Daylight Books presents HER2 – A Visual Conversation Between the Diagnosed, the Caregiver and Their Son by Anna and Jordan Rathkopf.
“Through photography, I found myself as I am – not how others see me or what I feel I need to project. I needed the camera to reclaim my voice amidst feeling powerless. I also wanted to capture the meaningful people in my life, showing how they cared for me and suffered alongside me. Illness doesn’t just affect the diagnosed – it impacts a community of people around us.” — Anna Rathkopf. Surviving and navigating a cancer diagnosis is a shared experience between the person with the illness, and those nearest who are supporting and who are also changed. Yet so much of what is visually represented is a compartmentalized, incorrect, one-dimensional view, tidied up for cultural consumption. It often focuses on the early stages, or beating cancer, or losing the fight. But what about everything in-between and the ongoing challenges this community faces trying to return to a normal that no longer exists?
Unable to find imagery that was relatable and authentic about a young family navigating cancer, photographers Anna and Jordan Rathkopf turned the camera on each other and themselves after Anna’s diagnosis at the age of 37 with an aggressive form of breast cancer. HER2 is an ongoing visual conversation told through the utterly unique dual perspective of the experience as a husband-and-wife team, showing both the ways in which there is a deep bond in shared survival while also highlighting their parallel, isolated traumas amidst layers of grief and joy.
The Rathkopfs’ project includes intimate photographs taken at home, in hospital settings, and with their son, providing a raw look at how a chronic serious diagnosis impacts every aspect of life – relationships, parenting, marriage, work and childhood. These images offer a fuller picture of the emotional and daily realities of illness, from the perspective of the diagnosed, the caregiver and the child, inviting viewers to witness and understand the complexity of survivorship, vulnerability, and resilience.
As Anna notes in her essay for the book, “There’s pressure to embody strength and beauty, even when ill. Yet, I don’t feel like a warrior or beautiful. I’m just doing what I must to survive. I’ve learned that gratitude can coexist with pain. And I can feel happiness and anger simultaneously. I can be loved even when I don’t love myself.” Anna’s self-portraits and photographs of her family and the natural world redefine the breast cancer experience from the patient’s perspective.
Jordan’s essay reveals his own realizations through Anna’s photographs, “What struck me was what I saw in her eyes–how she saw me and our son. While I focused on documenting from my perspective, I didn’t realize I was also being seen… She saw past the struggles I tried to hide and loved me through it all. And seeing my photos, she said they helped her see herself differently, too, realizing how loved she was despite feeling alone. We were surrounded by love.” At the same time, Jordan was documenting how he was experiencing difficulties as a male caregiver while trying to provide support to his son, something that was particularly important to him throughout this experience because of his own experience having witnessed his mother’s diagnosis when he was a child.
The book’s title alludes to the dual experience of navigating this experience as both the diagnosed and the caregiver, as well as co-creators of this book. It also references one of the specific subtypes of cancer Anna was diagnosed with.
HER2 has been honored by the International Photographic Council at the United Nations for 2024 Photographic Achievement, marking the first time in the Council’s 50-year history the award has gone to a couple. The Rathkopfs have also committed much of their professional career to telling the health stories of others in pursuit of health equity and inclusive representation of illness. Jordan recently founded a non-profit called the Patient Caregiver Artist Coalition with a mission to create more authenticity and inclusivity in how illness is portrayed.
Anna concludes, “This book is a testament to our trauma, grief, resilience, hope, and the deep love that sustains us. It’s our story, but not ours alone. Others have gone through their own experiences, but we are connected through feelings. Working on this project has been challenging and rewarding, helping me navigate this experience and open up conversations within our family. We hope it sparks healing discussions and provides solace to others.”
Authors’ website:
https://www.rathkopf.com/
Anna and Jordan Rathkopf : HER2
A Visual Conversation Between the Diagnosed, the Caregiver and Their Son
Published by Daylight Books
Hardcover | 112 pages | 8 x 8 inches
https://daylightbooks.org/products/her2-the-diagnosed-the-caregiver-and-their-son
