“FAVORITE photo FRIDAY” is born.

Our idea is that every Friday either Kristene or myself will pick a favorite photo from the week and make a brief (well not so much this one :0) post about why that photograph was picked.  Our hope is that we will be able to show an array of fun, beautiful and sometimes funny images with a little personal story behind each favorite. We hope you enjoy our FAVORITE photo FRIDAY postings and will visit often to see a bit of why we love what we do so much!

Let us know what you think by commenting at the end of the post and thanks again for your visit!

I had big plans for this new Friday Fun….and I’m coming in with this first favorite image a little late, however I think you will still love reading about and meeting my friends the beautiful and amazingly strong,  “Drennan Family”.

This is a bit of a long story although I’m going to shorten it quite a bit; I would have to write a book to tell you the complete story of the Drennan family’s journey thus far. If you are reading this post you probably know that over several years now I have been involved with and area coordinate for NILMDTS organization. Sometimes, we get calls from hospitals, sometimes from nurses and sometimes from friends. The call to do some volunteer photography for this family came to me from a friend…

Caitlyn Dona Drennan was born August 25, 2010 at 8:51am at Barton Hospital in South Lake Tahoe, California. Caitlyn was immediately flown to Sutter Memorial Hospital NICU in Sacramento, California after Doctors discovered some abnormalities in her abdomen. Caitlyn (Mom-Jen is holding her) was diagnosed with stage 4 Neuroblastoma, which is the most common type of cancer in newborns. Caitlyn had a tumor in her abdomen that was affecting her liver, spleen, spine, and other abdominal organs. As I said I can’t begin to tell you their story and the journey they have been on since Caitlyn’s birth, I can however tell you that as of the day after this photograph was taken:

Then Drennan family was happy to make this post on their CaringBridge site:

Today was the best day, though.  Caitlyn had her Broviac catheter removed from her chest!!  It is literally the first time in her life that she doesn’t have something hanging off or coming out of her.  It feels amazing and wonderful to pick her up and squeeze her and not worry about the catheter.  Both days and both procedures went very well and as usual, Caitlyn was a rock star.  Yesterday, in the ACU(Ambulatory Care Unit) where we check in and wait for her procedure, the nurses were so excited to see her and couldn’t believe how big she had gotten and how happy and silly she was.  She has been there many times before for many of her scans and all of her ABR’s so they have seen her grow and thrive.  The Child Life team had her crib all set up with tons of toys and distractions and Caitlyn was on fire!!  She was full of giggles, smiles, squeals, and growls.  She had the whole unit wrapped around her little finger.  And today, on the 5th floor where they do outpatient procedures, it was the same thing.  Caitlyn has had many a transfusion on that floor so again, the nurses were excited to see her and they realized full well why she was there.  End of therapy Broviac removal because she is CANCER-FREE!!!  They were just beside themselves with joy and happiness for Caitlyn and our family.  There were many hugs and a few happy tears by the time we left.

I have been very blessed to be called by this family on a few occasions to come and photograph their little Caitlyn. There was no possibility of doing that without including her brother {Caitlyn’s favorite person ever} Cameron. What a special friendship I was able to develop with them and I am so grateful to have them in my life.

Here is the reason I chose the above photograph for my very first absolute “Favorite photo Friday” image: When I had my first experience with the Drennan Family, Cameron was shy and apprehensive, totally held back in the smiling department and barely engaged with me. I have to admit I really feel I have a talent when it comes to engaging with children so it was a little alarming to me that I couldn’t win him over. This week I was excited to meet up with the Drennan family for Caitlyn’s 9 month photographs at a park here in Sacramento before the family moved back to Lake Tahoe. I could not get enough of little Cameron this session and I’m happy to say he could not get enough of me! In the above photo he literally is running to me to give me a big hug. It is unusual for me to take a photograph where I am involved in the emotion of the photograph. Usually, I am capturing the emotion of the people over there. When I look at this photograph I can feel the emotion of Cameron and I hugging. It will literally be in my heart forever!

There are so many other amazing things about that day that I would love to share, however I will limit my sharing to more photographs that I took of this wonderful family!

We already have a plan for Caitlyn’s 1 year…..looks like I will be going to Tahoe! YEEPEEE!

]]> http://www.bisharatphotos.com/blog/favorite-photo-friday/feed 1 http://www.bisharatphotos.com/blog/mikaela-college-bound-sacramento-high-school-senior-photography http://www.bisharatphotos.com/blog/mikaela-college-bound-sacramento-high-school-senior-photography#comments Thu, 04 Feb 2010 16:56:00 +0000 Brenda http://www.bisharatphotos.com/blog/?p=669 I arrived at my studio the other day approximately 30 minutes late for an appointment with a high school senior. I had called and left messages for her when I realized the volunteer work I was doing at Sutter Memorial, for not one but two babies was going to run later than I expected. I’m not sure why, but when I frantically arrived I expected Mikaela to be pushed out of shape and perhaps a bit unhappy with me and my tardiness. Kristene and Mikaela were there calmly having a lovely conversation about school, boys, college and all the wonderful products we have to offer seniors when they come to purchase their photographs. I had an hour and a half with Mikaela although when we were finished with our session and it was almost dark, I realized we had run closer to two hours.

Thanks Mikaela for understanding that it was necessary for me to be late to our session, I appreciate your patience!

You are an amazing person, you look like a model and I know your family could not be more proud of you and your accomplishments!

As I woke up this morning and started thinking about my day, I was relieved to feel like I could breath….. Although, I feel very blessed to be running my own business and I feel very blessed to be busy, the deadline of the holidays is sometimes overwhelming. Today, when I awoke I felt like we were moving along with our production and holiday cards  and things are being delivered and it is all going to be ok. I started thinking about gift giving and about the upcoming holiday celebrations and heard Trevor tell me that his mom and dad would be very happy if I put “the links” up on his website. That would be a perfect gift for them was what I heard him say. To explain “the links”, I have taken many photographs of Trevor and his family over the past years, SO MANY in fact that when I go to weed them down to a reasonable amout for others to view, I get overwhelmed and can’t seem to decide which ones would be best. I have been unable to complete and finish the project…therefore there are no photographs on TREVORS lovely new website….TREVORKOTT.COM. This has made me very sad and has weighed very heavy on my heart! Angela has asked me several times if I could do it and I keep saying yes and then I get a mental block! Today, was going to be the day to tackle the task and be able to give the gift to Angela, Bob and the girls, the gift of sharing the wonderful photographs of Trevor on their website for all to see. I was excited and focused. I grabbed my coffee, dropped off one of my children at her babysitting and then went to drop off some Holiday Cards to a client/friend. As I set her cards gently on her porch I noticed that she had not gotten her newspaper (The Sacramento Bee) off the porch yet and was relieved thinking she would be excited to open the door to her paper and her cards! As I looked down at the paper I noticed Trevor’s photograph (the one I took of him as the bone marrow drives started, to try and find a match for him). This photograph became the photograph used to spread awareness EVERYWHERE! Bob and Angela had been interviewed recently about how Trevor’s legacy has lived on and how much they are contributing in spreading the word about the importance of bone marrow donations and getting swabbed. I feel like I am rambling and I’m not making sense, but that is OK…today I heard Trevor loud and clear, take time to smell the roses, take a deep breath and remember to live! I LOVE HIS MESSAGES and I miss him, he will always be a little angel in my life forever! Here are some of the photographs I came across as I am getting those “LINKS” together for my gift!

MORE POSTS SOON ON HOW YOU TOO CAN BECOME A POTENTIAL DONOR and GET SWABBED!

Thank you so much to Lisa Tedder for doing this article…..

National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month:

Healing hearts through photography

Photo courtesy of Brenda Bisharat

For so many parents the thought of capturing remembrance images of their baby’s last moments on earth are unbearable, especially for someone like Adrienne.

The images of a dead baby are not the ones that a mother wants to remember. She wants to remember the beauty of her child and wants to be able to share the images without people being afraid or uncomfortable.

While many families do take pictures of their baby’s last moments, so many families wish they had more or better images. That is where the Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep Foundation can help.

Photo courtesy of Brenda Bisharat

Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep Foundation (NILMDTS) is a non-profit organization that offers gentle and beautiful photography services in a compassionate and sensitive manner to families who have lost a baby. They do their best to ensure every family receive their wish of capturing remembrance photos.

NILMDTS is made up of 7,000 volunteer photographers in the U.S. and 25 countries. All photographers graciously donate their time and talents to help grieving families capture the memory of their baby for a lifetime.

One of Sacramento’s NILMDTS Area Coordinator ‘s, Brenda Bisharat, graciously took the time to answer my questions regarding their program.

Do all hospitals in the Sacramento area know about NILMDTS and notify a family of the option to photograph?

Brenda has made a conscious effort to notify and educate the area hospitals of the services NILMDTS provides. However, not all hospitals participate in the program on a regular basis. This is why it is so important to spread the word so that family’s know that this program is an option. Taking remembrance photos is something that must be done right away, so if you are a position of nurse, social worker, or something similar please keep this service in mind. You never know when someone may need it.

Photo courtesy of Brenda Bisharat

What can a family expect during a NILMDTS photo session?

Once an appointment has been a arranged with a NILMDTS coordinator, the photographer will visit the family for a private photo session. The photographer will capture the memory as the family requests, but typically they capture the family with the baby and the details (baby blankets, baby clothing, stuffed animals, etc.).

What can a family expect as a result of the NILMDTS photo session?

The protocol of the organization is to give the family a CD with the edited and worked on, large quality files from the session. Sacramento area photographers will usually give the family a DVD to music of the session as well. Sometimes they will print a few of the photographs for them if they are having a memorial service or they have a special request. All photos and products are free of charge.

Donations are what enable this organization to continue to provide support and resources to families. Donations can be made “In Memory of…”. If you are interested in making a donation, please visit the NILMDTS donation page.

Adrienne did not have the opportunity to have professional portraits of her baby, Summer Olivia, and really wishes she would have known about NILMDTS during her time of need. Please help spread the word so that more families know about NILMDTS.

There are many amazing photographers who volunteer their time and products to families in need of baby bereavement photography. In addition to me being interviewed, my friend and client Stephanie Delacruz will be with me to share her experience of having lost a child. It is a great inspiration to me to be able to give back to the community and to families in this way. I feel blessed to be a part of the Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep organization. If you get a chance please watch!