My grandmother passed away suddenly in February 2015. I was working on a different photographic project at the time but decided to return home and spend time with my grandfather instead. As a way of coping with the situation and as a way of simply being there for him. He suffered from AMD (age-related macular degeneration), a disease that results in almost no vision in the center of the visual field, as well as glaucoma, a slow loss of vision, and impaired hearing. So in a way, my grandfather lost his eyes and ears when she died.
My grandfather passed away in March last year. He never really moved on.
ERIK SIMANDER was born in Hortlax in the north of Sweden in 1989. Simander graduated from Nordens Fotoskola in Photojournalism at Biskops-Arnö in June 2016, and he is currently working as a freelance photographer in Stockholm, Sweden. His work has been recognized an Award of Excellence (Domestic Picture Story), College Photographer of the year in 2014; 1st place, Picture of the Year Sweden (category Domestic Picture Story) in 2016; and Rookie of the Year, Picture of the Year Sweden in 2016. (@eriksimander)