When I was a young girl of 4,
one of my sweetest friends
had jet black hair and
the heartiest laugh in the room.
Martha loved the Beatles.
And Jesus.
And dancing.
She easily remembered
the birthdate of all her friends.
She had Down's.
Until Eva Snoijink met Pien,
a little girl brought to her studio
for photographs, she held preconceived
inaccurate ideas about Down's Syndrome.
The connection with Pien changed her.
She felt compelled to give the world
a look at Down's which
would be far removed from
stereotypes.
A Positive View of Down's Syndrome
(Lannoo Publishers)
was born.
Inside Down's Upside are 101 portraits
of children photographed by Eva.
The children are active and beautiful
and savoring life along with their parents.
"We are terribly proud of Sam and think he is a lovely little boy. He is so pure. If he is angry, everyone is allowed to know. If people are laughing, Sam joins in heartily, even if he doesn't know what the joke is. He adores everything to do with soccer. If he has a football, then he's totally happy. That's why we have six footballs in our bedroom. Sam owns about 20 footballs."
Accompanying the photos are
brief texts like the excerpt above
written by the parents
who share in a frank manner
their shock, sorrow, joy, and pride.
Eva's photography is a pleasure to behold,
but her book was meant for so much more.
Down's Upside
has a mission to enlighten society
so that all may look beyond the syndrome
and see
the child,
the miracle,
the value
of these lovely souls
who possess something "extra."
Opening this book changed me.
I immediately needed to share it
with my children and now you
to see the beauty beyond
the stereotypical part of the
Down's picture.
Everyone deserves to see its upside.
When art and real life and love
come together in a photography book
worth sharing, something
unusual happens.
The value of human life...
life
arriving in different packaging,
life
arriving perfectly to be loved,
life
arriving with layers of meaning...
suddenly comes into clearer focus.
Down's Upside
(offered by Lannoo Publishers)
is one of the loveliest treasures
to find its way to me, and I hope all will be inspired
to learn more about the organization and Eva's lovely work.
Do Eva's photos move your soul?
