My cancer experiences are as a loved one of both cancer survivors and those whom cancer has taken. Among the former is the amazing Mariah Lookman, who has found a way to channel her experiences into this incredible effort to give back, make a difference, and create lasting impact for those dealing, struggling, fighting, coping, overcoming, and, sometimes, losing, to cancer. I’m honored to be part of the journey.

When my mother-in-law, Janaki Gunawardena, was first diagnosed with Stage 4 colon cancer in 2009, my response was to dig into the science, reading journal articles about cancer, chemotherapy, other treatments, and outcomes. Mother ignored all my advice and mapped her own path, through a combination of high risk (according to the journals) medicine and all-encompassing spirituality. Twelve years later, she’s among the five percent who survive such a dire initial prognosis.

My closest friend, Nilu Abeyaratne, was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2015. She was my rock from the moment I became a Sri Lankan resident in 1999. Again, I followed the science, as did Nilu, and I regularly shared what I’d found in the oncology journals I consumed. Two years later, out of the blue, my father, Jerry Miller, was diagnosed with liver cancer. Nilu, still fighting her own battle, was a pillar of support. But this was a whirlwind late diagnosis and within weeks my father was gone. Not four months later, so was Nilu.

Science is little comfort in circumstances of such compounding loss. Unwittingly, I turned to nature. Within a month of Nilu’s passing, with a new camera in hand, I became an avid, and then more avid, birder. And a lover of lizards, bats, frogs, and all the other creatures whose presence around me affirms life, its beauty, and its impermanence. Only recently did I find the name for what was, for me, an organic response to what cancer had taken from me: ecotherapy.

What is ecotherapy? There are several answers; some involve the formal involvement of trained therapists while others recognize the physical and mental health benefits of an eco-centric approach to the natural world around us, even without explicit therapeutic intervention. This can involve gardening, hiking, walking, sitting quietly, or any number of additional outdoor activities. Regardless of the approach, the science (yes, back to that again) shows that interacting with nature enhances healing and growth. That is why, every day, I strive to find and photograph the small wonders in the world around me, and it brings me endless – perhaps obsessive – comfort and joy.

This Sri Lankan Hornbill is especially memorable. Within the year of my dad’s passing, we brought my mother to Sri Lanka for her first ever visit. I’d never seen a hornbill in the wild. We were sitting together on the veranda one morning when this beauty landed in the tree right in front of us and stayed for a lengthy photoshoot. It felt like she’d come just for us. My mom’s visit also marked my first photos of my beloved kabaragoyas and Brown-headed Barbets, whose calls I yearn for when I’m away and welcome me when I return. And they helped us grieve and celebrate life together. The remainder are several of my favorite photos of several of my many favorite creatures.