“The year was 1979, the place: Long Island, New York. The hair was big, the sideburns long, the sleeves puffy and the dance moves electric. It was Labor Day weekend, and my parents were tying the knot.”
Nancy Borowick, world renowned photographer, author, teacher and speaker, walked the RootsTech audience through her parents’ lives. From their wedding to their diagnosis to her own wedding, in which both her parents walked her down the aisle, documenting the highs, lows and nuances of her family story with photography acted as a form of healing for Borowick.
“Love, joy and laughter” were pillars of the Borowick parents’ lives long before their journey with terminal illness. “The Family Imprint” is a record of the reality Borowick and her family went through as her parents were both diagnosed with cancer and passed away within one year of each other. Through the medium of photography, Borowick has expressed that she is able to feel close to her parents, even though they are no longer present.
She graduated from the International Center of Photography and primarily focuses on documenting intimate personal stories and family relationships. Her work, “The Family Imprint,” along with Borowick’s other works, has garnered much attention and respect, earning her awards such as World Press Photo, Pictures of the Year International and The Arnold Newman Prize.
“Our story isn’t about cancer, it’s about living,” said Borowick, speaking to in-person and online audience members of RootsTech on Friday, March 1.
She initially thought her photo story was a work simply for her own healing. However, when her work was shared by the New York Times, Borowick recalls feeling “the least alone we’d ever felt.” Letters poured in from individuals going through similar hardships and while Borowick grieved at every story of illness and loss, she rejoiced in the sense of connection she felt.
The mission Borowick aims to achieve is to reframe the narrative around end of life and terminal illnesses. She believes that family is everything and remembering is everything. In closing, she summarized the beauty of her experiences by reading an excerpt from “The Family Imprint” quoting her father.
“Remember what we’ve learned already now, the universe never promised any of us longevity. I have outlived each of my parents by decades and lived well beyond what I predicted or even bargained for. Longevity aside, you should know if you do not already, but I believe I’ve been the luckiest man to have ever lived on the planet. So I’m comfortable with the time I’ve had. Look for me in every sunset.”
Borowick expressed gratitude for being invited to RootsTech and having Family Search experts show her more of her own heritage because it helped her “know herself” better. Questions left by losing her parents that Borowick had long accepted were answered as she was shown documents and photographs from her family history. She is excited to return home and share her experience with her husband and two young sons.
“Motherhood has allowed me to feel my parents in a different way,” said Borowick. Embodying the spirit of RootsTech, Borowick articulated that her past and present interact to shape who she has become and invited the audience to ponder how they choose to remember.
