I parked my car and was heading to the 2015 Flickr Worldwide Photo Walk. On the way, I met Doris at Dearborn & Lake Street asking for some help. I told her about the $2 Portrait project and the Flickr Photowalk. She agreed to tell me her story.
Doris is originally from Birmingham, Alabama but has been in Chicago since the age of 7. She is now 51. Doris used to work for a meat-packing company in the office but they went out of business years ago. For many years, she was living with her boyfriend in Maywood. He contracted liver cancer and after many treatments and surgery, recently passed away. All of Doris’ family is deceased and her boyfriend’s family inherited what little he had. She is now living in the city, either at a shelter or on the street (she pointed to a spot across Dearborn where she sometimes stays). Doris said she’s on a waiting list for an apartment.
It was an interesting encounter - Doris was very well spoken and when I was taking her photo, she went into “model posing” mode.
I thanked her for her time and she thanked me for listening to her story and the $2.
Taken 8/23/15
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