Tiny Sparrow Foundation | A Non Profit Organization » A Picture of Hope

CONGRATULATIONS KIM MEAGHER!!!!

We had the opportunity to meet and photograph Kelsey “girl” (as her mom calls her) and her wonderful family yesterday.  Kelsey has a blog that her mom has kept up and it’s so amazing to read the stories and understand the strength that this family has.  What an inspiration….

The Up Family

“Thursday, August 6th. This is the morning we found out our little baby Kelsey has Down Syndrome. It was devastating at first but the thought that she might also have Leukemia was even more devastating. Children with Down Syndrome are at risk for Leukemia plus heart problems and gastrointestinal problems. They were testing all of this ASAP. The morning was very emotional for us and everyone we told. But, then around 3:00 or 4:00 the Ped. Cardiologist came by to tell us the first piece of good news. Kelsey’s heart was great!!! She did have a small hole and something else I can’t remember the name of but that was normal for preemies and should fix themselves on there own. She also changed our attitude with her wonderful emotional and spiritual encouragement about Down Syndrome and most importantly a reminder of how God is in control and giving us Kelsey wasn’t a mistake but a blessing. She belongs to Him first and God entrusted her to us to take care of. God loves her more than we do!!! Later, several friends from church came by and prayed for us and our hearts were lifted and encouraged more and more. Several hours later, Kelsey’s doctor came to my room for more test results. The fact that he was coming to my room made us very anxious. We waited desperately wondering if our little girl also had Leukemia. He gave us an update but with no result of the test we wanted. We had to finally ask him about it and to our relieve she didn’t have Leukemia. So yet, another praise to end the last several days. This night we were so happy to have our little baby girl Kelsey and couldn’t wait to get to know her and love her.”

Meet precious little Sherrlyne, who at just 21 months of age, is fighting Leukemia for a second time. I had the pleasure of meeting her last week. She was first diagnosed at just 3 months of age and has since relapsed.
She is such a beautiful little girl but in her little life she has been through so much that she doesn’t trust anybody so it was hard for me to get her to smile.. There is sooo much sadness behind those big brown eyes and I so wish I could take that sadness away from her.

She is a fighter and we ask that you keep her & her family in your prayers, as they continue to go through chemo.

If you want to get involved and help provide memorable pictures for other brave children like Sherrlyne please contact us at tinysparrow@me.com..

I had the amazing opportunity this past weekend to be part of the Beads of Courage/ team and visit the Medical City Hospital here in Dallas as part of their annual holiday party for the kids on the oncology floor. Beads of courage is an amazing non profit organization, dedicated to helping children with serious illness record, tell and own their stories of survival through beads..

I got to meet some of the bravest kids out there that despite what they are going through, they are an inspiration for everyone. Their amazing spirit, their sad but courageous story will make you rethink your priorities in life and will really make you appreciate the littlest things in life.
As you can see from the pictures some of the kids have just started treatment, some are in the middle of treatment, some are just ending treatment and some are celebrating the few weeks or months that have past since they have finished the last round of chemo, the last radiation or the last surgery.. And there are those children that come to the party to remember their brother or sister that is no longer with them but was part of the oncology floor a few years ago..

I have been thought a lot myself but there were a few times when I could not hold back the tears while photographing these children.. One of the stories that brought tears to my eyes is when I met a little 3 month old baby boy (the one dressed in the little santa outfit). He is one of maybe 100 very rare cases world wide where his body can not process fats and his liver has pretty much gave up.. Unfortunately, there is no more treatment that he can go through and he will more than likely not make it till Christmas.. What a great, great opportunity as part of Tiny Sparrow Foundation that I was able to take a few pictures of this beautiful little baby and mail them out as a Christmas gift for his father. Priceless memories that will be sooo sooo cherished for the years to come..

If you are interested in helping create timeless and priceless memories for other children with similar stories please contact tinysparrow@me.com or you can donate to the Tiny Sparrow Foundation by clicking the donate button. Our goal for 2010 is to photograph 50 children facing life threatening illnesses and to provide each one of them with a very memorable professional album that will tell their story for years to come.

Another little fighter you can pray for… Meet little Walker… At just 7 months he has quite an amazing story.. He was diagnosed with a very rare and aggressive form of cancer. He had surgery to remove one of his kidneys and now is undergoing chemotherapy treatment hoping that the tumor will shrink. Please stop by their www.caringbridge.org/visit/walkerrainey and leave a word of encouragement…

I am so blessed to be able to share my gift and talent with this amazing family. Missy and Chad… I know we had all the odds against us today (my car did not start, the storm was approaching rapidly) but we did manage to capture little Walker’s personality despite that.. Please enjoy these short preview.. You are in my prayers..