Downers Grove photographer | Naperville Photographer

Well, this is the hardest blog post for me to write.  I first met this amazing family when they came in for their newborn session.  I learned then about the young father who at age 29 was diagnosed with stage four colon cancer.  He found out his diagnosis the day before they found out they were pregnant.  I made sure to get some great ones with him in it.  Weeks later, I learned that their infant son was hospitalized.  Through many scary ordeals, they received a rare diagnosis for him that required both a kidney and liver transplant.  Through all of this, I kept thinking that this woman had an unfair amount of crap put on her at one time.  It broke my heart.  I saw them again, several times.  And each time, I was so happy to see the father still here.  So happy to see their little boy still here.

Their son received both transplants and is finally doing well.  He is now three years old! And this also means the father has lived with stage four colon cancer for four years, which is amazing.  Unfortunately, he was declining quickly, and they decided to move to hospice care.  I follow them on Facebook and read that since turning off his chemo treatments and getting on new and more medications through hospice, he was feeling so much better, so I reached out to them and asked if they would like a free session.  Being in hospice, I don’t know how much more time he has, and since he was feeling good, I just wanted to be able to do something for them.  They have been the face of grace under extreme conditions that would knock most people to their knees.  It has been a blessing and a privilege to know them.

I hope you can see the love here.  They have always been full of smiles every time I have seen them.

 

I wanted to be sure to get some great ones of just the couple, too.

 

This one catches my breath with the intimacy.

 

 

We had a while where daddy and his son just played together.  Such a sweet moment.

 

They also brought along their “other” children.  🙂

They are in my thoughts frequently, and I hope that by sharing their story, you let go of the trivial worries and give your love fully to those in your lives.