Philadelphia nurse helps pet owners create cherished memories through her photographs

KYW, NAYANA PHOTOGRAPHY, CNN

By Wakisha Bailey

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    PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania (KYW) — A nurse at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia is turning grief into grace, one photo at a time.

Nayana Gadde is used to caring for others, but outside of CHOP, she uses a different kind of healing touch – from behind a camera lens.

Seven years ago, Gadde began photographing pets as a hobby. Today, her passion has transformed into something much deeper: capturing end-of-life portraits for pets and their families.

“I’m going to wait for her to look at the camera,” Gadde said during a photoshoot in Rittenhouse Square, camera in hand and compassion in her voice.

Gadde was photographing a 17-year-old dog named Lillie and her devoted owner, Karla Shanesy.

“She is very feisty. She’d like to run away and go on little adventures,” Shanesy said.

But those adventures slowed over the years. Lillie was recently diagnosed with organ failure and doggy dementia, dropping from 18 to just seven pounds. Still, the atmosphere during the shoot was anything but somber.

For Shanesy and her daughter, this was more than a photoshoot. It was a celebration of life.

“I hope it creates happy memories,” Gadde said. “She looks at it and isn’t immediately sad, but thinks about the good times with her.”

Those “soul pictures,” as Gadde calls them, come from a deeply personal place. She lost her own cat, Maggie, unexpectedly, and wishes she had professional photos to remember her by.

“My first cat, Maggie, passed away a few years ago. It was not expected at all,” Gadde said. “To be able to be that person that gives someone those images, it’s everything.”

The final stop of Lillie’s shoot was inside Salty Paws, Shanesy’s doggie ice cream bar, where Lillie was the guest of honor, just as she had been every day in years past.

“She was in a little kennel with a ‘for sale’ sign on her,” Shanesy said of the first time she met Lillie. “She was only about 6 months old, and we left that day with her.”

Now, through Gadde’s lens, Lillie’s story and her spirit will live on.

How you can help:

Gadde offers her photography services for free, with a donation to City of Elderly Love, a senior pet rescue based in Philadelphia. Her work ensures no goodbye goes undocumented, and no bond goes unseen.

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