Photo exhibit dedicated to Dr. Lynn Crosby
June 17, 2014
Honouring one of his wife’s final wishes to support Ovarian Cancer Canada, Colin Campbell is holding an exhibition of his fine art photography, entitled The Topography of Wonder, from July 2 to August 3 at the ViewPoint Gallery in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The exhibit is dedicated to the memory of Dr. Lynn Crosby, a Halifax family physician who died of ovarian cancer in July 2012 at the age of 55.
“Colin’s photographs are stunning,” says Emilie Chiasson, Atlantic Regional Director for Ovarian Cancer Canada, who is helping to get the word out about the exhibit in support of the charity. “We are honoured to be involved in such a high quality exhibition and we are grateful for the generosity shown by Lynn and Colin.”
The Topography of Wonder
The Topography of Wonder will include up to 24 black and white photographs of nature, focusing mainly on Nova Scotia shorescapes and landscapes, and image selections from Colin and Lynn’s travels in the United States, Switzerland, Italy, Austria, Prague and Iceland.
Recently, Colin has felt compelled to express himself in black and white. “I don’t really know to what extent this flows from my loss of Lynn, but it does speak to my current frame of mind and creative direction. The photographs are about the way I see and feel, and the way I live in this world. They represent feelings of awe, wonder and love,” Colin explains. “So in actual fact, the exhibit has a real and immediate connection to Lynn.”
Lynn was proud of Colin’s work and she had a profound influence on it. She was standing be side him when he took many of the images that will appear in the exhibit. “My photography and devotion to it is largely because of Lynn’s encouragement and inspiration.”
Nova Scotia shorescape by Colin Campbell
Remembering Lynn
When Lynn and Colin met about 10 years ago, “we saw special qualities in one another that evolved into a wonderful relationship,” says Colin. The couple married in 2008.
Asked what stands out in his memories of Lynn, Colin smiles and recalls that “she had a wonderful sense of humour. She was incredibly bright. She always saw the humanness in everybody, and she was absolutely devoted to her children Katie and Andrew. She was always hopeful for the future.”
Lynn loved to walk and to explore nature in their travels. “She saw the Northern lights for the first time on our last night in Iceland. It’s the kind of thing that really transported her,” says Colin.
As a family physician, online tributes show that Lynn’s patients were devoted to her. A caring and conscientious doctor, she provided primary health services to as many as four generations of families.
Dr. Lynn Crosby and Colin Campbell
A brief good-bye
In May 2012, Lynn had a routine ultrasound in preparation for elective surgery. She was shocked when an ovarian tumour was discovered. Within two weeks, she underwent a total hysterectomy and the tumour was removed. At that point, it was thought to be early stage ovarian cancer.
Several weeks after coming home, Lynn was readmitted to hospital. After a chemotherapy treatment, she experienced a period of stability, and then her condition deteriorated – the cancer had spread to her liver. She couldn’t keep her food down and the palliative care team was called in to help manage pain.
A few days later, Colin had one last short visit with Lynn while she was awake. She didn’t talk but nodded knowingly. Her son and daughter had a brief chance to say their good-byes. Lynn died on July 15 – only nine weeks after her diagnosis of ovarian cancer.
“It was so fast," says Colin. “Up until the last few days, we believed Lynn would survive, so we didn't have the end-of-life conversations I know she would have liked. My advice to others: Don't wait until it's too late for those conversations.”