A Lick and a Promise
A Lick and A Promise
Sara J. Winston
A Lick and a Promise is a visual journal of Sara J. Winston’s interactions with her parents and her partner in the Hudson Valley region of New York. Each manages a chronic physical condition believed to be caused by a mix of genetic and environmental factors. Winston’s photographs explore struggles in wellness and debility as each maneuvers their respective invisible illness—invisible illness meaning conditions that significantly impair normal activities of daily living yet show no obvious outward signs of sickness.
In her mid-twenties Winston was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, a manageable yet unpredictable chronic disease of the central nervous system. Erratic symptoms of her illness include bouts of temporary double vision, body numbness and fatigue. Shortly after learning of her condition, she returned to her native New York to be near family.
The photographs are bookended by text, including a piece written by Winston’s parents, Steven and Marla, about the experience and impact of their daughter’s diagnosis.
