03/03/2019
Hi friends!
I have news that many of y'all are likely going to be very heartbroken about, but unfortunately I am finally deciding to make this call and let your sweet families know what is going on, rather than drag you along for the next couple of weeks as we await the cherry blossoms blooming.
I have so many messages waiting to hear back about cherry blossom season bookings, and I have been hoping to have a clear and concise answer to my issues before now, but with the cherry blossoms not waiting for test results, I am choosing to make this announcement sooner rather than later.
_
You may have noticed my absence in the photography world for a while now, and my very slow response to messages.
About a month and a half ago, I began having double vision in one eye, and my eyesight has slowly but progressively gone downhill since, with episodes of double vision and blurriness happening daily now. In the past month I have had blood drawn more times than I can count, a CT scan, and a recent MRI for a brain scan in order to hopefully figure out what is going on. We are awaiting results of a few tests still, mostly MRI results, and because we are in this limbo stage, I just don't want to cause any of your sweet families to miss securing a session slot with another one of our awesome photographers on base while waiting for me, because we all know cherry blossom season is so incredibly short.
I have had some cognitive issues that have seemed to cause occasional confusion and foggy memory, as well as frequent headaches, nausea/vertigo, and dizziness. The episodes are wildly unpredictable. But ultimately when I am in the midst of symptoms, I choose not to get behind the wheel due to the nature of the symptoms, and this poses the issue of me possibly not being able to fulfill a session that is booked- which is not fair to any of you.
I will see a neurologist in April when they arrive on base if we can't find a clear answer to the symptoms before then, but we are hoping for a simple answer from testing before then. I have spent a considerable amount of time in the med group over the past month, but no clear answers have arose thus far, and unfortunately I don't know if we will have answers tomorrow or a month from tomorrow.
We haven't mentioned this to anyone back home outside of immediate family, so if you are just now finding out, please know we have kept things quiet because we know it sounds super scary, and because ultimately there is NO reason to feel alarmed. We don't want to worry friends or family, and as of right now, my diagnosis is sudden onset ocular migraines, which is a 100% feasible diagnosis for my symptoms.
But due to the nature of the symptoms, due diligence just has to be done to check out all possibilities. We have an incredible support system here in Japan that has helped me with the kids if I ever need it, but honestly I am still functioning daily just fine, so please do not fret about that.
To all of your sweet families: I am SO sorry, but I would much rather let you know up front what is happening than try to book you and have anything fall through. Cherry blossom minis were my ULTIMATE favorite sessions last year, and I have tried to find every reason not to make this announcement, but Drew and I finally came to the agreement today that it is for the best as of right now.
If you would like a reference for my favorite photographers on base who will be doing cherry blossom sessions, please don't hesitate to message me. I have had a hard time keeping up with messages lately due to our schedule's craziness, but I will do my best to reply to all of you!
If for some reason we get a clear answer with a clear solution that indeed does cause my symptoms to dissipate, I will happily offer last minute sessions to the Misawa community, but until then, I am officially no longer booking any sessions until further notice. I love you all dearly, and my heart hurts to post this, but I know I have to take care of my long term health and my babies' needs first and foremost, and I sincerely hope you will all understand that. 💚💚
Much love,
Em
