LUCASTA MITCHELL
"“Omg, what happened to you?” Like I'd been hit by a bus. But this was after I'd had tuberculosis, when my heart had stopped for a few minutes, and I was pronounced clinically dead. I had to explain to this lady that no, I hadn’t been in a car crash; it was the aftermath of TB.
My mum found me. She got upset because she couldn’t get hold of me for a few days, but she had a key to my flat and let herself in. I was in a mess. She phoned an ambulance. At the hospital, I was dead on arrival, and they had to literally pump my chest full of electricity. I was in an isolation ward for the first two weeks, which was pretty bad coz I weren’t even allowed to see my mother. I weren’t allowed to see anyone. I didn’t know where I was or what was wrong with me. That’s when I spent three and a half months in the hospital and three years learning to walk.
After I was allowed home, I had to have a TB nurse come over every single morning for about six months to give me what felt like about 40 pills. If I didn’t swallow them, she had the power to section me. Then, for another six months, she took it down to about 30 pills. So, it took about a year to get rid of it, to get the all-clear. I’m not contagious. If I were around people, I’d be more susceptible to catching it again.
Definitely a life-changing disease, as I stopped breathing. It’s affected the way I walk; my balance has all gone. I can’t even climb a step ladder anymore. I was a decorator; I can’t even get to the top of the kitchen shelves. It messed my brain up. And all the fatigue means the everyday things become hard. The muscles, your body stops working for a few months; you lose your strength.
London is the capital of Western Europe for tuberculosis, especially if you travel on the underground. Apparently, it’s quite bad. They reckon that’s where I could have caught it because I was going on the underground every day. I was working for contractors and interior designers all around the city, earning bloody good money. Now, I’m never going to do that again. Now, I’m living in—not poverty—I’ve got a lovely flat, but I’m on low income and living on benefits, so that’s affected me. You know, the lifestyle I was used to has gone out the window. I can’t afford the things I used to do, going out, the restaurants, holidays, and things. You look at the wallet situation more than I used to have to, and it has a knock-on effect, you know, financially and too much time on your hands.”
Unmistakably Human
( Selection of ) 2018- present
'Unmistakably Human' began in 2018, inspired by a family member's diagnosis of a rare chromosome disorder known as 17q12 Microdeletion Syndrome. This condition results from a missing segment of DNA from chromosome 17, leading to various associated health conditions. Among the most common are kidney disease, present before birth, often leading to kidney failure, early-onset diabetes impacting the very young, and a heightened likelihood of anxiety disorders, ADHD, Autism, mental health issues, and behavioral challenges—these are all 'invisible disabilities.' While initially believed to occur in 1 in 20,000 births, ongoing research suggests a potentially higher incidence rate.
Driven by this inspiration, 'Unmistakably Human' emerged as an ongoing project aimed at portraying the vast spectrum of invisible disabilities. These conditions may manifest at birth or arise at any point in an individual's life due to factors such as development, illness, or injury. The project aims to raise awareness about these invisible disabilities and promote understanding and support for individuals and families affected by them.
“The project stands as a collaboration with the subjects depicted in the images. They were granted complete freedom in presenting themselves; it was their personal choice. I aimed to offer them a platform to share their experiences and voices. I am deeply grateful to those who entrusted me to capture their portraits and share their words. Each image features handwritten text quoting the subjects during their interviews, with the exception of one—portraying the child of an interviewee, adding a unique perspective to the collection.”