Ty l Santa Cruz Child & Family Photography

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.