Topics: Family

I spoke with Lloyd Ama at his daughter's home in West Philadelphia. Lloyd is 92 years old. He was born in his parents house located in South Philadelphia at 1244 S. 15th street on September 17, 1917. His mother, Ada Adams, was born in 1883 in Wilmington, North Carolina. His father, Kushi Amakawa, was born in 1873 in Kobe, Japan. Lloyd talks about his parents meeting for the first time and the disappearance of his father.

Loss is an important part of life. I think it can bring growth. In each of the last three winters I have experienced a significant loss. In February 2009 I had two.

I wished to recreate through photographs the story of my life, preserving these memories for my children. The happiness that I feel is immense knowing that the story will be on the web where it can be seen by my family in Ecuador.

We moved to New York, the land of freedom with the illusion to see our aspirations and dreams come true. A very good friend, Mery received us and guided us on the best way forward. I started my job as a house painter. It was nice to come back home and comment about the day.