I got involved with Flashes of Hope in January 2012. My husband's cousin, Leslie, who has worked with Flashes of Hope in Baltimore for many years, told me that the organization was looking for a new Chapter Director for Washington, DC. She knows that I love photography and that I love children and...
{ more }I got involved with Flashes of Hope in January 2012. My husband's cousin, Leslie, who has worked with Flashes of Hope in Baltimore for many years, told me that the organization was looking for a new Chapter Director for Washington, DC. She knows that I love photography and that I love children and thought that I would love working with Flashes of Hope. Boy, was she right! Before my first shoot, I told several friends about my new project, and they all thought that it sounded wonderful but very depressing. Boy, were they wrong! The children that we photograph are wonderful. They are upbeat, fun, funny and full of warmth. Despite the hardships that each of them faces every day, they are simply lovely. It is so sad that they are dealing with the things that life has brought their way, but they approach their situations with grace, dignity and courage. And the ten minutes in front of the camera are absolutely precious moments! These kids are hams! For ten minutes, they can forget about why they are in the hospital and instead smile and pose and be nothing short of beautiful. I absolutely love looking at the photos taken by our amazing group of volunteer photographers and know that the families will cherish the images forever!
Every child we shoot is special and unique in his or her own way. There is one boy, however, who will forever stand out in my mind and in my heart. The first time we met him, he was with his three brothers and his mother. His youngest brother had just finished up in the art room and had paint all over his arms, legs and his face. His mother insisted that there was no reason to clean him up, because this is what her son generally looks like. Our photographer took some great family photos – paint and all. A couple of months later, we took more photos of this young patient. This time, the images were just of him and his mom. I'll never forget the email I received from the child life specialist at the hospital telling me that this boy was going to die shortly and asking me if we could get his last set of photos right away. Of course, we did, but I was so saddened to learn of his passing. He had looked much better at that last photo shoot; I had no idea the end would be so soon. I am sure that his family loves the photos that Flashes of Hope provided, and that his mom particularly cherishes those beautiful images of her and her son.
I wish and pray that all of the patients we photograph recover and go on to live healthy lives. For those who do, we provide proof of the strength that pulled them through. And for those unfortunate ones who do not, we provide lasting memories for their loved ones of the hard fought battle and the beautiful child whose live ended much too soon. I plan to continue to work with Flashes of Hope until there are no more children with cancer available to photograph.
