Quadriplegic Mother Bonds with Son Through Adventure and Photography (PHOTOS)

Photos

Two photographers unite to give this mom a special Mother's Day gift.

ByNicole Bonaccorso•May 12, 2017

The first photo taken shows Sarah-Jane Staszak's son, Hamish, dangling off the edge of a cliff.
(theheartproject.com.au)

Sarah-Jane Staszak, who goes by SJ, was an adventurer at heart, along with her son Hamish.

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Before her accident, Sarah-Jane was a master rock climber and biked across Australia.
(vonwong.com)

Fearless and energetic, she was a master rock climber, and biked across Australia. But that was before a routine surgery left Staszak quadriplegic. Hamish was three at the time of her accident.

Sarah-Jane, who goes by SJ, was an avid adventurer before a routine surgery gone wrong left her quadriplegic. Her son was only three at the time.
(vonwong.com)

Unable to adventure as they did in the past, the mother felt her relationship with her son changing. That's when the HeART Project got involved. The HeART Project is a collaboration between Australian photographer Karen Alsop from Story Art and creative producer and publicist Adam Cubito, seeking to help families in challenging situations tell their stories. Photographer Benjamin Von Wong was contacted by Alsop to help bring Staszak's story to life.

The team helps SJ through the woods to the shoot location.
(Courtney Holmes/vonwong.com)

Photographer Benjamin Von Wong tests out the rig in the rain before sending Sarah-Jane in it.
(Valentina Vee/vonwong.com)

Von Wong and the team set up a rig to safely lower Staszak off the rock wall in Australia's Blue Mountains.

The crew helps to lower SJ down the cliff for the shoot.
(Valentina Vee/vonwong.com)

The resulting images shows the mother and son adventuring together.
(theheartproject.com.au)

"What SJ went through, the shock, the sadness, breaks my heart but her perseverance through it all is inspiring," Alsop says on the HeART Project website. I wanted to capture that love between SJ and Hamish... that love moves mountains."

After their big climb, Alsop had the idea to send the two on some other experiences using Photoshop.

The team used Photoshop to put the mother and son on other adventures.
(Karen Alsop/theheartproject.com.au)

Staszak is raising money to help make the Blue Mountains more accessible to those with disabilities. She hopes to fund ramps and bumpers that can help make outdoor exploration a possibility for individuals with disabilities within her community.