The fight with her passion and life

The pictures of Nadja Casadei life in Gothenburg, Sweden doesn’t look ordinary. Beginning from falling down after her long jump and the expression of a fighter to reach her goal and suddenly the struggle to fight with your own life. Yet to her and her family and for her passion she had to fight with her self. From an early age Nadja Casadei was considered to be one of Sweden’s leading athletes in heptathlon. The joy that advocates felt last in 2012 when Nadja Casadei participated in a contest between Finland and Sweden and set her personal best for long jump. She is a Heptathlon athlete participated in both World and European Championships in athletics. She had been suffering from minor health issues that kept interrupting her training and suddenly she came across being diagnosed by “lymphoba” the word used by her doctor to tell Nadja she has cancer. She is an open person as in all her interviews it can be seen that she is sharing all her weaknesses and the words itself can express the pain she had been through. Nadja herself came forward asking the photographer Peter Holgersson to click her pictures while she went through her tough time period. Swedish photographer Peter Holgersson spoke in his interview after his award-winning work, ‘Nadja Casadei –Heptathlon And Cancer’ that, “I got a call from Nadja and she asked me to capture her while she went through her treatment and her training at the same time. During this process, “I became close friends like a family while getting to know her and her boyfriend, mom and dad and so on.” Holgersson continued, “To capture what needs to be expressed, you first need to make your subject and the one’s you are capturing feel comfortable and for that you need to try and make yourself invisible and hide behind the camera.” The photographer started learning photography from his father and gives credits for his incredible skills to him. The photographer is known for his brilliant captures into sports photography for Swedish newspapers. He was given first prize for his world-press 2014 competition where his story is Nadja’s heptathlon and cancer. He also won a second prize in world-press 2013 competition. Peter Holgersson has displayed all the images of Nadja’s story in black and white which gives deeper meaning to the pictures. Black and white is usually used to show some kind of depression or sadness in the story. It leads for a timeless quality in the pictures which the photographers love to apply in their pictures. It shows some kind of a throwback to the past or much deeper strength of the picture.

Picture 1 The first picture provided by the photographer Peter Holgersson shows sport’s spirit and Nadja’s only goal in life to compete and struggle to win. Her perfect built body with Nadja wearing her sport dress with her number on. The expression that proves the strength taken to complete her task. The tough fall that led the sand fly, perfectly captured by the photographer. This picture is the only picture in the overall collection provided for the 2014 contest of world press by the photographer that shows the early life and the only fight that Nadja was fighting was with her sport. This picture showed her only love that is the clothes that she is wearing, the number and competition to win. The energy that comes out of her while she is putting her best to be on number one position.

Picture 2 As we move on to the next picture it suddenly moves from a fighting woman to a woman who needs support. A sudden fall from a life filled with independence, passion and goals to a life where you no longer know how to survive and need an emotional support. The picture that describes a sudden change from a lady on a sport track to a lady loosing her beautiful hair and into depression pleading for help.

Picture 3 A picture that shows the love that stays with her during her hardest period of her life. The amazing photography skills and capture of the mirror image of her boyfriend shaving her head. This picture is also the last picture where Nadia is seen with her partner. Her expression which shows helplessness and hope to survive. Hair, which is an essential part of a women’s beauty losing it can be seen as a much deeper loss in her eyes.

Picture 4 Waiting for a ray of hope. Loneliness, depression and darkness are few of the key things which can be seen in the above photograph. Windows filled with light but the rest as black, her life which is left with no colors.

Picture 5 A photograph of an operation theater where Nadja is lying on the patient’s bed waiting for her treatment to get started. A nurse which seem to be having a conversation giving her strength and asking her to be strong. A strong image which shows computers, operation instruments around. This image gives a strong sense of scariness.

Picture 6 The image is blur showing an effect and feeling of collapsing. A feeling which Nadja might be facing of her world coming to an end. The picture clicked of her in the operation theater through a glass or a reflection of a window where even another reflection of a person is slightly seen. This shows maybe someone is waiting for her to get well and come back with the same energy as a sports person she loved to be.

Picture 7 The above picture shows the fight to come back to what she use to be. To fight with her own self to do what she was always meant to do. The strong body even after her strong medicines and treatments which couldn’t let her break down. Facing the wall which might show that she is getting ready and preparing to face the world with her incredible talent and her amazing come back after fighting with cancer. Balancing the ball in one hand, standing straight, showing her back, her legs and arms perfectly showing her strong body even after her face losing its beauty or not loosing any confidence by loosing her fair. In fact this image after the blur picture of the hospital is a perfect come back with more confidence and fighting spirit to get back to what she is meant to do.

Picture 8 Nadja’s is now back on track. Still her neck is seen where insulin or pipe has been inserted, she is yet not over cancer treatment but is now on track without wasting any time. This shows the incredible sports spirit a true sportsman carries within. The fight to the finish.

Picture 9 Tired, lost from entire world. Needles still attached to her neck. Picture maybe shot in a gym or the place where she exercises. Blurred the background with the subject Nadja sharp. Hiding her face, resting, trying to think how to overcome and build her confidence to fight and get back to the level where she was before her diagnosis. Her body yet seen as fit.

Picture 10 As all the images are black and white, yet it needs the eyes of a true thinker to see the incredible colors within the woman fighting with cancer, seen exercising and in a position which are hardly possible to be done by many people. It takes courage and true belief within to stand on your feet but here Nadja is seen balancing her body on her two hands. She is encouraging not just to the people watching her but she inspires herself. She believes in herself and confident to make impossible, possible. It is quite unusual to come across a person who is performing such positions while being under cancer treatment.

Picture 11 The above photograph is the last photo. This photograph is different from all the rest pictures provided by the photographer as this picture is taken not on tracks, or while exercising or in the hospital. This picture is taken near still water/ lake, Nadja is shown coming over her difficult time and the silence she needs to forget what she just finished. Facing cancer and winning your life back is something not most people who get diagnosed from cancer usually get. But Nadja’s case is a rare case where she is seen fighting with herself, fighting for her passion, for her athletic career and the love she shares with athletics which she denies to give up even after facing the biggest life’s break down. She is seen walking past the worst phase of her life yet lost in her own world. Figuring out how she did it and making her feel proud of herself.

References – Peter Holgersson (2017) Wordpress, Available at: https://www.worldpressphoto.org/collection/photo/2014/sports/
donald-miralle-jr (Accessed: 18 March 2017). Peter Holgersson (2017) Wordpress, Available at: https://www.worldpressphoto.org/people/peter-holgersson (Accessed: 19 March 2017). (2017) Examples, Available at: http://time.com/3687500/photojournalism-links-january/ (Accessed: 19 March 2017). Medicor (2017) The fighter, Available at: https://medicor.nu/the-fighter-an-inspiring-interview-with-nadja-casadei/ (Accessed: 19 March 2017).