The Stories Our Bodies Tell
Why are scars important? What can they tell us about each other? What parts of the story do they leave out?
In this series, I explore how our bodies tell stories about our lives through scar tissue and the human experiences of telling these stories through our bodies. I also explore the limitations of this story telling - how scars can stand as reminders (good or bad) of the struggles we've been through even after so much growth and change. Every scar holds a different origin story, but every person with a scar holds a story of healing too. Scars can serve as a point of connection between people, or as a point of stigma and division. Some people are embarrassed of their scars, while others embrace them. Some people are grateful for what the scars can say for them when they can't find the words, and others wish to reclaim the power of telling their own story (or withholding it). In these photos, I attempt to examine how the scars on people's bodies and the reason behind them have shaped who that person is today and how they present themselves (and their scars) to the world.
The Sisters
Rebecca and Ally are sisters and have been close friends their entire lives. Both tore their right ACL within a short period of time and both have spent the last couple years recovering to get back to their passions. For Rebecca, this is her life-long love for Irish Dance. For Ally, it is her passion for skiing. Though recovering from the same injury, each sister has taken a different approach to their healing. For Rebecca, it's all about patience and consistency. For Ally, it's about working hard to heal quickly and pushing through any set backs to get back on the mountain.
Rebecca
Rebecca (she/her) tore her right ACL while skiing in 2021. After surgery, she was still hesitant to return to dance. With moving away for college and needing to focus on work and school, she took a break from dancing, and continued her physical therapy to build back strength. Now, graduated from college and feeling settled in her new life, she has decided to return to the thing she's always loved most in this world - Irish Dancing. She hasn't skied since her accident.
Ally
Ally (she/they) tore her right ACL while skiing during the 2023 Spring skiing season. After surgery and lots of physical therapy work, she returned to skiing in Fall 2023. Unfortunately, she had a bad fall just a couple of weeks ago and partially tore her left ACL. She'll need surgery again this Summer, but in the meantime is cleared to continue skiing through the season. Her dog, Chelsea, is her best friend and often comes to the mountain with her.
The Soccer Player
Julia
Julia Turettini (she/her) is a freshman at Colorado State University. During her junior year of high school, Julia went in to her doctor for her yearly physical before the start of the soccer season. She had lost a lot of weight and although she wasn't worried about it, her mother was quite concerned. Her doctor heard a murmur in her heart and barred her from playing until she could be examined by a cardiologist. Julia ignored her doctor and went to practice the next four days. At her cardiologist appointment, she had an ultrasound of her heart. When the cardiologist couldn't see her heart on the ultrasound, they immediately admitted her to the hospital for more scans. It was discovered that Julia had a massive tumor around her heart. She was in open heart surgery the next day. After her surgery, Julia was self-conscious about her scar, but over time she's become proud of her scar and the experiences she's been through. Julia was quick to add that she wasn't really scared about the surgery, she was just scared she wouldn't be able to play soccer. Julia is back to health these days and plays intramural soccer at CSU. She's also an avid runner now and ran her first half marathon on April 14th 2024.
The Mom in Recovery
Carz
Carz Sargent-Knudson (they/them) has two major sets of scars - a set of self-harm scars on their right leg and their c-section scar. The self-harm scars are a result of being "coked out" as Carz put it. They remarked that they "came-to" with their girlfriend at the time wrestling the knife out of their hand. They also joked about how their girlfriend threw out that knife and they were upset because it was "a really cool knife." Carz is now 8 years sober from drugs and alcohol, and these scars serve as a reminder of what they risk if they stop practicing their program of recovery. The c-section scar is almost 5 years old, as is their beautiful daughter Rune. Although Carz and their partner Kai had planned to do a natural home birth, Carz had some significant complications and went to the hospital. Rune was in cardiac distress for about 45 minutes before the doctor gave Carz an ultimatum: let them take Rune out surgically, or Rune might die. Carz, Kai, and everyone who knows and loves them are so grateful that Rune is alive and well today. With two non-binary parents in recovery and a transgender child, Carz always says they're one of the families that never should've existed, one the families that exists only by the grace of a higher power.
The Ignored Patient
Joe
Joe's (he/him) scar is the result of a burst appendix. After experiencing some intense pain in his lower right abdomen, Joe went to his doctor who dismissed his pain. Trusting his doctor, he went on with his day-to-day. A couple days later, he knew something was seriously wrong and went to the hospital. At this point, his appendix had burst and the surgery was a lot more invasive than it would've been originally. Joe is a quiet and reserved man and holds no resentments against his doctor. He likely wouldn't have told me this story if his partner Miller hadn't been standing there pushing his to talk about it.
The Dog Lover
Miller
Miller's (any pronouns) scar is the result of a dog-attack from many years ago. After the attack, Miller experiences a lot of fear around dogs. Now, she has her own dog and is absolutely in love. After watching them interact many times, I know Matti feels the same way.
The Self Harm Survivors
Chloe
Chloe's (she/her) scars are a result of self harm. Chloe didn't say much about the specific instance that resulted in these scars. However, while we were taking photos she remarked how, if it weren't for her attention-seeking pets, she might've taken her own life. Chloe was quick to tell the story of how she got her cat Tobi, finding her as a kitten outside of strip club and deciding to take her in as her own. Her tattoo, "Ohana," refers to the chosen family Chloe has created over the years after being mistreated by her blood family and eventually kicked out of the house.
Mace
Mace (they/them) didn't say much about their scars during our shoot, but I've heard bits of their story throughout my time knowing them. Mace struggled with mental health and addiction in their teenage years, and has had a long road of recovery. They're grateful to be sober and clean today, and to not have to hurt themself the way they once felt they did. These days, Mace focusses their time on helping others like them find serenity through recovery and on studying midwifery so that they can help bring the next generation of humans into this world in a loving and supportive process for both the parents and baby.
The Car Crash Victim
London
London (she/her) got in a serious car crash when she was just 17 years old. After being pinned under her car and rescued by the local first responders, London was rushed to UC Health in Colorado Springs, CO. She underwent surgery to stabilize her collar bone and repair a crushed elbow, had a chest tube, and was in the ICU for 8 days. She broke 26 bones in her body that day, suffered a significant head injury, and had a collapsed lung. Once she stabilized, she spent several more days on the hospital floor. During this time, London was terribly depressed - she told the doctors she wished she had died in the crash. She refused to get out of bed and her medical team looked for anyway to get her up and walking, fearing bed sores, infection, and more if she continued refusal. In came Murphy the therapy dog. The way London tells it, the staff brought Murphy up to her bed and let her pet him, then walked Murphy over to the chair in the corner and told her "if you want to pet Murphy, you have to walk over here." London got up and pet the dog, and from that point on got slowly better and better. In addition to the physical effects of the accident, London also suffered significant psychological distress. She underwent years of therapy and EMDR trauma treatments to be able to ride in and drive cars again. After the accidnet, London went on to attend the University of Colorado as a Journalism and Political Science major. She now works as a freelance journalist in Denver and says she "doesn't really notice the scars anymore."