In August of 2006, Denny was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease), a destructive nervous disorder that is fatal within 3 to 5 years in over 90% of cases. The title for this project, Feel the Wind, is Denny’s call to ride. It’s his call to action. It’s his call to grab life by the horns and wrestle from it what you can.For this documentary, I’ll be joined by Sue Hatos, a close friend of Denny’s. Together we are going to tell the story of Denny’s fight against ALS. I will be photographing the times to come while she shares the stories of his days. Close friends and family will also be contributing articles to the story. Through this project, we hope to release a book, a set of prints for exhibition, and this blog.
When Denny was diagnosed with ALS, his life insurance canceled his policy – an especially cruel twist with respect to the fatality rate of ALS. Accordingly, a portion of the proceeds from the above mentioned activities will be donated to a trust fund for his children, and towards ALS research and outreach. Donation links will also be posted so that you may make donations directly to these funds.
To be bluntly honest, we already know how this story is going to end. The goal of this project is two-fold. 1. To bring attention to this disease and the research needed to address it. 2. I believe that the path to understanding life is to understand the fringe of life, and so this is a project in understanding.
Do not expect this to be an objective documentary. I will not pretend to photograph neutrally, and quite frankly any photographer who does is kidding themselves or possibly you. The camera can and does lie, and in capable hands it deceives very effectively. I will not use my camera to lie, but I will use it to emphasize emotional or physical elements where I feel it’s appropriate.
Why am I undertaking this project with Sue? Because stories like Denny’s need to be told. Not just because ALS deserves more (it does) or because I have an affinity to those who have ignored diseases (I do, as my wife has MS) – no, it has more to do with how Denny is approaching this. Because of ALS, he faces insurmountable odds – but he keeps his chin up, he keeps smiling, and he keeps pushing for good to come of this. In short, I want to tell this story because it’s how I think that anyone can only hope to tackle such a situation.
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