Abram …warrior | fighter | son | brother | child of God

When I first heard about The Gold Hope Project, I knew it was an organization I needed to be involved with because it is so close to my heart. “The Gold Hope Project are a group of photographers aiming to gift families battling a pediatric cancer diagnoses free portrait session for their little warriors. Many families with ill children are emotionally, physically and finanicially strapped; it is the heart of The Gold Hope Project to take at least one worry off their shoulders and gift them something magical – the smilies of their children frozen in time.”

Isn’t that the best?

When my first born was 6 years old she was diagnosed with a childhood kidney cancer, she battled it off and on for 5 years until the Lord called her home. I don’t have any professional pictures of her, of us. It wasn’t a thing back then, and I was not a professional photographer back then either. Although photography was my passion when you have a child, and 3 other smaller ones, battling for her life, it is very hard to pick up a camera. So I understood this need, I understood this value. I wanted to be able to gift to families walking the hard that I did, something I never had because I truly understood what it would mean to them.

So when I got the message that they had gifted me Abram, I was beyond excited. When I learned his story I knew why I was the one to take their photos. Abram is the oldest of 4, diagnosed at age 7 with Neuroblastoma. He has had many rounds of chemo, immunotherapy, stem cell transplant, radiation and by now I believe the list goes on. Not only that but they went through so much of this during a pandemic, which posed so many more obstacles for this sweet family than anyone should have to go through.

My girl was the oldest of 4 and diagnosed at age 6, she went through chemo, radiation and a stem cell transplant (immunotherapy was not around yet) so when I got together with this sweet family, it was like watching my life, it was bittersweet but for some reason it was beautiful to me. I was encouraged by their faith, which we also share and I was so blessed to be able to capture their precious story. I loved watching Abram play with his brothers and sister, it just brought me so much joy and I knew capturing mom and dad with Abram was so important because we as parents just don’t get in those pictures enough.

Everything about this session was perfect, including the fact that Abram fell in love with the gold gloves that I brought so it was wonderful to be able to gift them to him, and see him beam. I wish I could do these sessions all the time, it fills my soul to provide “something magical – the smilies of their children frozen in time.”