AQUA – A Medical Mystery Created and Photographed by GEMMA LEVINE Published on 15 October 2020 at £15

Posted on 2020-09-10 by associate14 in Healthcare // 0 Comments

Sherwood, United Kingdom, 2020-Sep-10 — /EPR Network/ — In 2010, leading photographer GEMMA LEVINE was diagnosed with breast cancer; after months of chemotherapy and radiotherapy, she made a full recovery, but discovered a swelling in her right arm. This was the beginning of a life with Lymphoedema, a chronic and debilitating disease. Caused by damage to the lymphatic system during surgery, cancer treatment or injury, or inherited, it is a build up of fluid in the body tissues. As a result of the disease, Gemma’s right arm does not function. Her right arm has restrictive movement and she is constantly bound in a compression sleeve. From the moment she contracted the disease her life changed dramatically. Instantly unable to use her cameras and photography equipment, she now relies upon a much lighter iPad and iPhone to combat her disability and enable her to continue her career.

About Gemma Levine:
Since the mid 1970s, Gemma Levine has been photographing the British Establishment in her signature black-and-white style. Her photographs are regularly reproduced in newspapers and magazines and several have become iconic. Her portrait of Diana was chosen by the Palace as the Princess’s official photograph of 1995 and some of her portraits of prime ministers and other famous British personalities are featured in the National Portrait Gallery.

With a gift for creating unobtrusive settings that reflect the individual style of her sitters, Gemma Levine’s career has encompassed hundreds of encounters with the most well-known and fascinating people in Britain. As Sir John Gielgud said, ‘It is an unexpected pleasure to submit oneself to an artist whom one can relax with on such easy terms and whose pictures are so successfully expressive.’ Her unique relationship with the sculptor Henry Moore led her to create intimate photographs of his working practices over a ten-year period, until his death in 1986. These insightful and personal images documenting his creative process are now held at Tate Britain, where Gemma Levine lectures on the sculptor, providing invaluable insights into his work during his later years. Through the years from 1974-1978 she photographed the landscape of Israel and its people, including Menachim Begin, Moshe Dayan, Golda Meir, Shimon Peres and Yitzhak Rabin. Gemma has also published 22 books and had 60 exhibitions, including a celebration of 25 years of her work at the National Portrait Gallery in 2001. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.

Gemma has worked solidly to raise awareness for lymphoedema research, publishing a bestselling book, Let’s Talk Lymphoedema, co authored by Professor Peter Mortimer. Now 81 years old, she is a trustee of the Lymphoedema Research Fund Charity.

For further information, a review copy or to request an interview, please contact Gemma on 07957 244475 or gemmalevine@aol.com.

To purchase a copy of the book please contact Helena Copsey at St George’s Hospital on 07841 447620 or visit Amazon.co.uk.

About PhysioPod UK Limited:
PhysioPod UK Limited was established in 2006 and they are the UK & Ireland Distributor for the range of medical products from PHYSIOMED in Germany. PhysioPod UK Limited and Physio Equipment UK are leading the way in rehabilitation, sports and aesthetic medicine in the UK and Ireland with the latest physiotherapy products and innovative technical solutions. Offering an excellent price-performance ratio as well as new therapeutic approaches. In 2012, they became Approve NHS and AACP Suppliers. The Sisters and Directors of PhysioPod, Julie Soroczyn and Mary Fickling passionately promote Lymphoedema awarness and help Practitioners and those living with Lymphoedema to utiliise non-invasive Deep Oscillation Therapy for electrostatic lymphatic drainage.

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