michelleriddlephoto.com

I have had this post in my head since I left this shoot last week. I know that as hard as I try, I will not do the best job at conveying how special this little guy and his mama are and what this shoot meant to me.

As a photographer for The Littlest Heroes Projects, I was contacted back in April to do a photo shoot for a little boy named Mason who had just had a heart transplant. I was given a link to Masons blog and spent hours in awe as I read about this very special little boy.

Mason, the youngest of 5 kids, was diagnosed at 3 days old  with Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome. His parents were told that he would need to have at least 3 open heart surgeries before he turned 3.  After 2  successful surgeries, Mason was in heart failure and was not going to be able to have the third surgery that would help make him better. His only hope would be to have a heart transplant. Unfortunately, he was diagnosed with severe pulmonary vein stenosis and his family was told he would not be able to receive a heart transplant and that he would need a heart-lung transplant, something that could not be done at their local Utah hospital. Like any one in their situation, Masons parents did not give up. They found out that there was a chance he could have a heart transplant to his healthy lung at Lucille Packard Hospital in Palo Alto. So..back in February, Mason and his mom Summer came out to California for tests and to eventually be listed for a heart transplant. After almost 2 months in California, on Easter morning, Mason received his new heart..wow, can you believe that..on easter he got his new heart. I started reading Masons blog soon after his transplant and was heartbroken when I read that he was in rejection. Miracle Mason is living up to his name though and has overcome the  rejection and will soon be back in Utah with his family.

Everything about Masons story touched me so much and I feel extremely blessed that I was able to spend a few hours with this amazing mom and her special little guy. The time with them was more of a gift to me then I think these photos are to them. It is so easy to get wrapped up in the day to say stresses and lose sight of what it important and it is people like Summer and Mason who help put it all into perspective for me.  I was in awe of Summer and what she has been through. Not only is she having to deal with her son being ill, but she was doing this away from her family. Can you imagine dealing with something like this without having your family to lean on?! Add on to the fact that Summer knows that for Mason to have been given the gift of a new heart, meant that somewhere, another mom had to be mourning the loss of their child.

Summer, I hope I was able to capture just a little of the connection that you and Mason have and just how sweet and special he is. I know you didn’t intend to be in the photos, but I wanted to capture the special bond the two of you share. Thanks to the generosity of people around them, they have been able  to stay in the guest house on a beautiful piece of property near Stanford and the backyard was perfect for taking pictures.

Here he is, just a small sampling of Miracle Mason.

This was the first shot I took. As you can see, Mason was not about to let mom get out of the picture.

It took a little while to get a smile out of him when he was away from mom, but there was a little something we found that made him happy.
What’t that..a vintage pedal car/plane found in the garage of where they were staying. Summer..I think you are going to have to bring that back to Utah with you! As long as Mason was in the plane or in moms arms he was pretty happy.  Oh how I just love this photo.

Look at those beautiful eyes and adorable cheeks.
There is is..that connection that a mama has with her little miracle.
At this point the shoot was over. Summer and I were chatting and I just could not resist taking a few more photos, the light was just perfect. I think this is his “I am done face”. Don;t you love his curls!

Thank you again Summer and Mason for letting me spend some time with you.

I had the honor last week of meeting and photographing a great little boy and his parents. Three year old Ty was diagnosed with neuroblastoma 2 years ago. Just last month, after undergoing  ”7 rounds of high dose chemo, a stem cell translpant, 27 rounds of radiation, surgery to remove the tumor, countless blood and platelet transfusions, CT, MRI, and MIBG scans, and bone marrow biopsies” he had no evidence of disease. I was so happy to be able to spend some time chasing this little health guy around. Yes, I said chasing. Ty was not too interested in sitting still and when he was ready to get his picture taken, it wasn’t always in the perfect location.  Ty was adorable and full of energy. It warmed my heart so much to see him on the go knowing everything that he had been through.

When I went to moms facebook page this morning to let her know that I would have her photos ready soon, I saw that she had recently updated her caring bridge site and that they were on there way to Stanford today to have some pain in his leg checked out. The sadness I felt when I read that overwhelmed me and once again put things in perspective for me. I decided to put my to-do list aside for a bit and get a few photos posted so I could share a little of Ty’s story.

As a “photographer” I always want to capture the “perfect” picture. It is very easy to doubt myself and feel like I am never good enough as I try and capture a technically and emotionally perfect picture. It is very easy to lose sight of why I pick up my camera and the surge of energy I get when taking and viewing photographs.  It is shoots like the one with Ty and his family that help remind me why I LOVE being a photographer. It is such a gift to me to be able to get a glimpse into a brave little boy and the strong parents that support him.