“Sometimes when I get with my family,” Whitlock said, “and they start talking about things that happened years ago…”
He looked around his Artspace Loft apartment on High Street, and searched for the right words: “…and I don’t know what they’re talking about.”
Much of Whitlock’s history can only be traced through documents and family folklore. He has a sheet of paper that says he was honorably discharged by the U.S. Army in 1986; another folder shows he earned his GED after attending Hamilton City Schools for years; and he was told he used to be a truck driver.
He doesn’t know about that man.
Whitlock has two step-daughters, six grandchildren and two brothers and five sisters, according to the notes in front of him. When he talks about them, you can tell he isn’t close to his family. It’s like he’s on the outside looking in and he doesn’t recognize any of the people in the room.
Whitlock’s life changed forever, and his memory was wiped away in March 2010, when he had two brain aneurysms.
Brain aneurysms most typically occur in people between the ages of 35 and 60, according the Brain Aneurysm Foundation. About one in 50 people develops a brain aneurysm, but most do not rupture, according to the foundation.
Ruptures occur in about 30,000 people in the U.S. each year, and 40 percent of those cases result in death within 24 hours, according to the foundation. Another 25 percent of patients may die of complications within 6 months.
He should have died that day, he figures. Instead, now, he’s living life to its fullest.
We often say, “Tomorrow isn’t promised.”
He has experienced that.
“A gift,” he said when asked about his second chance. “I had to learn how to walk, talk, and retrain my brain. I got lucky. God was on my side that day.”
In the years since, Whitlock has tried to piece together his life. In October 2015, he became a recipient of the Gary Cox Memorial Scholarship from the Military Veterans Resource Center in Hamilton. The $170 scholarship paid for the equipment required for his two photography classes. He also took several photography classes at the Fitton Center in Hamilton.
Some of Whitlock’s photographs will be shown during an exhibit from 6 to 9 p.m. March 1 at Ryan’s Tavern, 241 High St.
When he picks up a camera, Whitlock seems to focus on what’s important.
“It means I’m accomplishing something,” he said of his photography work. “I’m not wasting my life sitting on the couch or drinking beer in a bar. I have learned not to quit on life. You can’t stop.”
So Whitlock and his camera frequently hit the Hamilton streets. Some people see a sculpture. He sees a picture. His kitchen table is lined with photos of some of Hamilton’s most recognized landmarks.
“We have great beauty here in Hamilton,” he said. “Photographers, we see things differently. We turn our heads, twist our necks. I walk until I see a photo. I see beauty in everything. I love walking around thinking about Hamilton and its past.”
His camera captures what his mind forgot.
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