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Posted by KpopJoA116 pts Thursday, July 27, 2017

A photographer reunites with her homeless father on the streets after years of being separated

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32-year old Diana Kim is a professional photographer born and raised in Maui, Hawaii. Her father owned a photo studio and that's how she began to learn to take professional photos.




Unfortunately, the happy family broke apart after Diana's parents filed for divorce. Her father wasn't around most of the time. Diana had no choice but to wander around and move from one relative's home to the next.  At times, she would sleep at a park, a friend's house, or even in the car. 





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When Diana was in college in 2003, she decided to take on a special photography project recording the lives of homeless people in the region. While working on the project which got extended to more than ten years, she coincidentally ran into her father in Honolulu. "I spent several weeks looking for my father and I finally found him sitting under the shade behind a dumpster", described Diana. 


Unfortunately, Diana's father did not recognize her. However, she insisted he lives with her and vowed to look after his health.


Later on, she found out through her grandmother that he was actually kicked out of the house. There had been several complaints regarding her father, one of them being, he failed to take a bath. Diana's father revealed to be suffering from a mental disorder (Schizophrenia) and claimed that he heard strange voices telling him to not take a bath.


During an interview with NBC News, she stated, "There were nights where my father was nowhere to be seen as well as nights where he would suddenly appear standing on a street corner. He had been suffering from severe mental illness and was forced to live inside his home without receiving any medical treatment. There was no reply from him and there were moments when he would be quarreling with someone but there was no one around."


In 2014, the father was able to receive psychological treatment once he became stabilized. He is still being treated today and is in much better condition.


According to Diana, "He is glad that he has regained his health and is able to stand up again. My father has been spending a great deal of time with his friends and is actively searching for a job. He hopes to work as a cab driver again and wishes to visit his family in Korea someday. I gave my old camera to my father. I hope that he will be able to regain his memories and become interested in photography again. I wish that he is able to live in this great place for a long time. Every day is a new opportunity for us. If one doesn't give up, there is no failure either.  With that being said, never give up! I did not give up on him after all."

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