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KINGSTON &mdash; When Lori Prashker-Thomas was diagnosed with a rare bacterial infection, a team of specialists at the Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center got right to work.
				Now, she&rsquo;s giving back to the doctors that took care of her in the best way she knows how: photography.
				&ldquo;This is what I know how to do, this is what I love,&rdquo; Prashker-Thomas said as the surgeons and residents from Geisinger took their places for a photo session courtesy of Shadowcatcher Photography, a studio co-owned by Prashker-Thomas.
				Kirby Park was the site of Saturday afternoon&rsquo;s photoshoot, Prashker-Thomas&rsquo; way of showing her appreciation for the care that her doctors provided for her when she was in the hospital.
				&ldquo;This is my first real shoot since getting back behind the camera,&rdquo; she said.
				Prashker-Thomas turned Shadowcatcher Photography into a legitimate business with the help of her husband, also an avid photographer, in 2005.
				She&rsquo;s been doing what she loves ever since. But a health scare in the form of Ludwig angina, an oral bacterial infection, took the camera out of Prashker-Thomas&rsquo;s hands for a while.
				&ldquo;I was in the hospital for 20 days,&rdquo; Prashker-Thomas said.
				Worse still was the timing of this infection, smack in the middle of a worldwide pandemic that made it impossible for her family to visit the hospital.
				&ldquo;I didn&rsquo;t get to see anybody,&rdquo; Prashker-Thomas said. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t remember most of it, which is probably for the best.&rdquo;
				Geisinger Wyoming Valley&rsquo;s Oral Maxillofacial Surgery (OMFS) team led Prashker-Thomas through multiple surgeries and operations, diagnosing the infection and working tirelessly to make sure that the potentially life-threatening predicament was nullified.
				&ldquo;I might not be here if it wasn&rsquo;t for them,&rdquo; Prashker-Thomas said. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t have enough good things to say.&rdquo;
				Dr. Saif Abdulateef was the primary surgeon on this particular case. He said that cases of Ludwig angina are rare, and very serious.
				He was also touched at Prashker-Thomas&rsquo;s show of gratitude.
				&ldquo;This is very emotional for me, to get this invite and to be here today,&rdquo; Abdulateef said. &ldquo;It means so much that Lori is here thanking us.&rdquo;

Photographer gives back to healthcare team that treated her