WARNER ROBINS, Ga. — If you’ve never met someone battling multiple sclerosis (MS), you may not know much about the disease. It’s an autoimmune disease with no cure and lots of devastating effects centering on the brain and spinal cord.
One Warner Robins photographer has made it her mission to give exposure to people fighting MS in Central Georgia.
“I want to shed some light on a community that doesn’t get recognized,” said Chelsie Craycraft.
She’s working with people battling MS. Her most recent subject is Amanda Scudellari, her client and sister.
“I sometimes can't feel the bottom half of my body, so driving and walking and that stuff can be hard,” said Scudellari.
It’s activities that most of us take for granted, but for an hour the focus isn’t on pain, rather beauty inside and out.
“I'm trying not to get emotional because you look at us and you don't see someone that's struggling or hurting,” she said.
Chelsea can’t take away her sister’s pain, but for Scudellari and the other people she’s photographed with MS, the photographer turns the tables for a moment in time.
“The experience they have, it's a lasting memory they have and they can look back on that and go, ‘You know I had a good time,’” said Craycraft.
For the month of March, she’s offering people with MS free sessions. Unlimited images, the whole works. Part of the fees for her paying clients will also go to the Multiple Sclerosis Foundation.
As for the pictures, Craycraft has found a way to bring patients together to give them a sense of belonging in what can be a solitary journey.
“It's not like we're feeling alone anymore, it's that we're forming a miniature community,” said Scudellari. Craycraft says she’s blessed to be able to do it.
People with MS also get a goody bag, with an MS mask, bracelet, coupons and more. You can contact Chelsie here.
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