Bristol artist exhibits work on life with cystic fibrosis

A photography student who did not think she would live past 30 is exhibiting her work to "shine a spotlight" on life with cystic fibrosis.

Ciara Hillyer, from Bristol, was diagnosed with the respiratory condition when she was five days old.

Ms Hillyer said: "I am incredibly proud of myself for getting this far.

"I think reaching 30 when you weren't supposed to reach 30 and you're actually graduating with a Master's degree is quite something."

Ms Hillyer started photography as a teenager, and said it provided a distraction during many visits to Bristol Children's Hospital.

"My camera came with me everywhere, even on the days when I wasn't feeling very well because it gave me something to focus on," she said.

Cystic fibrosis is an inherited condition that causes sticky mucus to build up in the lungs and digestive system, causing lung infections and problems with digesting food.

The condition gets slowly worse over time, and while treatments are available to make it easier to live with, life expectancy is shortened, according to the NHS website.

Ms Hillyer said: "You can feel completely lost and isolated from society when you have a chronic health condition, so being able to raise awareness of cystic fibrosis and the fact there is much more to it than just ill health, is really positive."

Ms Hillyer graduated from the University of the West of England (UWE) with a BA in photography in 2015 and was accepted onto the university's Masters course in 2022.

Her final project is titled 'Breathing Space'.

"[It] is about finding the peace, allowing myself to breathe and live in the moment," she said.

"I think there's a lot of fear instilled when you think about hospital - it can be quite a big, dramatic and scary experience.

"But for me, as a long-term patient who is so used to going into the hospital, even the smell of the corridors makes me feel safe."

Ms Hillyer said she plans to pursue photography as a professional career and hopes her experience will give other people in a similar situation the strength to pursue their dreams.

The exhibition is part of UWE's degree show and will run between 8 and 15 June across the university's campus.

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