An Open Letter

This letter is dedicated to all of the staff on my various medical teams at Group Health Cooperative and Virginia Mason Medical Center.  For the better part of 2012 and 2013, you amazingly dedicated, talented, and compassionate people worked diligently to help me beat not one, but two back-to-back cancer diagnoses!  The care and support that you provided to me, and to my beloved wife, was second to none.  From clinic appointments, to surgery, to scheduled chemotherapy and radiation treatments, to numerous unexpected visits in the emergency room leading to multiple-day hospital admissions, you were always there, and for that I am forever grateful.

And though my road ahead is still filled with some chronic health challenges, this part of my life’s journey would never have been possible without all that you did for me.  If you are one of these amazing people, please know that you hold a special place in my life because of your dedication to helping others in need.

A most sincere thanks,

–Ken

About The Photos

Accompanying this letter are four images that I photographed in 2013 during, and shortly after, my chemotherapy and radiation treatments. These images, which I have entitled “Luminous”, are dedicated to all of my medical staff.  None of these photographs would have been possible but for the extensive medical care they provided to me throughout most of 2012 and 2013.  Like the subjects in these four images, they illuminated an otherwise dark place.

The two “exploding” images above were taken from Kerry Park, located in Seattle’s Queen Anne neighborhood.  It is a very popular park because of the stunning views that it offers of Seattle’s downtown skyline.  And while the views from the park include some of Seattle’s more iconic structures, I chose to present two of them in a more playful manner.

If you have never visited Kerry Park, especially around sunset, I highly recommend doing so.  It is a beautiful place to have a picnic or evening stroll, especially during the summer months.

These next two images were taken at Seattle Center on the evening of 2013’s Supermoon.  A good friend invited me to photograph this lunar event, which is quite luminous in its own right.  While we waited for the moon to rise, we happened to catch glimpses of glass sculptures peeking out from the new Chihuly Garden and Glass.  The garden was already closed for the day, so we were not able to see all of its colorful glass on display.  But, if the other sculptures were anything like what we saw peeking out, then I suspect that a future visit one evening when it is open would be quite enjoyable.  Please note that unlike the “exploding” images from Kerry Park, no manipulation was done to either of these two images other than to prepare them for viewing.

If you find the sculptures portrayed in these two images appealing, I recommend a visit to the Garden, or to Tacoma’s Museum of Glass.  While blown glass often makes a beautiful photographic subject, I have found that most pieces need to be seen in person to truly be appreciated.