Local photographer looks back with gratitude on difficult year
Posted on Wednesday, December 21, 2005
BENTONVILLE — Winning a host of prestigious awards, Deborah Billingsley is an exceptional photographer. Her studio is on Main Street in Bentonville and she considers it a tremendous honor and responsibility to capture the feelings and emotions portrait clients share with her.
A happy, busy woman, Billingsley was faced with a terrifying foe earlier this year — colon cancer. "I was diagnosed last May,"Billingsley said. "Six weeks of radiation and chemotherapy turned into 12 weeks. The side effects from the treatments were just terrible. I stayed so sick for such a long time.
"What was wonderful about that time was how understanding and compassionate my clients were. So many of them let me know they thought of me often and prayed for me. They will never know how much that meant to me. "
Surprisingly, Billingsley refers to the last several months of challenges — physical, mental and spiritual — brought by the disease as"incredible. "
"I am truly thankful God allowed me to go through this," she explained."I know he was there every step of the way with me. And I had great support from my family, church, friends and my clients. "The experience has strengthened my relationship with God and everyone in my life. I’ve come to believe that what I had was wake-up call. I think God was getting my attention."
It worked. Billingsley said she appreciates people more today after going through so many months of sickness. She feels more sensitive to the needs of others and what’s going on in their lives. Her compassion level, she said, is much deeper than before she had cancer.
The photographer is back at work in her studio, almost full time. Even before she became sick, Billingsley was committed to giving the client far more than they request. She likes to exceed their expectations by connecting, in a personal way, with the subjects of her portraits. "I want my photography to be more than just sitting in front of the camera,"Billingsley said, smiling. "I’m trying to capture the essence of their personalities and it’s so important that they trust me to create unique images of them that will touch their hearts. I try, always, to do that."
Instead of feeling bitter about her illness, Billingsley believes it taught her invaluable life lessons. Around Thanksgiving at her church, members were given an opportunity to mention what makes them grateful. "I couldn’t wait to give my testimony,"Billingsley said, smiling again. "You know, I’ve heard that you can’t give a testimony until you’ve had a test. I feel like I’ve had a test. I want people to know how thankful I am — for them, for my family, for my on-going recovery and, of course, for my relationship with God."
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