As a photojournalism student, the idea that my work can help people was drilled into my subconscious. On a day-to-day basis, when shooting sports or community events or the like, this concept does not come into play. During the more meaningful assignments, it still remains conceptual. “These photos might help someone who sees them,” I think, “but probably not this person.”

It is a rarity that I feel like my work may have a direct and immediate impact on someone else’s life. But this is exactly what struck me last night when I was in Nancy Lower’s home in Springville.

Lower has been a quadriplegic (she can move only her head) since falling off a roof years ago while serving in the Peace Corp in Africa. My assignment was to photograph her during a book club meeting, to illustrate a story about a fundraiser the Lowers are hosting later this month. Nancy requires a great deal of help from professional caretakers, and a lot of medicine, that is not covered by insurance. These bills reach into the tens-of-thousands of dollars each year.

As I photographed Nancy, I knew that the better my photos, the better the chance people would come to the fundraiser. If even one person who wouldn’t have otherwise gone to the fundraiser saw my photos and decided to go to the $15 event, it would be worth the extra effort. So I stuck around, having enough good images already, until the very end of the book club meeting to get an image of Nancy’s husband, George, feeding her the apple crisp a friend had brought. Nancy and George were extremely gracious and open, allowing me to photograph them in this moment of vulnerability.

You can read more about Nancy Lower here.

The fundraiser dinner is on Oct. 27 at 6 p.m. at the Springville Senior Center and costs $15/person. Myself and some of the other photographers at the Herald will be donating framed prints for a silent auction at the dinner.