The Storm
Every photograph tells a story. Whether it was a snapshot captured on a pocket 110 camera in the 70’s or the most viral social media post of the year, there is a story behind every pic.
Photographer Ted Borduas on Naples Beach, August 29, 2023. The Naples Pier (in background) still shows heavy damage from Hurricane Ian as Hurricane Idalia’s storm waves break on the beach behind Ted.
I was walking the beach on the veneering of Tuesday, August 29. A band of storms from Hurricane Idalia had blown through earlier in the day. The storm was out in the Gulf, and as it was passing, it pushed a pretty good surf up onto the beach. I stopped around 9th Avenue South, a popular spot for photographers to shoot the pier.
We were there in September, 2015. Photographer Rachel Durik, a family friend, offered to do a photoshoot with me and my family down on the beach. I had been diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer in August.
There were the (unspoken) Just In Case photos.
The Borduas family (left to right): Kaitlyn, Katie, Ted, Alexis, and Thomas. This photo became our 2015 Christmas Card photo. Photo taken by Rachel Durik, Savor Photography, Naples, Florida.
As I walked south along the beach, shooting birds, waves, and surfers in the water, I passed the spot out photos were taken. I set the camera up on the tripod, and using the remote app on my phone, took a few selfies.
I knew where I was, and stopped there intentionally.
The cancer story began, for us, in August, 2015. I’m still in the picture… Katie left us on June 25 after a three-year battle with breast cancer.
I had, and have, a lot inside me. I gave the camera a glance, a momentary look, and released my thoughts for that moment into the lens. The wind is whipping my hair. Hair I haven’t cut since her initial diagnosis in September, 2020. My neatly-trimmed goatee is now a full beard. The last time I shaved was the day before I took her to the emergency room in June. The pier is destroyed. Storm waves break on the beach behind me.
In that space between September 2015 and August 2023, cancer has claimed two other members of our family. It has affected us all. It has left behind emotional storm waves that break on beaches I never imagined. Katie’s loss affected so many people.
For me, it is The Storm. It has shattered me. As I struggle daily trying to make sense of the shattered remains of what was Our Life, Our Story, I am able see the pain and struggles of all those who Katie touched before she was taken from us.
Before she started chemo, we had The Talk.
“I want you to pursue your photography, your Jeep travels: take people with you, go for walks on the beach. I want you to be happy.”
That’s it. That’s The Story now. Her words to me, and my promise to her to take care of our three kids, is what gets me through each day. I am so infinitely grateful to her for taking the time to speak those words to me. I know, from experience, how hard it is to have the “C” talk with your spouse. It ain’t easy. But her words echo in my heart.
These are Ted’s Trails. These are the journeys that I will be on, for the remainder of my days, to live out the life that Katie wanted for me. She wanted for me to be happy, and while it will take time to say that I am there, she pointed me in the right direction.
Thank you Katie.
