Ethan’s Story: On the Cusp

Documentary Portraits of Resilience, Everyday Moments, and Human Connection

This portrait of Ethan is part of a project exploring life after a life-changing accident and the quiet strength that emerges in the early stages of recovery. Ethan is twenty-four. Just under thirteen weeks have passed since the accident that altered the course of his life. What we see here is not resolution, but a moment of pause — a point where identity is shifting and the next steps are still uncertain.

He sits at his family dining table, supported by his mother and his girlfriend, yet facing a journey only he can navigate. The tulips represent renewal; the balloon hints at hope that is still fragile; the empty chair reminds us that some parts of this path must be faced alone.

This portrait marks the beginning, the threshold where vulnerability and resilience exist side by side.

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