The story of a dying man and a woman photographer he trusted
When photographer Justine Bursoni gave birth to her son, obstetrician Ray Spooner was by her side. And when Ray Spooner was dying, Justine Bursoni was by his side.
A woman photographer from Chicago first encountered such a concept as amicus mortis, or "death companion", when she thought about working in the field of palliative care. This Latin phrase is applied to nurses at dying people who support patients mentally and physically. These nurses can do everything from paperwork to household chores. Sometimes they play board games with patients or just hold their hand. Mostly they are there to listen.
"Stages of deterioration".
"I wanted to be that person for someone," Bursoni says. She knew Ray, but not close enough to call him a friend. He worked as an obstetrician during childbirth, when the photographer's son was born, but mostly Justine and her husband just met him periodically in the city.
"Dressing up".
Ray was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (also known as Charcot's disease or motor neurone disease. — Approx. trans.) in 2015. Justine turned to Ray and his wife with an offer to become his "death companion". She was ready to be around while the illness lasted and photograph the last chapter of his life. Ray agreed.
"Brushing teeth".
Due to his illness, Ray could no longer take pictures on his own, but Bursoni says that during his life he filled a huge number of photo albums. "The Spooner house is full of printed photos taken by Ray. Pictures of birthdays, vacations, everyday affairs, family studio photo shoots," Justine explains.
"Moving forward."
Bursoni admitted that sometimes taking pictures of Ray was very painful, especially when she knew that there were not many pictures left to take. Ray was preparing to die, and his loved ones were also preparing for his death.
"Dependent on air".
"I never backed down, because I knew perfectly well that our time together was limited," Bursoni writes, and in many ways this is what Ray taught her.
"Heaviness."
Ray was blogging, and in his last post he wrote: "If there is something important for you to do or say, do it. Do it now." Thanks to Ray, Justine is not afraid of death. Instead, she values life more. Her photographs are the result of a direct look into the eyes of death. The way to defeat death, it seems, is to fight the urge to escape from it.
"Washing".
Bursoni will be forever connected to Ray by the time they spent together. Ray died on August 8, 2016, three days after he turned 57.
What is Justine Bursoni's most vivid memory of her friend? "On the Friday before he died, during the birthday celebration, he asked me to stand next to him and put his head on me. It was hard to say goodbye."
Keywords: Illness | Death | Black and white photo