Text messages capture heartbreaking goodbyes of COVID-19 victims

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Mallory and team to tell the stories of families who were prohibited from being with their loved ones who had contracted the virus in the hospital. Because people weren’t allowed to enter hospitals to visit family, they were forced to communicate over text message and FaceTime, and sometimes didn’t know that a text message or phone call would be their last.

For this story, photographer Celeste Sloman and Mallory created a set for virtual portraits that felt dignified and reverent, and honored those who died with white flowers. Mallory also worked with the family members to incorporate their text messages in the layout of the story.

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