Nilla & Stefan – Closeness That Never Faded

I first met Nilla and Stefan almost twenty years ago, when I was looking for models for a photo story about presence and the body. It didn’t happen then, but we stayed in touch. Over the years, I’ve photographed them several times.

They were already a couple, but above all, two people who lived fully – open to life, their bodies, and connection.
This is their story – and how everything changed one day on the balcony, without losing what truly matters.

When Everything Changed

One ordinary day, Nilla sat on the balcony.
It was quiet and warm. Suddenly, she lost feeling in her legs. Life went from normal to uncertain in minutes.

“I didn’t feel fear at first,” she says. “The first thought was: oh, now our sex life is over.”

She laughs softly, but there is tenderness in her smile.
Paralysis became a new reality – but not the end of intimacy, rather the start of something new.

“We had to start over,” says Stefan. “Learn the body again.
At first we had to manage her legs, but then… everything worked. Just differently.”

Nilla nods.

“The body remembers. Desire can’t be paralyzed. It finds new ways.”

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Life After

After the accident, Nilla became even clearer about her sensuality. She talks about pleasure as something bigger than sex.

“I want to feel it build up,” she says.
“Not just the body – all of me. When head, heart, and body connect, it can be almost too strong. Sometimes I feel like I might faint.”

She has started exploring tantric experiences – where time slows down and touch becomes language.

“I long for that,” she says. “The quiet, when all of me is present.”

For them, life is now about what is still possible, not what isn’t.
They adapted their motorhome, continue traveling, and find new ways to live closeness every day.

“We live slower,” says Stefan. “But maybe deeper.”

“And we still love,” says Nilla. “With everything we still have – and that is a lot.”

Björndammen – A Place of Freedom

Björndammen is a hidden gem in the forest, outside Eskilstuna.
A long, rough path leads through the pine trees. The ground is uneven, roots twist across the trail – and suddenly the water opens up, calm and sparkling between the rocks.

“Here we can just be,” says Nilla. “No one cares. You can talk, swim, laugh. And if more happens – it just happens.”

After her paralysis, Björndammen became a place where Nilla could feel freedom in her body again. During a swim, a gay couple noticed her moving through the water. When she came up, half-wet and confident, they greeted her with smiles – completely natural in their own skin.

They handed her a small medal:

“You deserve this,” they said. “You earned it.”

Nilla laughs softly.

“I was so moved. It was beautiful – and human.
No one made a fuss. It just was. That’s how life should be.”

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Life, Love, and Curiosity

Their life is both ordinary and extraordinary. Open about sexuality, curious about others, always with respect and warmth.
Life is not about shocking – it is about living.

“We laugh a lot,” says Stefan. “We try new things, sometimes it works, sometimes not. But we live. And we enjoy it.”

“And we love,” says Nilla.
“With everything we still have. That’s the most important.”

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Epilogue

Seeing Nilla and Stefan now, after all these years, I notice the same energy as when I first met them.
Their eyes are curious, warm, and full of life.
It’s not just the body that tells the story – it’s their whole presence, their willingness to feel, play, and love.
Photographing them is like capturing a living reminder that sensuality and intimacy have no expiration date – only new ways to bloom.