this is a pretty serious post. i did not know how to write it any other way.
when i was a little girl, i rode the bus to school with 2 sisters. i can remember what they looked like and their names, but i will not mention them here. one day the littler sister did not feel good…she left school early and never rode our bus again. childhood leukemia snuck up and took her with only a headache for a warning. i am sure for her family that it was not that fast or simple, but to a little girl who shared the ride to school with her, it just seemed sinister. i have carried those memories, that little girl on the bus, for 30 odd years. when our clover got so sick last june and for 2 days while she just got worse and doctors were still so baffled as to the cause, i was haunted by that sweet little girl. when we got the diagnosis of HMG-CoA synthetase deficiency i did not even care that i had no freaking clue what it was…as long as it was not cancer. every time clover gets sick now, we are on guard, but we are prepared…we are nervous, but we are armed with a medical plan and we know what we are facing.
a few days ago, i logged onto facebook and a link came up in the top news feed. it was about sophie, a facebook friend’s baby girl who has just been diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. she is the same age now as when clover was first in the hospital last year. sophie turns one on the 20th of april. please read her story here. sophie’s parents are living the nightmare i only feared. while i have never met her mom and only know her through our photography connections, i cried for her that morning. they have a long road ahead of them to get sophie well again and home where she should be.
there really isn’t anything much i can do, but help get the word out for prayers and support. this is a time that a family needs a little extra help. i am donating a few images for the sophie’s fund gallery. if you make a donation, you will be able to select from a collection of work by wonderful photographers who have all donated their images to bolster this family. there are so very many gorgeous photographs in the gallery…you will be sure to find something and be helping at the same time.
here are a few of my images that will be available in the gallery.
if you can, leave a comment of support on sophie’s blog for her parents to read. i really want her parents to know that they are not alone and there are a lot of people pulling for their little baby girl like they would their own.
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Leukemia is one of the most horrible illnesses out there. My friend died from it last year. He was only 16 years old, he was a fighter. He fought against it for 2 and a half years, but he lost. It's going to be a year on April 30, and it still hurts the same it did a year ago.
Thanks for bringing this to my attention, i'll be sure to support this family in any way i can, like i did and still do with my friend's family.
oh. i am heading over there now. this hits home for so many reasons. thanks rachel…
I can't buy, but can I donate a picture? How would that work?
You would have to contact the people who are running the donation site!
Thanks for sharing, Rachel. This really touched my heart, as I just lost a dear friend to leukemia only a few days ago. I will be stopping by the site to make my donation.
hey rachel,
i am going to donate regardless, but i was just wondering, are the rest of these images going up in the gallery? or only what is there now.
i had my eye on the cow….
up soon!
Rachel…This story touched me terribly. As a mother of two small children, this type of things worries and saddens me. I'd love to donate! And I commend you for doing what you can as well.
(Only one of your images is in the current gallery. Will they all be available at a later date or am I missing something?)
Yes, the others will be coming! The gallery is run by a friend of the family who is doing it in her spare time.
What a wonderful and creative way to raise some money to help a family in need. Thanks for the info!
This post brought me tears. My baby just turns one. When she got her first cold, my heart was breaking. I can not even image what you, your husband and Sophie's parents have to go through. That's why I always love to see Clover's silly, funny, laughing photos. They always melt my heart. I'm heading over their site now, and will keep them in my prayers.
I am going to go buy that mute button print right now, and know my money is going somewhere much more useful than if it had been spent on me. Thank you so much for bringing this to everyone's attention.
Those images should be going up in the gallery soon. It is all being done by a friend in her spare time, so keep checking!
i also wanted to say,
i don't know if you have asked certain people to participate, but i would be more than willing to donate some of my own images.
i am not a professional, but if you want more participants, i am happy to send you some images for you or someone else to check out, and if you would like to put them up in the gallery, please do so.
i won't be offended if you just want photographers you have chosen to be a part of it! i just want to help!
I am not in charge of the donations at all, just donated my images and
am helping to spread the word. There should be information on how to
contact them on the website. I will ask what the update is and post
here.
I said a prayer for Sophie and her parents. Please God, be with them.
So sad
My good friend son has the "C" word. You are so awesome for helping this family! We are also raising money for "C" She is going bald for the cause!
You will be in my prayers too Sophie!
Get better!!
Thank you for posting this and sharing these links Rachel, my heart and prayers are with Sophie and her family. I donated what I could, I will try to go back and do more.
Still looking for the cow pic ): Really want that one..
I know, I just have not had the time to pull the file. It will appear.
when i was little, my best friend got diagnosed with leukemia my parents told me she was really sick, a year after that she passed, I really feel for this little girl, cancer is a living nightmear for parents. this really touched my heart Ill stop by the site and donate.