ENTRY DESCRIPTION
An intubated patient's reflection in the mirror, while his physician speaks with the family. His anticipated five days in the ICU became fifteen, in keeping with the slower recovery than anticipated, often seen with COVID. During the peak of the third wave of COVID in Calgary, Canada, family members and patients were separated by their COVID infections, dependent on healthcare workers for daily updates.

AUTHOR
Heather Patterson is an adult and pediatric emergency physician, and family and lifestyle photographer from Calgary, Alberta. When the pandemic struck, she began photographing the intimate moments at Calgary hospitals that went on to become Shadows and Light, her recent book publication. Intimate images of healthcare workers, support staff, patients and families, shed light on the compassion, teamwork, and even joy that can be found amidst tragedy. The images and stories highlight love and loss, kindness and grace, and the importance of authenticity during an epidemic of burnout, delivering a message that is relevant and critically important during our current health-care crisis.

Photographs from the project have been featured in Macleans, where they were a finalist for a National Magazine Award, and the Calgary Herald and on CBC, CityNews, Global News, and CTV. Patterson has received the Award for Medical Journalism from the Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians and her work has been featured in medical journals and presented at conference and grand rounds across Canada.

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