Wordless Wednesday - Happy People

Not quite wordless (ha, ha!) but this is a great photo...

How I Met Flo Fox

Well, I didn’t actually meet Flo Fox but did recently read about her and grew a particular fondness for her. You see, Flo Fox is a photographer (like me) who lives with MS (like me) in New York (that’s where I’m from). Sure the similarities stop here. I wasn’t on an NBC talk show, I haven’t had Joan Rivers visit me in my apartment and I wasn’t a friend of Andy Warhol. No matter, this is beside the point. After reading her story in the NYDailyNews.com article written by Clem Richardson, she became one of my heroes because she does not let MS get in the way of accomplishing what is most important.

Here’s how.

Flo Fox’s MS has confined her to a wheelchair and she cannot hold her camera because her fingers have frozen over themselves. She is also blind in one eye. But a photographer she still is because she gets folks to click the shutter for her, under her direction. She simply tells whoever is with her how to shoot and from what angle.  Cool right?

I haven’t shot many pictures lately and I really have no excuse. I think I have told myself over and over that my hand hurts too much, that I will drop my camera, that I cannot see properly to shoot effectively. Flo Fox, my new hero, has taught me that you must work through the challenges and not let MS get in the way of doing what makes you happy.

She is absolutely right. 

Do what makes you happy and do not let MS get in the way. 

Thanks for the inspiration Flo Fox!

Trying Their Wings, (c) 1986 Flo Fox

Some of my favorite quotes from Flo Fox:

“You know my greatest loss when I became disabled? I can’t even give people the finger anymore”. 

“I’m still alive. When you become disabled, you don’t waste time. You only do what is important”.

“A doctor told me that when you are diagnosed with MS, you can either get depressed or be euphoric. I decided to be euphoric”.

”People can be strong no matter what. I try to set an example by taking the negative and making it positive – both in life and in my work.

“There’s a lot of heaviness. You just take a deep breath, take funny photos, and not give a shit.”

And, check out her NBC interview with Tom Snyder: Tomorrow Show with Tom Snyder