Sam

“Diamonds are this guy’s best friend”
— Sam

When I arrive on campus to start a project with an organization, we first meet to talk about the residents participating in the project, and their passions. This week I was at Christian Care Senior Living in Dallas/Ft. Worth. As I looked through the list, I was excited to see there was a person whose passion is baseball. I love sports and I love photographing athletes. When I shared my excitement about meeting Sam, I was also learned Sam has dementia; his lucidity comes and goes. I worked in a retirement community for 11 years, I often worked with residents with dementia, so I wasn’t worried. Throughout the week, I encountered Sam a few times. Knowing we were going to meet for pictures later that week, each time I saw him, Sam’s orientation was off and he seemed a bit agitated. I was hoping to make a small connection before we did his session, but that did not seem possible. None of us really knew what to expect when we met Sam and his daughter at the baseball field. I had a feeling I was going to have one shot to get this picture!

Our meeting at the baseball field was a magical moment. Sam came to his photo shoot dressed in his baseball uniform, and glove. As we converged on the baseball diamond, Sam was relaxed, a smile played across his face. I started asking him questions about his time playing professional ball, what positions he played, what type of hitter he was. He answered every question with clarity and excitement. Compared to my interactions with him earlier in the week, it was as if I was talking to a completely different person. Talking to him, I started to get choked up. Listening to him be in this moment with such clarity, ease and excitement really struck a chord in me. I had heard about people with dementia having a “window moment”, but I had never experienced it personally before. It showed me what passion can do and the influence it has in a person’s life. When someone has a passion and it is deeply rooted in their life, nothing not even dementia, can get in the way of that passion coming forward. I still get chills when I think of my photos with Sam, I often tell the story of our photo shoot, because Sam showed me the importance of living your life in connection to your passions.

Heidi Wagner