NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Angelea Yoder has spent her career photographing musicians, artists, fashion models and food.
Her latest project is something far more personal.
Yoder, a Nashville photographer, is the author of a children's book called "Look at Me, Look What I Can Do" — a project years in the making that has taken her to nearly two dozen cities across the country to photograph close to 30 people living with various medical conditions.
"Different places in the country gives you also different backdrops," Yoder said.
The book opens with a letter to its readers.
"Dear young reader, you are unique, lots of things make you you, not just the one thing that others may view," Yoder said.
The project is deeply rooted in her own experience. Yoder was born with VACTERL association, a rare condition that affects the entire body.
"It's a rare condition that affects the entire body so each letter of that acronym stands for anomaly of the body," Yoder said.
While some aspects of the condition are visible, many are not. She says opening up about her own story has been liberating.
"I think a lot of times people just see 4'7" and, oh, you're automatically different, but they don't see the disfigurement," she said. "Then I start talking to them about the invisible things, like not being able to go to the restroom normally."
Those invisible challenges shaped some of her most difficult memories.
"My brain went back to the times where I was in elementary school, high school, through college and I would get made fun of, or, I would just want to crawl into a hole because you had an accident at work or school, and kids would either see it or you would be walking around trying to hide it," Yoder said.
As Yoder began opening up about her own story, others began doing the same.
"I think what really was the switch was when I started receiving messages from individuals or parents saying that my kid has VACTERL — like thank you so much," Yoder said.
That response pushed her to expand the project. The book features portraits of children from across the country, each living their own full life. There's Sarah, a member of her school band. There's Henry, who loves playing ball and lives in a big city. There's Harper, a multi-sport athlete.
With every portrait, Yoder said the process has been as much about her own journey as it has been about the children she photographs.
"Over these last few years, I actually started sharing this story and it's become so liberating," Yoder said.
The goal, she said, is simple: no child should feel alone in their story.
"If I could be that person for a little kid growing up so they're not alone, I think that was it," she said. "Like, all it takes is just saying, 'Hey I have this and it's going to be okay.'"
Yoder now describes herself not only as a photographer, but as an author and disability advocate.
To learn more about Angelea's journey and the book, click here.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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