More than 1,000 Naval Academy freshmen slopped through mud, clambered over obstacles and beat each other with padded sticks Tuesday in a rite of passage known as Sea Trials, marking the end of their plebe year.
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“It all started when there were pagan gods and the rite-of-spring,” Halyna Mudryj explained in her introduction of pysanky -decorated Ukrainian eggs- to her classes this spring at the Creative Alliance. Although now associated with Easter, 2000 years ago, pysanky were decorated as offerings to pagan gods, especially the sun god, Dazhboh, considered the giver of life. Used as talismans for bringing good fortune and keeping evil at bay, eggs were also symbols of life and rebirth, says Mudryj (pronounced “muud-ree”). As the Ukraine region became Christianized in 988 A.D., pagan pictures of nature such as animals, water and the sun took on new meaning and made room for crosses and other Christian symbols on the eggs. For example waves, which formerly represented the god of water, now represented “Christ walking on water,” she says.
Duckpin bowling was once a sport synonymous with the city of Baltimore. In its heyday during the 1960s, more than 1,200 lanes could be found throughout the region. Now the Patterson Bowling Center in East Baltimore is one of just a few facilities in the area keeping the sport alive.
![Linda’s Journey, Part Four: The long road ahead [GRAPHIC CONTENT]](https://darkroom.baltimoresun.com/wp-content/themes/phototouch/themify/img.php?src=https://darkroom.baltimoresun.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/BS-md-linda-work-closeup-pe.jpg&w=670&h=274)
Since nose reconstruction began, Linda Hershey has had chronic pains and disorders. Almost four years after her nose was removed, cancer was found in her frontal sinus. In a journey marked by hope and despair, she doesn’t expect to live a “problem-free life” and knows that issues may arise indefinitely.
Story and photos by Algerina Perna. Warning: Series contains graphic content.
![Linda’s Journey, Part Three: Battling the emotional scars [GRAPHIC CONTENT]](https://darkroom.baltimoresun.com/wp-content/themes/phototouch/themify/img.php?src=https://darkroom.baltimoresun.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/BS-TE-NOSE-HOME-PERNA.jpg&w=670&h=274)
While going through numerous surgeries to rebuild her nose, Linda Hershey worked at her job at Lancaster Regional Medical Center. Amid the many challenging months of physical suffering and psychological adjustment to her changing face, Hershey slipped into depression.
Story and photos by Algerina Perna. Warning: Series contains graphic content.
![Linda’s Journey, Part Two: A doctor’s challenge [GRAPHIC CONTENT]](https://darkroom.baltimoresun.com/wp-content/themes/phototouch/themify/img.php?src=https://darkroom.baltimoresun.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/BS-TE-NOSE-RECON-SURGERY-5.jpg&w=670&h=274)
All of Linda Hershey’s nose reconstruction surgeries were performed by Patrick J. Byrne, M.D., at Johns Hopkins. Grafts were taken from her forearm, ribs, ears, forehead and skull to create a new nose in the cavity left from the removal of her own nose.
Story and photos by Algerina Perna. Warning: Series contains graphic content.
![Linda’s Journey, Part One: Confronting cancer [GRAPHIC CONTENT]](https://darkroom.baltimoresun.com/wp-content/themes/phototouch/themify/img.php?src=https://darkroom.baltimoresun.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/BS-NOSE-LANCASTER-PERNA.jpg&w=670&h=274)
Linda Hershey lost her nose to squamous cell cancer in 2007. She chose nose reconstruction surgery at Johns Hopkins, the beginning of her long journey of numerous surgeries to have her nose rebuilt.
Story and photos by Algerina Perna. Warning: Series contains graphic content.
Dreams, jackrabbits, male/female figures -these and more- are the stuff of Lania D’Agostino’s artwork. Resin, plaster, oils, wood and metal are just a few materials that D’Agostino employs masterfully in her art which include drawings, paintings, and sculpture. She makes life cast figures using a multi-step casting process she developed. Because the first step in the process begins with an actual person, she says, “it captures all the wonderful variations of what people call faults in the skin.”
In September 2012, I photographed a group of women diagnosed with terminal stage IV breast cancer. Kay, Gretchen, CJ, Cece and Sally, as well as other members of METAvivor Research and Support, often held informal gatherings. A non-profit organization, METAvivor provides support to patients, raises awareness, and awards annual research grants for stage IV breast cancer. Many of its members form close friendships in the process of sharing their struggles and triumphs.
As I photographed these women, I was struck by their energy, joyful demeanor and dedication in helping others with the same diagnosis. I wondered how these ladies live with the possibility of death so close at hand while at the same time not only managing the painful and debilitating effects of the disease and its treatment. What gives them the courage to carry on with such grace? Has their philosophy of life changed? Their view of death? Here are their answers.
One of Baltimore’s most charming assets are its hundreds of murals artfully sprayed, stenciled and painted across a broad canvas of city buildings. How wonderful it is to turn a corner and be surprised by a striking painting 30 feet high. Or, to pass by the same mural every day, and marvel at how it seems to change with the time of day and the weather. These kaleidoscopes of colors and graphic imagery affirm a dynamic city teeming with creativity and promise.
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