Angel

A few weeks ago, I had the honor of photographing a very special family. The Angel Family are expecting a new baby boy, Joshua, in the next few weeks and I was invited to document this moment in their lives. This is always a huge moment in a family’s life, but this particular family’s story goes beyond most expectations. You see, Baby Joshua, isn’t expected to survive for very long, if at all, outside of the womb. He has Trisomy 13 and will most likely pass away not long after he is born.

Joshua’s parents and his older brother, however, are cherishing the moments they currently have with him. Feeling his kicks, listening to his heartbeat, and looking at sonograms. They are experiencing and loving the life he does have and they wanted that documented. When Joshua is born, I will be there to photograph his life and I treasure that gift. Joshua has already impacted the lives of so many people and he isn’t even born yet; it will be an honor to meet him.

As many of you know, I volunteer for a wonderful organization called Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep. This is how Joshua’s parents first heard about me, and I am so glad they did. If you’d like to learn more about the organization, I urge you to read this post and visit the NILMDTS website for more information and to learn about ways you can donate to the cause.

I will also be hosting another Mini-Session In the Park this spring and all money raised from the event will be donated to the March of Dimes to “help moms have full-term pregnancies and research the problems that threaten the health of babies” (March of Dimes). Updates on the event will be posted in the next few weeks.

If you’re interested in learning more about Trisomy 13 and ways you can donate directly to research. I encourage you to visit the Support Organization for Trisomy website.

Finally, go home and hug your loved ones extra close tonight, say a prayer for Joshua and his family, and do something nice for someone else.

God Bless. You are Loved.

CORRECTION: This post originally stated that Joshua has Trisomy 18, when he actually has Trisomy 13. The error has been corrected and I encourage all of you to learn about Trisomy and ways you can help.