life sentence.

Kaitlyn's experience of paediatric brain cancer 

As well as sharing his own cancer experience, photographer Dylan Negri has also explored the journey of his friend Kaitlyn.

She is also a cancer survivor with a very similar experience, having been diagnosed at 13.

For both of them, it's important to share the realities of paediatric cancer - and the reality that they will be monitored for the rest of their lives. 

Part two of this exhibition is titled Life Sentence. 


BENEATH

This image shows two sides of Kaitlyn - with her wig you wouldn’t know she ever had cancer 

and suffers the side effects of treatment


CRUSHED

Before diagnosis Kaitlyn was very athletic, she danced and was a star netball player. 

This is one of her trophies from that time


LOST

As a result of her life-saving treatment, Kaitlyn lost her fertility. It's represented here by the orchid.


FRACTURE

Pain is a daily experience for Kaitlyn, it varies in intensity, represented by shards of glass.



DELUGE

Many medications daily. Types and doses have increased since diagnosis to keep her functioning




ENGULF

Anxiety is part of her life, what saved her has left her with so many different life impacting side effects. Water both life giving and destructive, changing forms just as her levels of anxiety change.

SUBMERGE

Fatigue is another part of her life that she deals with daily. Again water in different states, frozen and 

liquid to represent the changing levels 

and impacts of fatigue

REMINISCE

Kaitlyns mother kept her hair from just before treatment began and a wig was made recently with it. In this image she is reminded of a time before cancer, the ice represents a moment frozen in time.

 





OBSCURE

Kaitlyn suffers from balance and dizziness. The water represent the impacts they might seem little but it means she can’t drive, she needs assistance with public transport. From the outside it doesn’t look like a big deal, she looks fine, the impacts are not physically visible. That makes it hard for others to understand and recognise she needs help.


JOY

Art and creativity brings Kaitlyn joy. Yellow represents Joy, creativity and also childhood cancer