ZEELAND, Mich. — Photographs tell a story, happy or sad; long or short. Tina Trolard has photos that tell the story of her and her husband Jamie. Not the whole story, but an important part of it.
In the last days of Jamie’s life, as he was succumbing to an almost three-year battle with intestinal cancer, he and Tina hired a friend to take photographs. They show simple things: the two lying together in a hospital bed, folding linens, getting dressed. For being so unextraordinary, they are extraordinary. They do show the Trolards at their most vulnerable but to Tina, they’re images of strength, not weakness.
“He’s just shared every aspect of his journey with the world in a way that only someone very selfless could’ve done.” Tina said, speaking to FOX17 more than two years after they were taken. “Those are very personal moments, and he shared them.”
Jamie passed away in April of 2017. Now, the photos snapped by Samantha Overway of Augusta Rae Photography - a friend of the couple - are images Tina looks at all the time.
“I want to see those images,” she said, “I want to be reminded of the man that I married and the man that I loved.”
The photos are also a reminder for the couple’s young daughters.
“He left a legacy and an inspiration when other times might not have been the case,” said Tina.
