo session, and especially the accompanying viewing session, became one of the most intense and at the same time most beautiful moments of our career. During the viewing, words were spoken that stayed with us for a long time. People looked, laughed, and of course, there were also a few tears.
We created an album and a BoxFrame for them with pictures of the entire family. Peter and Hannie as a couple, Michel and Melissa together, father and son, and the nuclear family as it is today.
In addition, a large feel-good photo in Diasec® was placed above the cabinet in the living room, and a second Diasec® of Michel and Melissa was placed on the mantelpiece. The portrait of their deceased daughter was also given a new lease of life, so that she now has a new place on the wall alongside Michel.
Perhaps, as you read this, Peter is no longer here.
And yet... we are certain that he will live on in the images we were able to create. Images that now offer comfort, carry memories, and tell stories.
And that is precisely why he believes it is important that his story is shared here too. In this way, he hopes to raise awareness among others and encourage them to leave behind something visual that others may find comforting in the future.
