any memories you’d like to share about the project?
g.:
myron’s mom, elsie, is 90 and myron lives with her, and she said that she is starting to talk to myron about her own aging and the fact that she will die someday and she won’t be there, because myron is quite attached to her. but myron just keeps telling her, ‘well, that’s when i’m going to take over your bedroom!’
what else was fun in the series is that we asked everyone how they celebrate their birthdays. chocolate cake definitely was the number 1 food. we have some really great answers, and with a few of the participants, their families really felt that they may not see themselves aging, but they certainly recognize it in those around them. they feel that everyone else is getting old, but they are not. so that was interesting, too.
what do you hope people take away from the campaign?
g.:
the aim is that we take away the misconception that adults with down syndrome have shorter life expectancies. statistics are showing that the average life expectancy has increased quite significantly over the last 50 years. but despite that, the visibility of seniors remains quite limited. the hope is to show our communities that canadians with down syndrome are living longer, showing them what that looks like, sharing their lived experiences through these photos. and as a portrait photographer, i believe that a single portrait of somebody’s face can really tell a story about who they are and their energy, so you can know them as a person.