Celebrating 20 Years at Westmead

Liver Transplant Clinic

About the photographer: Angela Shields

Biography

Angela is an illustrator, graphic designer and budding photographer - eight years in the making. Angela is a Sydney-based graphic designer, currently working at The Children’s Hospital at Westmead. A graduate from Nepean Art and Design College, Angela has previously worked in the education sector designing marketing material but has always had a special interest in photography. Although Angela has not pursued photography as a career, her experience within the Hospital has re-ignited her passion for the industry and she looks forward to further developing her skills in the future.

Creative Statement

This was my first time visiting the Liver Clinic even though I have worked at the Hospital for two years. It was confronting at first to see how liver disease can affect the human body, especially in children and babies with their yellow skin and swollen tummies. But I was able to see the courage and strength each one of them had and the battle they were all facing. Even after a transplant, a liver condition is for life. The hope and determination of the children pre-transplant and the happiness and bounce in the children post-transplant is something unforgettable; the resilience of a child can never be underestimated. I am unbelievably humbled by the experiences I have at the Hospital. I feel very fortunate to photograph such truthful and raw emotional moments and to be able to share these with an audience.