Just this past year I joined a group called Helping Hearts.
This is how they describe themselves: “Helping Hearts is a project created by Melissa Knowles & Michelle Regner with the goal of being able to provide free photography sessions for families with children who are suffering a life-altering illness or disability. Over the last couple of years we have acquired an entire team of photographers who are dedicated to donating their time to Helping Hearts because they believe in sharing the gift of photography with as many families as possible.”
Just this past month I was able to photograph my first session for Helping Hearts. It was truly a highlight for me. I felt so honoured to be able to go into their lives, if only for a moment, and share in these special memories with them.
Our session was a long time in coming since we had to keep putting it off as Ryan, the three year old, was too sick. Finally he was feeling better and they were able to have me over.
The family just wanted a picture of Ryan where he appeared happy. He had suffered and battled through so much that just a smile in itself would be a victory. Not only had he been suffering with brain stem cancer, he also had neuropathic pain and many other issues. His older brother was also such a sweetheart. He has autism which added more challenges to their everyday life. I sure had fun with these boys though. We played on the floor the whole time and they were so sweet with one another.
It was great seeing the family interact with one another. The love they shared was palpable. I was just so happy to be there and be a part of it.
Just a few days after their session, Ryan’s mom wrote this to me, “ I am so glad you came when you did. We found out on tuesday that Ryan’s tumor has progressed so much in such a short amount of time that we now have only a short amount of time with him left. We will cherish these photos forever, they are so special.”
I cannot pretend to even understand a little of their pain. I am just glad that I was able to give them something to cherish forever.
As I was leaving the house, Ryan hurried over to me and gave me the biggest kiss on the lips. I think of that kiss often and feel blessed to have received it.
I look forward to helping more people through these sessions.
3 Sparkly Comments 
Share the Love
Twitter Facebook Book A Session Old Blog